Choosing who’s in your wedding party might be more challenging than you originally thought
Everyone knows that planning a wedding comes with its ups and downs – choosing a venue that ticks all the boxes, finding a colour scheme that you both agree on, selecting the perfect wedding cake flavour… there’s a lot to think about.
And yet for some couples, nothing quite compares to the stress that comes with deciding who to include in your wedding party. How many bridesmaids should you have? Should you really include all your best friends, and will the groom’s sister be annoyed if she doesn’t make the cut?
Should your wedding party be reserved for family only?
In fact, it turns out than one in four couples have admitted to squabbling with their friends and families about their wedding party, with over 30 per cent of engaged couples opting to ‘keep it in the family’.
READ MORE: 24 thoughts brides have when choosing their bridesmaids
In a study conducted by One4all Gift Cards, 17 per cent of those surveyed said they chose based on who they were closest to at the time of the wedding, while 7 per cent said their decision was based on who they had known the longest.
That said, 62 per cent also confessed that they’re no longer in touch with every person in their wedding party, and nine per cent even admitted to no longer seeing any of their bridesmaids or groomsmen since their big day.
How many bridesmaids should you have?
The average wedding party is made up of just 3.9 people – 2.18 bridesmaids and 1.72 groomsmen – so it’s perhaps not surprising that it’s such a widely debated issue.
“It is interesting to see that choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen is such a bone of contention for so many British couples,” says Rachel Delaney of One4all Gift Cards.
“Planning a wedding should be one of the most exciting and fun times in a person’s life, yet it seems that worrying about decisions such as who will be bridesmaid or groomsmen is dampening that.”
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“Couples should be surrounded by the people they love the most on their wedding day – whether that is a sibling or a new friend,” she adds.
“The most important thing is that they are happy with their choice, and that everyone is there to celebrate the happy couple and make the day as special as it can possibly be.”
We couldn’t agree more!
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