"Be my BBM?" - Meet the 'Maids

Just to get this off my chest...I, J, do not believe that BM is a suitable acronym for the lovely ladies who will be by my side on the most wonderful day of my life. I've giggled one to many times at bride-to-be's that casually use this acronym to describe their bridesmaids without actually realizing what this acronym usually stands for. So I will be using BBM (which in my world stands for "Best Bridesmaid) in place of BM. If you are one of the girls who has no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore this last paragraph and proceed on.

the ultimate bridesmaids, let's be honest.

When it came for M and I to choose our wedding parties, I honestly struggled with who to include. I put off this part of wedding planning until almost a year after M and I got engaged, with the exception of my two maid-of-honors. Before we got engaged I always imagined my bridal party including up to 7 or 8 of my closest friends and family. The more the merrier, right? Well not according to past brides who warn that more ladies in your bridal party can lead to more drama than it's worth. I also realized that in order to include everyone I wanted to be in my party, the grand total would be 10 girls. So not happening when my entire wedding will only be made up of 100 guests.

I decided to trim the BBMs down to 4, not including my automatic junior bridesmaid (my little sister). I knew that not asking some of my closest friends would hurt their feelings, but in my heart I was confident that a smaller bridal party was the best solution. Also, in all honesty, I am sure some of my close friends are glad to be attending the wedding strictly as guests. No extra work, just show up and party!

When it came time to actually ask them, I didn't feel the need to make some big elaborate gift or show out of it. I've seen the awesome bridesmaid boxes on Pinterest, along with the ring pop proposal, etc. While these are super thoughtful and sweet, I knew that the girls I was going to ask would want to be in my party regardless of how I asked. I decided to ask them with a silly, simple card I designed myself, inspired by cards I had seen on Etsy and Pinterest...

MOH Smiley and MOH Schmo looking excited with their cards!

Front says: "They say I'll need someone to hold up my dress when I have to pee"

Inside says: "____, Will you be my (fill in role here)?"

All the girls got such a kick out of these silly little cards and wholeheartedly said, "YES!" I designed them through Photoshop and printed them out using own printer, although I could have made them even more official by printing them on actual card stock. 

Now, to introduce my very best girls...

Excuse the poor cell-phone quality...the iPhone 6s wasn't invented yet!

MOH Smiley and I have known each other since I was born, literally. She is my older sister and one of the most funny, wonderful, caring people I know. She also has the prettiest smile ever (hence her nickname here). She knows how to have a good time and how to throw a rocking' party, so including her in my bridal party was an obvious decision. That, and she's the best older sister I could ever ask for!

Senior prom and lookin' snazzy.

MOH Schmo and I have been best friends since high school. We were in chorus together, musicals together, and many a weary English class together. She was actually the first person I told about M when he entered the scene, and they themselves have gotten to be good friends as well. We have also been roommates since freshman year of college, which in itself has been an adventure.

BBM Giggles is my cousin, and one of the girls I knew I always wanted in my bridal party. We grew up close and have remained that way throughout the high school and college years. She is someone I can always talk to and who I know will always be there for me. Including her in my bridal party was an obvious choice, as friendships comes and go, but family remains forever. She has loved M since the very beginning and has been one of the most supportive, helpful people during this entire wedding planning process.

At Cat Lady's own wedding summer '13.

BBM Cat is one of my very best friends. We first met when I was visiting my college for the first time, as she was my tour guide. When I started attending school there we became friends after her then-boyfriend (now husband!) tutored M and I in chemistry. She got married two summers ago and, being a past bride herself, she always has tons of wedding wisdom for me and super helpful advice. Fun fact: because they are both scientists, instead of a unity candle, they did a unity experiment. HOW COOL. Her nickname is due to her obsessive love of cats and all-things cat related. I was going to call her Crazy Cat Lady, but wasn't sure if she'd love that as much as I do ;)

Last, but certainly not least, is junior bridesmaid Loo! She is my little sister and the sweetest young lady ever. When she found out that she was going to be in the wedding, she could not have been more excited. She even asked me, "So I get to wear a dress too?!". The cutest ever. She is my little lunch date and shopping buddy, and even though we are 9 years apart in age, she is one of my closest friends. 

I am more than confident that these ladies are going to be the best bridal party ever. They are all so supportive of M and I and are willing to do anything they can to help out in this crazy wedding planning process, which is the best thing I could ever ask for from them. Also, none of them are afraid to tell me if I'm being a bridezilla, so...that's a definite plus. 

How did you end up picking my bridal party? Did you include just friends? Just family?