During the initial planning stages of your wedding you are likely to want to share your new engagement with your family and friends. Everyone will be just as excited to hear your news and will be wondering who you will choose for your best man, groomsmen and bridesmaids. It’s easier to make these decisions before you announce your engagement so that you can your chosen party to be a special part of your day while giving them your big news.
Traditionally, a Groom will choose his best friend as his best man, but what if he has more than one to choose from? A best man needs to be reliable. This is probably the most important quality your best man needs to have since he will be helping with the wedding planning and organising. You don’t want to choose someone that is likely to disappear for months on end, or indeed not turn up on your wedding day.
Best men also have the responsibility of giving a speech during the wedding. Is your chosen best man well spoken and confident enough to stand up and talk in front of potentially hundreds of people? You need to make sure that he is unlikely to use non-tasteful jokes about your ex-girlfriends or bachelor days too.
It isn’t uncommon for Grooms to have a number of groomsmen if they have many friends or brothers who all want to be involved and this can make for some creative wedding photography.
Choosing bridesmaids is a much easier task for a Bride since there really is no limit to the amount of bridesmaids that you can have at your wedding. Costs are to be considered for dresses, shoes and accessories but if you want 10 bridesmaids, there is no rule against it. It is important to choose female friends or relatives that you genuinely want involved in your special day and usually, a bride chooses one friend to be her Maid of Honour.
More commonly traditional in American weddings, this trend has come across the pond and involves choosing one “head bridesmaid” to help organise the bridal shower, the other bridesmaids and be generally more responsible for helping the Bride. This can be your sister or your closest friend.
Another thing to think about when it comes to choosing the bridal party and groomsmen is whether you want to include younger members of the family. Flower girls and page boys can make an adorable addition but remember that things don’t always go to plan when you involve children.
As with all of our wedding advice, these are just suggestions to consider. Make sure that you make your day what you both prednisone want as a couple. If you want your young son to be your best man, that’s perfectly acceptable and if you only want one, or no bridesmaids, that is completely your choice. Never let anyone bully you into making such an important decision!
