Duties of the Ushers at a Wedding

Duties of the Ushers (In the absence of Ushers at smaller weddings, the groomsmen perform these duties)

1. Attend the rehearsal to get instructions on escorting and seating of guests
2. Arrive at the ceremony in advance, at the scheduled time 
3. Other preliminaries like laying the aisle runner before the start of the ceremony and removing pew decorations, retrieving programmes etc. after the ceremony 
4. Hand out programmes to the guests 
5. Escort and seat guests as per instructions
6. Pay for the wedding attire and accessories
7. Pay for travel and lodging expenses (though the latter is often borne by the groom)

Tips:

Often at ceremonies of a particular religious orientation, guests are seated as per tradition. For instance, at a Christian ceremony, guests of the bride are seated to the left and those of the groom to the right, when approaching from the back.

Etiquette dictates that when a couple arrives, the usher takes the woman's arm and escorts her to her seat. Her partner will follow. If several guests arrive simultaneously, the oldest woman should be accorded priority. They should arrive at the ceremony site sufficiently before the start of the ceremony to review seating requirements