How to choose your wedding party

Getting ready for your wedding party is a huge preparation for one of the biggest events of your life.  This can be a very easy task or a very hard task, depending on the size of family and the number of close friends that you and your fiancé have.  You will need the help and support of people who are understanding and are able to put in time to assist you.

The number of ushers and bridesmaid depends on how big and formal the wedding is.  Generally speaking, the more formal the wedding, the more usher and bridesmaid you have to include.  Although it is not set in stone, you need to have at least one usher for every fifty guests, and also same number for the bridesmaids.  But you can always have as many ushers and bridesmaids as you wish. 

Nowadays, you can find as many as a dozen of ushers and even  more bridesmaids.  It is not necessary to have the same number of usher and bridesmaid.  If you are concerned about the evenness in the processional or recessional, you can have two ushers escort one bridesmaid or you can have the bridesmaid walk alone.  For the dances that are scheduled at the reception, you can have a guest dance with the extra usher or the extra bridesmaid.

Your bridesmaids are your attendants and they stand on your side during the ceremony.  Your future husband's ushers are his attendants who stand on his side.  If your best friend happens to be a man, he can still be your attendant and should stand on your side.  If he is going to be the maid of honor, he will be referred to as the honor attendant.  During the processional and recessional, he can escort one of the bridesmaids if there are more bridesmaids than ushers, or he can walk alone before the rest of the bridesmaids.

Similarly, your 'husband to be' can have a female usher who can stand on his side during the ceremony.  She is also referred to as an usher but should not escort guests, especially female ones, to their seats.

You and your fiancé should choose your bridesmaids and ushers among the people that are closest to you.  It is not required or even necessary to include your family member as an attendant especially if he or she is not close to you.