One question I get asked a lot, is who should I have as part of my bridal party?
My answer in short? "Whoever you want, there are no rules!" This is something I tell my brides in most areas of their planning - "There are no rules, you do you! It's your day!"
That being said, it's not always as easy as that when it comes to choosing your bride tribe. Choose those that will stand by your side as you go from Miss to Mrs. Those that will support you through your planning process and those that will hopefully be there to support you in marriage through all the ups and downs.
Should you choose family members, can you have friends? In answer to that I would say think about the following questions:
Will they support you throughout?
Will they be a shoulder to cry on should you need it?
Will they be dancing up and down in excitement with you, when you final choose your dress?
Will they help with any DIY wedding bits if needed?
Are they up for the challenge of planning your hen do?
On the day will they have your back? Help you go to the toilet, gather people for photos and get you that all important prosecco?
If you answered yes to most of those, then it sounds like you have a solid candidate for a member of your bridal party!!
Now what about that person with the question mark after their name, because you were their bridesmaid!? In all honesty that does not mean you need to repay the favour. You may have grown apart since you were a bridesmaid for them, you may have your heart set on a specific number (I'm a fan of an even number of bridesmaids so the bride is then in the middle for photos haha). You have a set budget and having too many bridesmaids is going to blow that. You want the same number of ushers and bridesmaids. If you are not totally sure, then that may be the answer you are looking for but scared to come to terms with. In my experience anyone that you aren't certain about, usually isn't the right choice.
At the end of the day. It's your choice. these people need to be your team. So take time and choose with your heart. Enjoy the process and look forward to the journey ahead with them!
(You can also catch all this information in THIS video.)
Lauren x
Photos 1 & 2 by Ross Hurley Photography
Photos 3 & 4 by Mindy Coe Photography
Photos 5 & 6 by Sophie Duckworth Photography
