Stepping up to the alter is a big step. Who better to share it with than the people you care most about? Due to the fact that it is such a special day for you, your family and friends want to get involved - sometimes too much! Emotions run high and, more often than not, the bride-to-be feels a bit of a breakdown coming on just before the big day.

“One of the hardest things for me was choosing my bridesmaids,” admits Jennifer Chmiel. “There were people that I wanted to ask, but I could only have so many in my wedding party without it looking like a marching band.”

Chmiel had six bridesmaids and her maid of honour. This is a relatively high number considering that you only need one witness to sign the registry. “It is a special day,” said Chmiel. “I didn’t want anyone to be left out.”

So what can you do to avoid leaving people out or upsetting anyone? It is a tough call and the answer is not an easy one to make. The hardest part of deciding on a wedding party is that often times there are the ‘must-haves’. This category consists of relatives who are ‘expected’ to be asked and girlfriends who have already asked you to be in their wedding parties whom you feel obliged to return the favour.

Then there are the ‘have-to-haves’, such as your best friend who has pigged out on ice-cream with you at 4am when Mr. Perfect was acting like a jerk, and your gal pal who has been in your life since childhood.

“There are so many people to consider because when you really think about it there have been many people who have passed through your life,” Chmiel says.

A possible solution: select a maid of honor and have friends act as ‘honorary bridesmaids’. They do not participate in the actual ceremony, but they all wear dresses of the same colour and sit in the front row for the ceremony.

Another way to do it is to chose one friend from each group or part of your past. You can select one friend from your childhood, a friend you have grown up with and been through it all with. Then you can select a friend who was with you while you met Mr.Perfect, someone who was there for all of the flower deliveries and break-ups. A family member and a friend that you and your man-to-be have in common, such as a girlfriend to one of his guy pals who you have become close to.

“It is a tough call,” Chmiel admits. “But as long as you chose people who mean the most to you then that is all that matters. Don’t choose people because you feel obliged to. Select them because without them your day wouldn’t be perfect.”