Your Wedding Party

 Photo compliments of A Magic Moment Photography

• Choosing your wedding party like every other component must fit your style, budget and the type of ceremony that you’re planning. There are some important points to consider when choosing your wedding party. They can all be invited to your wedding but choosing the wedding party can make (or break) your wedding day.

How soon should I choose my wedding party?

As soon as the engagement is announced, your closest friends will be wondering. The sooner the better. Another HUGE point is that they will be your support through the whole process. You will need them to perform essential tasks such as helping you shop for your wedding dress and planning your and bachelor and bachelorette parties.

How many attendants should you choose?

This is where your budget and desired ceremony outcome, come into play. If you are wanting a small, intimate ceremony, than a best man and maid-of-honor will do. The typical guideline to follow is one pair for every 35-50 guests.

Another consideration is to be aware of the costs associated with a larger number of attendants, like bouquets, jewelry and gifts which are typical to give. Transportation considerations might need to be made with a larger group as well.

If you have a larger tight-knit circle with a budget to support that group, then get ready for a big celebration and enjoy!

Engagement Party/Wedding Party

After you have made your selections, a great way to get the ball rolling is to invite them all together to get introduced if they haven’t and to give them an idea about what they have to look forward to.

Get them together for a lunch, cookout or another social gathering where you can socialize but sit down and talk. Be sure to THANK THEM for agreeing to be part of your cerermony, and let me them know how you see them fitting into the wedding. Once you’ve got their attention, share your wedding vision with them and discuss your expectations from them. Be CLEAR, NOT BOSSY!

How can I have people involved but not in the wedding party?

There will be some awkward situations, or possibly friends or family that felt they should have been in the wedding party but find creative ways to get them involved. Our wedding including my dad (former pastor) as 1/2 officiant, our daughter as flower girl, my mother as the piano player (her passion) and father-in-law doing a performance. We also had others in the family doing readings and songs as well. We wanted our close family to feel involved. The best thing is to give them a task but in a way that adds value to your wedding that they feel they are contributing.

 Other roles includes ushers, personal attendants, and so forth.