On the best day of your life you want your best girls by your side. It sounds so simple, so why does choosing your bridesmaids become such a sticking point for so many brides-to-be? Here’s everything you need to know to choose your bridesmaids and get hitched, without a hitch!
One of the first obstacles to overcome tends to come from others. Often there will be people that your nearest and dearest presume you will ask. Plus, there’s usually some level of expectation from family on both sides that your sisters or your groom’s sisters will be bridesmaids if you have them. Sometimes this can even extend to encompass countless cousins, too! It’s little wonder then that so many brides end up unsure of what to do.
Your bridesmaids are your leading ladies, not just on your wedding day but in your life too.
This can be a great way to sift out a few suggestions – if you don’t spend time with your female cousins often, take them off the list of bridal party contenders. Likewise, if you don’t socialise with your groom’s sister or she lives a long way away, you might not feel she is a natural choice. Bridesmen are absolutely a thing too, as our featured brides have proven, so if your best friend happens to be male, he can still be in the bridal party if you’d both like that.
Remember that in the case of family, they’re going to be around for a long time to come. If excluding certain members will really rock the boat, it might be worth compromising. Alternatively, you could give other special ladies a role in the ceremony or reception – readings and speeches are both great ways to get them involved. And for your best girls themselves, there’s also the bridesmaid speech to consider…
You want to be surrounded by people who will support you and give honest, truthful opinions when you need them.
You also need to be okay hearing that kind of feedback from these girls. Needless to say, then, that your bridesmaids should be people who you’re comfortable doing that with already, people who have been there for you through thick and thin, and certainly not the kind of fair weather friends who only appear for the good times (like weddings!). Do your best girls live up to these bridesmaid goals?
Choosing your bridesmaids is not a numbers game.
So often we hear brides worrying about asking too many, too few, or struggling to get an even number. Don’t do that – it’s not what matters! And if you’re really worried about balance in the photographs, why not ask your groom whether he could choose an equal number of groomsmen too?
While we’re on the subject of your groom, it’s a good idea to make sure your bridesmaids are people he gets on well with too. They’ll feature heavily in both the wedding and the photographs, so he won’t want to be looking at someone he dislikes all day.
You also want to ask those who are helpful, calm and light hearted… not hard to please.
Wedding planning is busy enough without your best girls causing you headaches too! It’s also worth considering what level of involvement you want from them – do they need to join you for supplier appointments and help stamp and address endless invitations, or can their responsibilities wait until the wedding day? Not everyone will have the time or desire to be very hands on, so if this is a must from your bridesmaids, bear that in mind when you choose.
