Contrary to popular belief, the idea of the ring bearer as a page boy is a fairly modern practice. As tradition would have it, the ring bearer was the best man. These days, having a page boy or a ring bearer as part of the wedding procession is a great way to make sure young nephews or little brothers are not left out of the wedding ceremony.

Simply put, a page boy refers to a young male attendant in either a cotillion or a wedding. In this article, we’re going to focus on the role of the page boy, also known as the ring bearer, in a wedding ceremony.

You can find page boys in British royal weddings. Although it became a common practice in the last few decades, this type of practice seems to be on the decline once again.

Choosing the Ring Bearer/Page Boy

Page boys and ring bearers are usually either little brothers or young nephews of either the bride or the groom. When it comes to age, the little boy should be no younger than 5 years of age, and not older than 10.

Ring Bearer Duties

The terms ring bearer and page boy are often used interchangeably. A more succinct distinction between the two lies in the definition of ring bearer. The ring bearer refers to a special page who has the responsibility of performing either of these two duties:

• carrying the wedding rings on a big satin pillow
• acting as the page boy and carrying the bride’s train.

Watch the ring bearer in action.

The Satin Pillow

In most weddings, the large satin pillow carried by the ring bearer contains nothing more than imitation rings sewn on the fabric. For safekeeping, the best man retains possession of the rings until he hands them to the bride and groom during the ceremony.

For couples looking to attach the real wedding bands to the satin pillow, this can be done by tacking the rings on with thread.