The Ultimate Guide on How to Pick Your Bridesmaids

The choice of who to choose for your bridesmaids can be a difficult one for some. If you have a few female friends, you may find yourself wondering how to pick bridesmaids out of the larger friend group.

Here is our ultimate guide on how to choose your bridesmaids! 

How to Choose Your Bridal Party

When you announce your engagement, you may start to get stress about questions from friends and family members about who your bridesmaids will be. Some friends may expect you to choose them as your bridesmaids, and it may cause drama within your social circle about who you may choose. 

Understand that the person you choose as your bridesmaid is usually a person who is reliable and trustworthy over anything else. This person must have the time to help you with the wedding planning process, so if you have someone in mind that is one of your closest friends but she has a busy job, you may have to consider someone else for your wedding party. 

Usually bridesmaids spend a lot of quality time with the bride and her family. Your wedding is one of the most exciting moments in your life, so make sure you choose who you will be enjoying the day with wisely. 

Don’t Be Afraid to Turn Down Your Close Friends

The role of bridesmaid is a position of honor. These will be the girls that will help plan your bridal shower, your bachelorette party, and take on the role of the bride’s helper at the wedding.

These are important responsibilities, so don’t just choose your closest friends. Choose prospective bridesmaids who you know will be there for you and make your wedding day perfect. 

To avoid fights between friends, you may want to ask other friends that you did not choose as your bridesmaids to help with other parts of the wedding. Make everyone feel involved if they are open to help! 

Consider It May Be Too Expensive For Some

One way to escape the drama of choosing bridesmaids is to only choose candidates that you know can afford it. Certain wedding details such as the bridesmaids dresses can cost too much money for some of your bridesmaids options. 

It may be inconsiderate to choose someone to be your bridesmaid and not take the expenses as a factor. Some friends may want to be your bridesmaid, but do not want to take on the cost of buying a dress, traveling, or planning other bridal events. 

Consider Junior Bridesmaids

If you have a younger sister or another close family member or friend who is younger than you, consider enlisting her as a junior bridesmaid! Junior bridesmaids make it easy to include family in the wedding, and it could make it easier to pick your bridal party.

It Is Ultimately Your Choice! 

The person that you choose to be involved in your wedding party is ultimately your choice. This is someone you will be spending a lot of time with, as they will help out with wedding prep activities and wedding planning tasks. 

You want an involved wedding party to help at your wedding, so choose people who you know do not have overly busy schedules and that you know will be there to help you out. 

How to Choose Your Maid of Honor

Choosing your maid of honor is the most difficult decision some brides will make. This is the person who will be your right hand woman on your wedding day.

Maids of honor are basically in charge of everything related to the bride. They plan the bachelorette party, bridal shower, and take care of anything else the bride may need. 

Think of who you can trust to plan an amazing bridal shower, bachelorette party, and who you want to help you use the bathroom in your wedding dress (Yes, this will happen!). Keep in mind that if your maid of honor is married she should be called the matron of honor. 

Commonly Asked Questions on How to Choose Bridesmaids

Here is a list of commonly asked questions on how to choose your bridesmaids. 

How Many Bridesmaids Are Too Many?

The average number of bridesmaids in the United States is around four. Usually the amount of bridesmaids is equal to the amount of groomsmen. So therefore, the average wedding party is around eight people. 

This is just an idea of the average wedding party size. It is completely up to you how many bridesmaids that you want. You can have a list of up to 10+ bridesmaids if you want a huge wedding party, or no bridesmaids if you don’t want any.

This is a common wedding etiquette question among brides that is completely your choice. All that matters is that you are surrounded by your closest friends and family members through your entire wedding day. 

How to Pick the Order of Bridesmaids

Usually the order of your bridesmaids starts with the flower girl walking down the aisle. She is then followed by the rest of the bridesmaid list. The last woman to walk down the aisle is the maid of honor. All the bridesmaids should stand next to the bride on her side of the aisle in their bridesmaid dress.

How Do I Choose Bridesmaids If I Have No Friends? 

Do you not have a potential bridesmaid in mind? This is totally okay! A bridesmaid is optional at your wedding.

Not every bride wants a larger wedding, and some brides have an extremely busy adult life where they do not have much of a social life. If this sounds like you, and you are having a difficult time choosing a bridesmaid, do not fret. 

Your wedding size does not matter. What matters in your wedding is that you have love for your partner and your closest friends and family are there to witness your marriage. Also don’t be afraid to have a close family member such as a sister or cousin as your bridesmaid!