Choosing Your Bridal Party!
Written by on July 27, 2014.
Tagged under: Choosing Your Bridal Party, DUBAI WEDDING, Weddings in Dubai, bridesmen, picking your bridesmaid, tips on choosing your bridesmaids
Choosing Your Bridal Party!
Are you agonising over which friends and/or relatives to ask to be your bridesmaids and maid/matron of honour? Selecting the bridal party can be difficult for even the most blunt and straightforward bride-to-be. Consider these factors before making your choices:
How many?
Are you a bride with a few close friends, or are you a social butterfly? Do you have a large family unit of female cousins and sisters? Will your wedding be a grand affair, or a small, intimate event? All these points need to be considered when choosing how many people will be in your bridal party.
Bear in mind that the more bridesmaids you choose, the more potential there is for complications; too many opinions can spoil the fun. If you’re on a tight budget, remember that YOU are the one who pays for the bouquets, the gifts and sometimes the bridal party attire, so asking a few close friends/family members may be the better choice. However, if budget is not an issue and you don’t want to leave anyone out, there is no rule of thumb these days as to how many bridesmaids you can have. Although do consider how many groomsmen there’s going to be, as you don’t want a completely uneven number.
Where do they live?
If you’re an expat bride with friends all over the world, give some thought to what you expect from your bridesmaids. Will simple moral support suffice, or are you hoping for hands-on assistance with DIY projects, décor, etc.? If it’s the latter, think twice about asking friends who live far away. Firstly, they won’t be on hand to help you and, secondly, they may not be able to afford the expense of travelling to your wedding.
You don’t want to find yourself getting frustrated with a friend you knew wouldn’t be able to give you all the help you wanted, or who is unable to actually make your wedding. However, if more than anything, you want those closest to you to simply be there on the day, then asking someone back home could be an option, especially as they’re more likely to be a lifetime friend who knows you better than anyone else.
I asked one of my closest Dubai-based friends to be my matron of honour, and another to be a bridesmaid. Both knew my husband and me as a couple, and had been a beacon of support to me in Dubai. I knew I could count on them to provide emotional support during this period of my life. I then asked a cousin in the UK to be my maid of honour and one of my best friends to be a bridesmaid.
This made a total of four girlfriends, made up of a mix of both family and friends, and all very special to me in some way. I asked my UK-based girlfriends to consider the expense of travel to my wedding before they agreed!
Can I include a male friend?
These days, a bride-to-be can choose whom she pleases! Is your best friend a man? A bridesmaid doesn’t have to be a woman. The current terminology for a male ‘bridesmaid’ is a bride’s man or attendant. You should probably discuss your preference with your fiancé first, but I say go for it! It’s important that your wedding party consists of the people you trust and feel the most comfortable with, whether they are male or female.
What other honours are there?
If you’re having a hard time deciding on your bridal party, bear in mind that there are plenty of other roles you can give to good friends, such as handing out programmes, performing a song (if the talent is there) or reading a poem.
How should I ask everyone?
Asking your loved ones to be in your bridal party can be fun! Why not send them all a special handmade card entitled ‘Will you be my … ?’ Invite everyone round for lunch and surprise them with your question.
Or, if they live overseas, you can do what I did. I sent all my chosen ladies a group email with my favourite picture of us, along with my reasons for picking them. They all loved the attention to detail and gladly accepted.
Looking for more tips and advice? Click here.
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