Reader Question: Should I invite all my bridesmaids dress shopping?

Question: I have a large bridal party of six girls. I am having a hard time coordination schedules. Is it important to have all of my bridal party with me when I go dress shopping for my dress and their bridesmaid dresses?

Answer: Having a group of your nearest and dearest friends and family members seems like the ideal way to pick out dresses. In reality, it can be a huge stress. With so many people, it's unlikely you will easily find a date when everyone can attend. More importantly, when you have too many people you have too many opinions. Oftentimes you'll end up going with what the group thinks you should buy over what you really want. Although their opinions are valuable, it is your wedding. Bring your mom, Maid of Honor, or close friend. Narrow it down to a few choices and then bring the other girls in for the final decision.

Reader Question: Can I invite guests to the shower who aren't invited to the wedding?

Question: My daughter is having a small wedding with just close friends and family. Is it OK to invite guests to her shower that will not be invited to the wedding?

Answer: The short and sweet answer here is NO! When you get an invitation to the shower, you can expect to get an invitation to the wedding. It is considered extremely discourteous to invite a guest to any pre-wedding event but not the wedding. It will come across like the guest is good enough to give a gift at the shower, but not important enough to be invited to the wedding. If she is keeping the wedding guest list short, keep your shower guest list just as short.

At the end of the day, you don’t want people to look back and think that their “presents” were welcome but not their “presence.”

Thanks to Susan for the great question! Do you have an etiquette question for us? Email us at stacey@asyouwishwed.biz!