Wedding Ideas for the Wedding Party
One of the first things a bride-to-be usually thinks about is her wedding party. Choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen can be a stressful task, and coordinating colors, styles, and fittings is enough to drive any woman to elope. Here are some wedding ideas to help guide a bride through this process.
A number of problems can arise when choosing your wedding party. If you have a lot of friends and family you may have to deal with people becoming upset if they are not chosen. The best way to handle this is to remember that this is your wedding and most people eventually get over their disappointment. You can’t have everyone in the party and good friends will understand. The number of bridesmaids and groomsmen usually corresponds to the number of guests you expect to have in attendance and the style of your wedding. Traditional weddings and those with over 200 people tend to have between 10-12 bridesmaids and an equal number of groomsmen, while less formal and smaller weddings may have anywhere from 4-6. However, there really isn’t any set rule on how many you are should have.
The next thing you will have to decide is the style and color of the party’s attire. When choosing the dresses for your girls, you will need to consider the style of your dress, the size of the girls, the price of the dresses, and the season in which the wedding will take place. If your dress is extravagant, then your bridesmaid’s dresses should be formal as well. Also, keep in mind the cut of your dress. Most brides want their wedding party to be uniform and it might look silly if, for example, your dress is strapless and the girl’s dresses have sleeves. An exception to this would be when you have a wide range of ages and sizes in your party. Many bridal shops have various styles of dresses all made with the same kind and color of fabric. This allows for the uniformity to remain while being conscious of the comfort of your bridal party.
Many women resist the thought of going to a bridal store that’s part of a chain when looking for dresses because they want their wedding to be unique. If all the members of your party live in one area, using an independently owned store will not pose any problem. However, if your friends are scattered throughout the country chain stores can be a huge stress relief. These shops are usually easy to find and they carry the same styles, so your friends will not have any trouble purchasing the dress you have chosen for them.
If you find that choosing your party and coordinating their attire completely overwhelms you, you might want to consider cutting out the wedding party altogether. One option is to choose your maid of honor and best man, and just have your immediate family members process down the aisle. This relieves the stress of dealing with bitter friends, choosing dresses, and orchestrating fittings.