An Ode to Our Wedding Party

Deciding on a wedding party started out as a fairly difficult decision for me, and than became an awfully simple one. Because I had just graduated from University, I had quite a number of close friends that I still hold near and dear to my heart. There were my three house mates, J, H, and R who were my partners in crime during school, and were as close to family as I had in University. Than there was "the core": a group of friends from my program who are like my intellectual soulmates. There was also M; although she's a friend more recently acquired, we have so much in common that I consider her to be one of the few people that understands where I come from. To round out the group of my closest friends, there is R, a loyal friend whom I have known since high school. All together, that makes 8 people whom I couldn't imagine excluding.

Well, you might think that eight is not such a ridiculous number. I have been in weddings that had more than eight attendants on each side. However, I have yet to discuss my family. I have a younger sister, who without a single doubt in my mind would be my Maid of Honour. Also, Matthew has a younger sister whom I adore, and I desperetly wanted her to stand by my side.

So that makes ten....ok, the number is getting up there, but it's still not unheard of, right? But what about my cousins? I have one cousin, A, who is like a little sister to me, and 4 other cousins who I am very close to.

All together, that makes 15 bridesmaids. Fifteen! Where would my groom find so many groom's men? Fifteen was just too much....cuts would have to be made!

But who to exclude? I didn't want to insult anyone, and I didn't want anyone to think that their relationship with me was less valuable. So I did the only thing that I could think of.....I cut everyone! I decided that I wanted our wedding party to consist of siblings only, which works out quite perfectly since Matthew and I both have a brother and a sister. Since my friends and family are an increadibly talented bunch, they will be included in other special ways throughout the wedding. I truly hope that none of my friends are hurt by my decision, and I hope that they are excited about getting to choose their own dresses for the big party!