Who to have (and not to have) in my wedding party?!?!

dancelex

I have a dilemma that has been wracking my brain for some time now.  I have been giving my wedding party a good deal of thought.  I am the youngest of 5 sisters -- and they are all a good bit older than me (I'm 26 and they are in their early or mid 40's)and we are all VERY different.  I have one sister who i'm extremely close with and I would like for her to be my maid of honor.  My other sisters all have children and I plan to have the kids all involved in the wedding.  I know that there is a great deal of responsibility that goes into being a member of the bridal party AND having your children in it and I dont want to place a burden on anyone.  And I have one sister who is very self-centered and I know it will be a huge pain to have her as a bridesmaid.  On top of all of this, I have 4 girlfriends who I definitely want in the wedding.  How do I deal with my sisters?  Do I ask them all to be in the wedding and give them the option to decline or do I just go with what I want and not ask them -- just their children???

quotequeen

We decided to have two of FI's four sisters in the wedding party.  To me, it made sense to ask the two without kids to stand up with us, because the other two would have to deal with their children during the ceremony and reception and it would be more difficult for them.  (Only one of the kids is in the WP.)  Having all the siblings isn't a tradition for him either.  Both of the married sisters had non-traditional weddings, and FI wasn't even able to attend one (or both, I don't remember) because of the short notice.

rlynn007

You wedding isn't untill 5/14/11? DO NOT pick anyone yet! Everyone says this and no one pays attention, so much can happen in the next year with friends and even sisters that it is better to wait instead of changing your mind months down the line and wishing you had picked someone else and then having a "how do I unask..." post.  You have more than enouigh time to decide just relax!