Parties

• Bridal showers and bachelor/ bachelorette parties normally occur a couple of months to a few weeks prior to an American wedding. Hosting duties usually fall to friends of the bride or groom, while guests include anyone relating to the wedding party.
  
  

Rehearsal

• The evening before the wedding, the party usually gathers to rehearse their entrances in the church or the site of the ceremony. Following the rehearsal, the groom's father hosts a dinner for the entire wedding party and immediate family.
  
  

Wedding Party

• The bride can select as many bridesmaids or attendants as she desires, while the groom normally picks a matching number of groomsmen.
  
  

Wedding Costs

• In most American weddings, the bride's family pays for the majority of the cost, including the reception hall, entertainment and dinner for all the guests. The groomsmen and bridesmaids usually pay for their own outfits.
  
  

Seating

• At American weddings, it remains customary for the guests of the bride to sit on one side of the room while guests of the groom sit on the opposite side. Ushers usually meet guests at the entrance to the room to direct them to the proper side.