Can Bridesmaids Be Married?

Choosing bridesmaids and groomsmen is a major part in planning your wedding. However, it’s a little confusing about who they should be an what they do.

So do bridesmaids and groomsmen have to be single? Bridesmaids and groomsmen can be married. They do not have to be single. Your wedding party should be composed of people you care about and who care about you regardless of marital status.

Your wedding party is pivotal to celebrating your wedding day. They help you plan and serve as support to your big day. Choosing the right people, single or married, is extremely important and one of the first things you’ll do when you start the planning process.

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Who Should Be a Bridesmaid or Groomsmen?

Traditionally, bridesmaids and groomsmen were single men and women of marriageable age who were asked to help the couple on their wedding day.

However, your wedding part no long needs to be exclusive to single people. You can have whoever you would like stand with you. This might be a bit of a challenge, so here are a few pointers to help you decide who should be a bridesmaid or groomsman.

Start by making a list of potential bridesmaids and groomsmen. Be sure to include family members who should be included on both sides. After looking at your list, see if there are any things in common that would make sense for bridesmaids (i.e. all sisters, all high school friends, etc.)

Consider the responsibilities of each attendant and who would or would not be suitable for the job. The maid-of-honor will be your right hand through the planning process. The bridesmaids will assist the bride and maid-of-honor with the wedding and bridal shower planning.

How much time and money will your attendants need to contribute? It might not be best to ask your friend who is a single mom and works full time, 6-days a week. She likely will feel awkward about not being able to devote time to help and money to buy her dress or throw the bridal shower.

Choose people who have matching lifestyles and personality to yours. Your wedding should be fun and exciting, not to be distracted by clashing personalities and disagreements. If you feel the person is going to be a constant negative to the planning and celebration, don’t ask them to be a part of your special day.

Groomsmen have less responsibility than the bridesmaids, but they should be people that are special to the groom. They can also be the spouse or significant other of the of the bridesmaids. It’s not uncommon for the best man to be the father of the groom.

What is the Purpose of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen?

While wedding ceremonies are meant to celebrate the union of two become one, it’s also a time to acknowledge the close friends and family who have supported the couple in their relationship.

It’s likely made up of people how have been with the couple since the beginning of their relationship. Traditionally, the bridesmaids and groomsmen we there to protect the bride and groom. Now they there for moral support and help.

The responsibilities of the bridesmaids include:

Buy a bridesmaid dress and any other accessories need for the wedding day.
Help pay for and plan the bridal shower and bachelorette party.
Attend bridal showers, bachelorette party, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner.
Show up for the ceremony and reception.
Help the bride shop for her wedding dress, if she requests your attendance.
Help with wedding-related activities – whether that be addressing invitation envelopes or calling a vendor with questions.
Give a speech at the rehearsal dinner, if requested.

The responsibilities of the groomsmen include:

Purchase or rent your tux or suit and accessories. The best man may do this, in which case you’ll just need to provide your measurements.
Attend pre-wedding activities such as couples shower, bachelor party, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner.
Contribute to planning and paying for the bachelor party. The best man will usually take the lead in organizing everything, but you may be asked to contribute.
Decorate the getaway car (if they’re having one) on the day of, before the ceremony.

Most of all, your bridesmaids and groomsmen should be people that you trust, look up to, and see as faithful friends and family. You don’t need the stress of constantly arguing with someone in your wedding party. Take a lot of thought into who you choose be for asking them to be in your wedding.

Do Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Have to Be Couples?

Bridesmaids and groomsmen do not have to be couples. Many brides choose to arrange their wedding party by height, with the shortest person at the end. This means that sometimes, bridesmaids and groomsmen who are couples will not walk down the aisle as couples.

However, you do not have to stand your wedding party in the traditional sense with all the bridesmaids on one side the groomsmen on the other.

You may choose to have your wedding party stand together. The works especially well if you have couples in your wedding party. The couples will then stand with each other for the ceremony.

You could also have the couples walk down the aisle together, but have them stand in their designated spots. The maid-of-honor may walk down with her groomsman boyfriend. She stands next to the bride’s spot and he stands next to the best man’s spot. Next, the best man walks down with a bridesmaid and takes his place next to the groom’s spot. The bridesmaid takes her place next to the maid of honor, and so forth.

How Many Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Should You Have?

This really depends on the size of your wedding and how many people you have to pick from as your wedding party. If you are expecting 200 guests, it would be acceptable to have six bridesmaids and six groomsmen, one flower girl, one ring bearer, and four ushers

For smaller weddings, you might only have a maid-of-honor, best man, one bridesmaid, and one groomsman. However many you choose to celebrate the day with you, try to make it even on both sides. It can look a little awkward if you have more bridesmaids than groomsmen, and vice versa.

It’s mostly up to your personal preference. You may not want that many opinions being shared during the planning process. Then again, you might have so many good friends and family members that it would break your hear to exclude some of them.

No matter how many people you choose to be in your wedding, they should be important people to you. They should be people who have been there for you or your groom for a long time.

Can You Have Two Maids of Honor?

Just remember that selecting your bridal party is completely up to you! If you want two maids of honor, you can have two maids of honor. Many traditions change over the years and nothing is set in stone that you absolutely cannot do.

In some cases, it might be a great idea to have two maids of honor to share the planning and duties associated. They can also share the financial responsibilities of planning the bridal showers and bachelorette party.

Before choosing two maids of honor, you might want to make sure that they aren’t going to clash. At the very least, give clear instructions about what you want each person to take care of.

Lastly, if you absolutely can’t decide what to do about the maid of honor position, you can choose to simply not have one. List everyone as bridesmaid and let them all chip in and help with the entire process.