What is a Page Boy & What Do They Do at a Wedding?
As well as looking totally cute on the day, what else does a page boy need to do at your wedding? Here's everything you need to know about the adorable role
There are many important wedding roles within a wedding party, but perhaps one of the cutest roles of all is deciding on who will be your page boy.
While there are official page boy duties (scroll down for those…), the main role of the page boy is mostly just to look adorable walking down the aisle, melt the hearts of your wedding guests and steal the show in your wedding photos.
What’s more, having a page boy at your wedding is a lovely way to include children in your special day and get them involved.
- What is a Page Boy in a Wedding?
- Are Page Boys Just for Weddings?
- What Does a Page Boy Do?
- What are the Main Page Boy Duties?
- How Old is a Typical Page Boy?
- What’s the Difference Between a Page Boy and a Ring Bearer?
- Page Boy Outfits: What Should a Page Boy Wear?
- Should You Give a Page Boy a Gift?
Page Boy Duties: Everything You Need to Know About Having a Page Boy
If you are looking for a way to include a younger boy in your family or a child of one of your close friends in your wedding but you are worried about giving them too much responsibility, or stress on the day, then the role of the page boy could be perfect for them.
But what do page boys actually have to do at the wedding? Do they wear page boy outfits or suits? And do you need to add them to the list of people to buy presents for? We have all the answers and more right here…
What is a Page Boy in a Wedding?
Typically, page boys at weddings are boys under the age of seven who walk down the aisle ahead of the bride. They’ll either walk together if you are having more than one or with the flower girl and other bridesmaids if not.
The term page boy (which is commonly misspelt as ‘paige boy’) dates back to mediaeval times when it was used to refer to young male servants. Nowadays, it’s a term used to refer to young male children within the wedding party.
Are Page Boys Just for Weddings?
It’s not just weddings where you will find a page boy or two. Page boys are often included in religious or ceremonial church services. in fact, we saw some very recently at the King’s coronation in 2023. "Who were King Charles’s page boys?" we hear you ask.
King Charles had several young children act as his Pages of Honour. The coronation page boys Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Nicholas Barclay, Ralph Tollemache, and Charles van Cutsem wore traditional uniforms when carrying out their page boy duties.
What Does a Page Boy Do?
Traditionally the page boy would hold the train of the bride’s dress (servants - remember?) – however, nowadays it is more common for them to simply walk down the aisle with the flower girl (if you’re having one) or ahead of the bridesmaids.
If you are not having a separate ring bearer then you might want your page boy to carry the wedding rings down the aisle, or you could choose for them to walk down with a cute wedding sign.
What are the Main Page Boy Duties?
Traditionally, as mentioned before, a page boy’s main responsibility was to hold the bride’s train as she walked down the aisle. However, as many modern brides are ditching the traditional long train and veil, a page boy can take on different jobs on the wedding day.
There are umpteen different ways to incorporate a page boy into your wedding to make it truly personal to you. Here are some options we love to see:
- Escort the flower girls down the aisle
- Scatter petals or biodegradable confetti down the aisle before the bride
- Walk your furry friend down the aisle (this is a great way to incorporate family pets into the wedding too)
- Carry a sign or instructions for the guests
- Carry the rings if you’ve chosen not to have a ring bearer
How Old is a Typical Page Boy?
The page boy tends to be between the ages of three and 10, and will often be of close relation to the wedding couple.
It isn’t compulsory that you have one – and it’s important to remember that the younger the page boy, the more difficult it may be to expect perfect behaviour from them. After all, children will be children.
What’s the Difference Between a Page Boy and a Ring Bearer?
Some couples may choose to have both a page boy and a ring bearer the ring bearer will be the one to carry the ring pillow and present the wedding rings to the couple.
The page boy will walk down the aisle but they don’t need to hold anything and typically walk down holding hands with the flower girl, if you have one, or a bridesmaid or older member of the wedding party if not.
Page Boy Outfits: What Should a Page Boy Wear?
When it comes to page boy outfits, the choice is completely up to you. In terms of page boy suits, it’s important to consider the age of the child and go from there.
If they are very young then they might want to wear soft super cute Prince George-inspired shorts and a shirt. Alternatively you could dress them in a mini-version of the suit worn by the groom or groomsmen. A waistcoat and shorts is a nice traditional approach to a page boy outfit.
For really young page boys, we have an edit on the best wedding outfits for babies and toddlers.
Should You Give a Page Boy a Gift?
It’s by no means expected for you to have to buy your page boy a gift, however it does and a nice sentimental element to give your page boy a small gift to say thank you for doing such a great job.
This could be a token for them to remember the day, such as a fun print for their bedroom or a cute wooden sign.
Or for those younger page boys, something to keep them distracted as the adults party the night away at the wedding reception.
Need to know more about other roles at the wedding? Check out our guides on what the best man and ushers have to do...
