Picking the Right Bridesmaids

The role of a bridesmaid is a position of honor. These will be the girls that help plan your bridal shower, celebrate you at your bachelorette party, and take on the role as the bride’s helper at the wedding. These are important responsibilities, so don’t just choose your closest friends. Choose bridesmaids who you know will be there for you and make your wedding day perfect. The selection process can be overwhelming, so we included a guide of tips to consider when you begin narrowing down who should be by your side.

Wedding planning and the big day can be an emotional roller coaster, so having true friends & family by your side will be they key!

Are they reliable

You’ll be assigning your bridesmaids different tasks throughout the planning journey, so you want to make sure you are picking responsible, timely, and dependable people. Make sure you share your expectations of the level of involvement and tasks you’ll expect from your wedding party when you ask them to be part of your squad. A friend who never calls back or never shows up on time to things may not be the best choice due to the deadlines involved during wedding planning.

What is their personal and financial situation

Being a bridesmaids is expensive! Even if you cover some items, the out of pocket expenses still add up. Make sure to be sensitive to peoples’ situations and to call to discuss your financial expectations before picking your crew. Choosing those that can afford your desires will make your experience so much better.

Personal life wise, maybe you have friends currently in a demanding job, with a newborn baby, or going through a grieving or difficult period in life, and so being a bridesmaid may not be something they can focus on. You want to select friends that will be available and fully committed during the entire journey.

Does their personality mesh with the others

Do you have that one friend or family with an overly strong personality that rubs people the wrong way? The one that makes everything about them? Or the one that is always complaining and negative? Because you’ll have friends from all walks of life that may not know each other, you can avoid drama by selecting friendly and easygoing people that can get along with others easily. Pick bridesmaids who understand this day is about you and are willing to step up to do anything for you. Also consider current relationship dynamics between the people you’re selecting and make sure you don’t pick “enemies” together (unless you know they can set it 100% aside for you).

What is your wedding budget

Will you be paying for any dresses, hair, makeup, bouquets, hotel suites or other expenses for your bridesmaids? If so, it’s important to set a budget so you know how many bridesmaids you can cover.

Do they support your relationship

You want to choose those who truly support your relationship with your soon to be hubby. Being surrounded by genuine and supportive spirits during an overwhelming journey will be critical. The last thing you’ll want is someone making snarky comments anytime something happens in your relationship or someone that seems unhappy looking at you two

Remember, you can always have as many or few bridesmaids as you want. Who makes you the happiest and cares the most for you? Who checks on you and do you talk to often? Don’t feel obligated to ask people to be in your wedding party just because they included you in theirs. Pick the right people based on the tips above, and don’t feel offended if anyone says no! Want to include some people in your wedding, but not your actual bridal party? No problem! You can always have them at your bachelorette, or give them wedding day roles like ushers, ceremony readers or by giving toasts. End of the day, there are no formal rules. It’s your wedding, do what you want and what makes you happy.

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