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For some couples, choosing a bridal party may be the easiest step in planning a wedding. For others, it may be a far more difficult decision.

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As planners with years of wedding experience, let us offer you some advice. Your wedding party should reflect the most important people in your lives as individuals or as a couple. Try not to get too caught up in everyone else’s opinion about whom they think should be in your wedding party. Try not to let the fear of disappointing someone stress you out. You and your future spouse should ask yourselves these questions: Who are the most important people to you? From the beginning of your relationship, who has always been there? Who will be there for years to come?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when deciding how large or small a bridal party should be. We have seen lovely, intimate weddings with just a maid-of-honor and a best man, and we have seen spectacular weddings with a dozen guests in the wedding party. There is no right or wrong here. In the end, your wedding party should consist of people who love you and support your relationship. In our experience, no matter which way you go – large, small, or somewhere in between – it helps when your wedding party members are trustworthy and responsible so that your rehearsal, ceremony, and reception run flawlessly.

If you settle on a smaller wedding party, there are other things you can do to honor specific people at your wedding and make them feel special. Reserving them a seat up front for your ceremony, making a special introduction for them during the reception, or giving them a corsage or boutonniere to wear will help everyone know these are your VIPs. In the end, your wedding is not about these details. It is about starting your life with your spouse in front of the friends and family that matter to you the most.

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