Selecting the members of your bridal party can be tricky—there are obligatory bridal party participants (family), different tiers of best friends (who seem to come in groups) and the issue of matching the number of people on your spouse’s side of the aisle.
Sometimes people’s feelings get hurt, and sometimes you end up with massive (or tiny!) bridal parties, but the question remains: is it better to deal with the drama of selecting your bridal party, or should you just not have one at all?
Would you forgo all of the help your bridesmaids and groomsmen offer in order to eliminate the stress of selecting them?
Does the idea of not having a bridal party make you want to rant or rave?
Photo from Manus Chau Photography
Tags: bridal party, bridesmaids, fighting, groomsmen, Rant or Rave
I know that I do not want one. I am going to keep it as simple as possible. And I dont think that means forgoing help, my closest friends are willing to/excited to help no matter what role they play in the wedding
I’m having one, but I am having all guys in my bridal party. It’s different and easier and my closest friends are guys and are just as excited than if I chose my female friends so…why not?
I started out thinking I’d have all my siblings stand up with me – that meant four sisters and two brothers. Then I thought maybe just my sisters. Then my fiance and I decided we’d just forgo a wedding party all together. It just simplified so many things for us, and it felt like a good decision.
I’m having a bridal party, but I’d encourage brides-to-be to choose *very* wisely. In my case, I’m the last one in my circle of friends to get married, and to my surprise so many of my b-maids are too busy with their own lives to even ask how my planning is going. I don’t need an entourage up ’til the big day nor do I expect one, but I do find it upsetting that I did everything from planning showers to attending dress fittings to assembling hotel gift bags for my girls and now they seem to be too wrapped up in other things (careers, moving to new cities, etc.) to even write me an e-mail or pick up the phone to chat about my wedding. That said, make sure that if you are going to need your b-maids to help you in any way — whether it be planning your bachelorette evening or going with you to look at dresses — that they really will be committed to playing some part in the planning process.