How to Select a Wedding Party

Choosing a wedding party can be the most difficult part of your engagement bliss, so keep it simple, and don't feel beholden to old friends or quasi-relatives.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Men's Dress Shoes
• Tuxedos
• Wedding Gowns
• Women's Dress Shoes
• Address Books
• Wedding Planner Book
• Flowers
• Champagne
• Sparkling Cider
• Champagne Glasses
• Champagne Buckets
• Bridal Magazines
• Wedding Programs
• Bridal magazines

1. Give yourself time to select the wedding party, and discuss plans only with your intended.

2. Consider the type of wedding to determine the number of attendants. Traditionally, you'll have 8 to 12 attendants each for an ultraformal wedding; 4 to 8 each for a formal wedding; 2 to 6 each for a semiformal wedding; and 1 to 2 each for an informal wedding.

3. Include people through their spouses. If you are really close to a couple, by asking one of them to be a member of the wedding party, you automatically include the spouse for events such as the rehearsal dinner.

4. Ask young people 10 to 16 to be junior bridesmaids or junior groomsmen.

5. Choose flower girls and a ring bearer who are 3 to 6 years old.

6. Choose a train bearer who is 4 to 8 years old.

7. Ask a few people you want to include to mind the guest book, read a poem during the ceremony, pass out programs or do some other task associated with the wedding.

Tips & Warnings

• Select friends and family who are special to you. Don't worry too much about size or age issues.
• Try not to be offended if someone turns down the offer to be in the wedding party - finances and/or time constraints are legitimate concerns.
• If a member of the wedding is unable to come at the last minute, it is best to leave the sides uneven unless you have someone who can conveniently stand in.
• Another way to calculate how many attendants you need is to figure one usher per 50 guests.

[fruitloop]

on 10/12/2009 Asking someone SIXTEEN to be a "junior" anything is insulting. First of all, "junior" is pointless, since the younger attendants are doing exactly the same thing the older ones are doing: walking down the aisle holding flowers and smiling. Kids don't like to be reminded that they ARE kids, and calling a teen "junior" is a slap in the face. I'd have declined to be in a wedding party if someone called me a "junior" when I was sixteen- almost an adult! Yeesh.

[mypp]

on 8/1/2009 all this sounds so exciting!

on 3/23/2006 A bride can have male attendants; a groom can have female attendants; and the number of each need not be equal. Also, not all of your ushers need be groomsmen. Choose the people most important to you as a couple.