Bridal Party Dos and Don’ts

If there is one thing I would do differently about my own wedding, it’s choosing a different bridal party. Seriously; my husband and I have been married seven and a half years and in the past five years we’ve grown up and closer to other people in our lives and they’ve been the constants for us. Not one of them was in our bridal party. See, here’s the problem. We’ve been married seven and a half years, but we got engaged nine and a half years ago and we asked our bridal party to join us in our wedding right away; two years before we even got married. There are so many misconceptions when it comes to choosing your bridal party; take it from someone who’s been married for a long time – do what feels right to you and take advice from these bridal party dos and don’ts.

Do…

Wait to ask your bridal party until you’re actually close to the wedding. If you have a two year engagement like we did, don’t ask your bridal party right away. Wait until just before it’s time to go dress shopping, perhaps with a year or less to go, and then ask. You never know if your circle of friends will change between saying yes and saying I do. Additionally, you don’t want to have to fire anyone as a bridesmaid…it’s not that much fun.

Don’t…

Include people you don’t really want to. So what if your fiancé has three sisters and you have two. You don’t have to ask all the siblings to be in the wedding party if they aren’t close to you. Ask only the people you are close to. I didn’t have my sister-in-law in the wedding party, but my husband asked my brother. There were no hard feelings.

Don’t…

Ask your friends to be in your wedding only because you were in theirs. Trust me, I’ve been in a number of weddings in my lifetime and I never assumed that just because they asked me meant I had to ask them, and vice versa. One of the only people I’m still close to from my wedding party didn’t have me in her wedding party earlier this year, and I couldn’t have been happier celebrating her big day with her as a friend and guest rather than as a part of the bridal party. I had more fun going to her showers and bachelorette party without the stress of planning it and making it perfect for her, that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If you want my honest opinion, I’d rather watch you get married from right next to my husband in the audience, than I would standing up beside you.

Do…

Have odd numbered groomsmen and bridesmaids. No one is going to prison because they had four girls and five guys standing up.