One
of the most delicate and personal aspects of wedding planning is deciding on
your bridesmaids. It is a delicate area
because while you have many friends, you certainly cannot include all of them
in your bridal party. Making the
decision can be mildly stressful for you and for those who want to be chosen. I've come up with a few considerations to help make the process less stressful.
When
I reflect on some of the best weddings that I’ve had the pleasure of planning, the
bridesmaids played a big part. There are
a few key points that I invite you to consider in this post:
- Close Family
- Length of time you’ve been friends
Close Family
Lets
face it…..family trumps friendship and if you have a sister, it is expected
that she be included as a bridesmaid. If you’re lucky like our bride A and her
sister, E {on the left of the bride in the photo below}, she’s usually your
first friend and your best friend and
will be amazingly supportive, positive and helpful during the wedding planning
process.
{photo courtesy of Paul Francis Photography}
Length of Friendship
Length
of friendship usually plays a large part in the selection process, but I
challenge you to think outside the box. Relationships
change over time and the friends you had while growing up are generally not as
close to you as the friendships that form when you become an adult. So don’t
feel obligated to have Lisa as your bridesmaid just because you’ve known her
since 2nd grade.
In part II, we'll talk about reliability and address the question of how important is it that this person be in your wedding?
Happy planning!
