Sorry I haven't been on the board for a while now but I just wanted to give my 2 cents re your bridesmaid post....
I think:
if you have 8 BM (and I guess 8 groomsmen) and a guestlist of 40 people, it will look off... It's all about proportion
My advice though is to NOT pick your bridal party right now, particularly regarding people you are not 100% sure. You are over a year away and things change a lot throughout the planning and so are you relationships. Emotions get inflated during the planning and things that you would usually get over really get to you... Most complaints about weddings are money, families disagreements on choices and bridal party headaches... Just something to think about
But at the end of the day, it's your wedding and you have to do what's right for you