Bride Debate: Who should you choose for your bridal party?

From bridesmaids to flowergirls and page boys, who should make the cut for your bridal party? Bride's editors discuss...

Image: Samantha Gades via Unsplash

You've said 'yes' now it's time to choose your bridal party. Bride's editors, Amanda Griffiths (magazines) and Sarah Harris (digital) share their stories. 

Sarah Harris married Jon in 2019, without bridesmaids

“Choosing my bridal party was a very easy decision. I am very close to my two older sisters and so having them with me on my wedding morning was inevitable. While I didn’t have bridesmaids, they acted as my maids of honour throughout the wedding planning process – organising my hen
party in London, as well as keeping me calm on the day itself.

“My mum was also a key person in the bridal party and while she didn’t spend the entire morning with us in the bridal suite she was there for pictures and for the reveal of my dress. I chose my two nieces as my flowergirls: Odette who is six-years-old and Ella who is five. They walked down the aisle before me and Odette gave a reading – a poem written by my mum – during the ceremony.

“My best friend, Sophie Henshall, was involved in planning my hen party but as I wasn’t having bridesmaids I felt she would prefer spending the morning with her husband. I made sure to give her a thank you bottle of prosecco and was so grateful for what she did for me in the run-up to my wedding day.”

Above: Sarah and her sisters, Rachel and Lindsey, and flowergirl Odette (Nick Murray Photography)

Amanda Griffiths married Andrew Woollacott in 2015, with bridesmaids, flowergirls and page boys

“Our sisters, Nichola Maybee and Emily Woollacott, were my bridesmaids. I have four close friends who I would have had to choose between and I decided having six was overkill and didn’t want to upset anyone.

“My best friend’s daughters, Megan and Ella, were my flowergirls and my nephew Finley and Andrew’s nephew Daniel were our pageboys. We bought Andrew’s niece Pixie (who was only 18 months old at the time) a dress so she could look back on pictures and think she was more a part of things than she actually was...

“Both sisters came dress shopping with me – one in Norfolk where I now live and one in Somerset, where I’m from originally – and Nichola organised my hen do. She also came to stay with us on the week of the wedding, helping to pick things up and keeping me calm.

“I got ready with them both on the morning of the wedding. Nichola travelled with me and my dad in the
car to the church, while Emily joined Andrew and our guests on the big red bus we’d arranged to take everyone to the church – making an emergency phone call for us to bring the confetti...”

Above: Amanda and Andrew with the bridesmaids, Nichola and Emily, and flowergirls, Megan and Ella (Lisa Aldersley Photography)

What we agree on: When choosing your bridal party, think about who means the most to you. You can have a combination of friends and family but ultimately, they should be your nearest and dearest, who you can always depend on.