It’s that time. You’ve gotten engaged and you’ve set a date. Next you have to find a venue to celebrate your wedding with a reception, then the dirty work begins. Now you have to choose your bridal party. This is especially difficult when there’s lots of friends and family. The guys aren’t an issue. They could care less. But this isn’t the case with the girls. They have unspoken contests about how many bridal parties they’ve been in and mostly, how many times they’ve been the maid of honor. But you have a sister. So, is it your sister or your best friend? And when you’re deciding that, also decide which wedding favors you’re going to choose.
This is a dilemma that so many brides face every day. And I’ve seen relationships broken with friends and family situations strained because of these difficult decisions that have to be made. So what do you do with this as well as choosing your candle wedding favors.
Being in a bridal party is an honor. It means that you are a close friend. You are a confidant and someone who has known and been there for the bride and/or groom for a good part of their lives. Well, that’s what it’s supposed to mean. Today, especially, some couples pick their wedding party like they pick out underwear; if it looks good, then there is a possibility. But this is not the way it’s supposed to be with that as well as affordable wedding favors.
The best man and the maid of honor are witnesses to this marriage. When it takes place in a spiritual house, church, synagogue, wherever, you are saying that you will do whatever you can to keep this marriage together. It’s much more than finding someone who looks good in the bridesmaid’s gown that you chose.
I have consulted on many weddings facing the sister or best friend dilemma. Most have gone with family, just because many times friends flee, but family is family forever, even if you wish they weren’t. But, the last wedding I worked on was something different and I’m seeing this more and more lately. There were two maids of honor and two best men. They were each given the duties that they were to do and honestly, it was very beautiful. The bride just couldn’t decide between her sister, who she was very close with, and her best friend since grade school who was like a sister to her.
What needs to be remembered is that yes, there are traditions and most like to follow them pretty much. But remember, it is still your wedding. You can bend the rules or change them completely if you wish. If having more than one maid of honor will save a heart from being hurt and you prefer that, do it. It will make for a much happier day for you and your future spouse