Your wedding party will be by your side for some of the most important events in the lead up to your wedding, from the very first engagement celebrations to the monumental moment that you exchange your vows. So, when it comes to choosing this special group of people, it’s important to take some time to ensure that you’re making the choice that’s right for you. Coming up, we share a couple’s guide to choosing their wedding party.
Consider Your Relationship History
Most couples will want to include the people who have been by their side from the beginning to be a part of their wedding party. Usually, it’ll be a combination of lifelong friends and family members.
Of course, you can ask new friends to be a part of your wedding party, too. However, when making that decision, you’ll first want to consider whether you really know someone well enough to have them play such a big role in your special day. It could be helpful to think about the history of your relationship so far – however short it may be. You can then start to think about whether the friendship is likely to last realistically. While new friends can often make some of the best friends, it’s important to remember that the people in your wedding party will witness some of the most intimate, sentimental moments of your life, and will be in your wedding photos for years to come.
Choose Responsible Friends
There’s plenty that you’ll need to plan and prepare for your wedding day, and usually, many of these responsibilities will be taken over by the maid of honour or best man. For this reason, you’re going to want to make sure that the people you honour with these titles can be reliable and dependable in times of stress.
You’ll want to consider friends or family members you can communicate clearly with and hold accountable should you need to. This is why people tend to choose a sibling or best friend to be their best man or maid of honour, as they feel they can be upfront and honest with their needs and wishes throughout the wedding planning process.
Pick Similar Personalities
There are plenty of social engagements that your wedding party will have to attend together, from bachelor and bachelorette parties, to dress and tux fittings, to rehearsal dinners. So, you’ll want to make sure that your wedding party is composed of people who are going to get along in these crucial months leading up to your wedding.
Maybe you know someone who is a great friend, but tends to ruffle some feathers when they’re in a group of people. While you don’t want to hurt your friend’s feelings by not asking them to be a part of your wedding party, you do want to make sure that each and every stage of your wedding experience is enjoyable and goes to plan. If in doubt, you can always opt to have your wedding without a wedding party, but still involve your nearest and dearest in some of the important moments throughout the day.
Choose From the Heart
Making big decisions about your wedding day can be stressful and even anxiety-inducing on occasion. Because of this, many couples tend to fall into the trap of overthinking each course of action that they take, and sticking too rigidly to the rules and expectations of others. This tends to be counterproductive and ultimately takes away from the enjoyment of planning a wedding.
So, while there are things to consider when it comes to choosing your wedding party, it’s most important to ensure that you use your heart to guide you, and make the decisions that feel right for you and your partner as a couple, during this special time in both of your lives.
If you are planning a wedding in Roanoke Virginia, Richmond Virginia, Fredericksburg/Northern Virginia, The Shenandoah Valley, Coastal Virginia or in Charlottesville/ Lynchburg Va. we can help with your wedding planning and ideas.
