Greeters!

I personally don't want to "give" jobs at my wedding. I'd much prefer to hire someone(who is not in the wedding), that way no feelings are hurt, and the job is done well because it is being paid for.

Would it be like an usher? Is that an actual wedding thing or just a Midwest thing?

Oops! Double posted.

I've seen a wedding where groomsman greeted people and escorted ladies to their seats. I can't comment on whether or not they REALLY liked doing it or volunteered but I personally got the impression they didn't mind having something to do before the ceremony.

This is considered an usher, and no, it's not rude to ask people to be a part of your wedding!!!

I had wondered this too because I know tasks like these are typically frowned upon. I wouldn't personally be offended by this because I don't think people are coming from a bad place when they ask people to do this, and I know people like the personal touch of having people close to them be the first faces people see when they come to the wedding. That being said, I would still err on the side of caution and not pick people specifically to hand out programs, as the general consensus when I have lurked on multiple wedding forums is that this is an unnecessary job and not an honor, so I think the risk of offending people is high. Could you place a basket on an entry table with the programs, or leave one on each seat?

I have also seen people have groomsmen double up as ushers, so they sometimes stand at the entry way to greet people and help people who may need it find their seats. From what I have read, this is not offensive because the groomsmen are already in an honor position, and wouldn't feel like they are just doing unnecessary work. I have also been to weddings where the groom has stood at the entry with the groomsmen to help greet people. But anyone else reading, please correct me if I am wrong on that.

ETA: That is true. This does sound very much like an usher role, which is common. Some people have groomsmen double up as ushers, whereas some designate different people other than groomsmen to be ushers. Sorry to hijack, but I do have a related question for those who know wedding etiquette well. "Usher" seems to be a standard, accepted role of honor, while I have read that roles such as "greeters" or "program passers" are considered a slap in the face. Yet they seem to be very similar. Is it more what you call them, or is there a major difference between the two roles? Thank you in advance :-)

So should the ushers be someone already in the bridal party or can it be another friend or relative?

We had a few WP members as well as a couple of older kids help with ushering. it's a pretty standard approach where we are (central Canada)