Choosing your wedding party. For some people, choosing the wedding party is easy, but for other people, choosing the wedding party can be extremely complicated. The most common complication that we have seen is when a bride is pressured to ask her sister or future sister-in-law to act as maid-of-honor, even though they are not actually that close, and the bride’s actual best friend does all of the work of a maid of honor without getting the official title. However, there are other complications that can come up in planning who is in the wedding party, so we have put together some tips to help you plan.
- Forget any so-called rules about the number of bridesmaids or groomsmen you “can” or “must” have at your wedding. Having an informal wedding does not mean you have to limit your number of attendants, and having a formal affair does not mean you need to come up with more attendants just to fluff your list.
- Consider the costs for the attendants. Being in a wedding party can be very expensive, and frequently those expenses just start with the dress. Do you want someone in your wedding party but worry that he or she cannot afford the expense? Instead of guessing, talk to them about your concerns. You may be able to find a way to minimize costs or help pay for expenses that can help them be in the bridal party without putting them in debt.
- Remember that the bridal party is more than the attendants. Have people you want to play a role in your special day, but a bridesmaid or groomsmen is not the right fit for them? Have them read a passage, act as ushers, or play another special role in your day.
- Pick at least one attendant who can be a proxy decision maker on the wedding day. One thing that we have learned after years in the wedding business is that problems happen at weddings. Fortunately, most of the problems are small ones, and, if the bride and groom have chosen their wedding party well, they do not even have to know about the problem until long after the wedding is over. Who among your friends is the calmest under pressure and always has a creative solution when things go wrong? Get that person in your wedding party and let all of your wedding vendors know that he or she is the person to see if a problem arises.
- Remember that weddings are about the past, the present, and the future. Your friends and family helped shape you as individuals, creating the person who captured your heart. Therefore, the wedding party should, ultimately, be composed of the people who are meaningful to the couple, even if these people do not fit the mold of the traditional bridal party. Almost everyone gets pictures of their wedding day, and, so many couples who choose their wedding party based on friends they spend the most time with, find themselves five or ten years down the line with albums full of people who have become strangers. Choose your bridal party based on the people who have helped shape the people you are and who you hope will help you be the couple you want to become, and the photos Jackie captures at your wedding will reflect your present and your future, for years to come.
Choosing your wedding party can seem like a daunting task, but it is really about surrounding yourselves with the people closest to you on your special day. Chris Marino (DJ/Owner) or any of the wedding professionals at Limelight Entertainment would be happy to chat with you about their experiences and the good and bad choices they have seen other brides and grooms make when forming their wedding parties. While we pride ourselves on offering high-quality and affordable DJ, photography, and photo booth services for weddings and other events, what drives our reputation and made us one of Wedding Wire’s Couple’s Choice wedding vendors is our commitment to customer service. Call 888-900-0042 or Contact Us Today to find out why couples love to add a little Limelight to their weddings!
Limelight Entertainment is happy to offer our years of experience as wedding and event professionals to anyone planning a wedding, free of charge. This is the fifth in a 16-part series of tips designed to help you, the prospective bride or groom, plan the perfect wedding.
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Happy Planning!
Chris Marino
