Host couple

Yes The OP said this: No like family friends like they help

Make sure everything is going smooth take things from the church to reception hall if anyone has questions they ask them etc

@teach---no snark, actually curious--

"They'll socialize and have drinks and apps like everyone else, but also be available to answer questions if needed."

How will your guests know they are the "hosts" to which to direct their questions?

You and your mom believe they will be honored to be asked... hahaha!

No... what they will do is talk shit about you behind your back. You should really listed to everyone (except teach7) and hire a DOC. Doesn't your venue offer a service like this?

Teach... will they be wearing buttons too?

This sounds super shitty. Its just using your friends for free labor.

We're hiring a DOC even for our tiny 40 person wedding. Why? I'll don't want to ask or depend on friends or family like that.

@Beaut maybe they wear signs? *wait was that snarky?*

My DOC will be handling these "duties".

I just hope your helper elves are okay with missing most of the ceremony and reception.

My helper elves? I wouldn't call it that..and they aren't going to miss anything. I don't think any of use are understanding the concept. Maybe it's just a known thing here in Iowa.

Oh no.... We are understanding the "concept". It isn't an Iowa thing either.... FH is from Iowa and we aren't asking friends/family to work our wedding

How about Glitter Covered Slaves. Have you heard that term? Cause you have been here for a while OP- I gotta ask this cause I was just looking through your threads and you had 4 asking for honeymoon spots, 4 with when to register and where, and 4 when to save the dates. Now some of these are joined "Save the dates with registry info" So I gotta ask this. Are you just trying for a 5th star? Is that why? You posted something that could get members going so that your count would go up? If not why are you even asking advice as by previous posts you don't seem to be registering advice that you are receiving and then just asking again in another post

How are they not going to miss anything while they're answering people's questions, bringing things from the church to the reception, and doing whatever other jobs I'm sure you'll think of before next May?

No I'm not trying to get my "stars" up don't even know how to do that. I can't just make a thread and ask a question? Didn't know that was a crime and wasn't allowed. They will be at the church in one of the front rows, they will be at the reception sitting with everyone else.

Just to clarify, what do you expect them to do as "hosts"?

Here's the thing: I doubt the couple that used me as free labor know what all I did that weekend. Things came up that they hadn't thought of and when you appoint guests as your helpers, those guests are the ones that deal with the issue and don't get to participate in the celebration like you thought they would.

Let's say you assign this host couple to take a few things over to the reception site, be the first guests to arrive at the reception, put those things in place, and then be available to answer questions. Won't these honored guests have to hightail it out of the ceremony to beat the others to the reception site? They'll be watching the clock the entire ceremony and thinking about all the items they need to grab on their way out. Then, what if they get to the reception site and find out there's an issue with a vendor or something isn't done that's supposed to be done. That, plus the things they were bringing to the reception site that need to be set up, will take time to deal with. If anything goes wrong, they will not be with the other guests. They will be trying to solve the issue and pick up the slack. This is why we are recommending a DOC: so you have a point of contact for all your vendors to ensure everything is running smoothly.

I got to wear a pretty corsage, too.

Teach - I had a few friends volunteer to help out - knowing that my mom died relatively recently and I was overwhelmed with emotions. I never would have asked for help, but I had 4 who did ask and I took them up on it. I'm still close to all, so I'm pretty sure no one talked crap behind my back.

So sure, asking would be bad. But accepting an offer from someone who would be offended if you said no- sure.

That said, no one "hosted." My husband and I did that.

As for missing parts of the ceremony and/or reception: Are your "hosts" helping to send you and your BP down the aisle? If so, they'll miss seeing the front view of you walking down the aisle. They'll miss your FH's face as he sees you walking towards him. Your "hosts" will have to scurry down the aisle to be able to witness your vows. That could be distracting. Or get in the way of your photographer. If your "hosts" are helping to coordinate the BP's exit from the ceremony, they'll probably miss your first kiss so they can set up to funnel the guests out of the space. As your "hosts" break down the ceremony space, they're missing parts of the cocktail hour. Are you having more than one pair of "hosts"? If not, how are you going to guarantee that your "hosts" will arrive at the reception space before your guests? How relaxed will your "hosts" be at the reception if people are coming up to them with questions? And what kind of questions are you anticipating your guests to have for your "hosts"? Are they going to help with the food service? If so, when will they eat? What if your "hosts" get drunk and cannot answer or direct your guests throughout the night?

OP, it seems like you've already made up your mind about having "hosts" for your wedding. We are just trying to make sure that you are thinking everything through.

I've never even heard of this....

Opinion from a someone with a low budget & from a small town:

There are always host couples at weddings where I live! Typically, it's aunts and uncles. They simply greet people, mingle, and make sure guests know what's going on. Also for dinner, which is often times buffet style, they excuse tables in an orderly fashion and talk with guests while doing that! It's not hard. It's a little thing that makes things go smoother. If someone thinks it will help out, DO IT! I'm sure most couples/friends/family would be happy to do it to help out on the big day! I'll definitely have a host couple if not 2! ( I don't know why everyone is being so rude about this girls question. It's a question! )

That sounds exactly like a DOC. The host is whoever is paying for the wedding.