Welcome to my Bride Tribe - XO, the future Mrs. Westerlind.

As most former brides can attest to, the rush of excitement knowing that YOU get to be the one to pop the question to your closest girlfriends is SO real!!! I couldn’t wait to ask my girls to be a part of my bridal party which is why I asked them pretty much immediately :)

Rule of thumb: it’s never too early to ask your girls to be in your wedding (assuming you’re engaged & actually planning a wedding of course!)

I wanted to give my girls as much time as possible to prepare for allllllll the festivities and commitment that comes with bring a bridesmaid. News flash, it’s all fun & games until there’s a price tag next to it! I figured whether our wedding was going to be in one year or three, it never hurts to start saving dat money!

The DO’s & DON’Ts:

DO ask each of your bridesmaids in a personalized & memorable way.

DON’T go ham on buying bridesmaids trinkets that they probably a. won’t use or b. don’t want.

DO opt for the more practical options & use this as an opportunity to gift them something that you know you’re going to want them to have at some point down the road.

WHAT I DID: I asked with this adorable Etsy personalized card accompanied with this personalized bridesmaid robe that I want my girls to wear for cute photos while getting ready on the morning of our big day!

DO realize that asking someone to commit to being in your wedding over a year in advance has its benefits and complications because no one can predict the future.

DON’T quilt trip anyone to being in your wedding & DON’T let anyone guilt trip you to include someone!

DO realize that these people are going to be in YOUR wedding photos, FOOORRRREVVVERRRRR - said in kid from the Sandlot’s voice.

WHAT I DID: I asked my two best friends from my childhood, two cousins - one from each side of my family, my NYC bestie, my sorority little & my two future sister-in-laws. Yup, the totals to 8 bridesmaids! But I couldn’t imagine my wedding & the photos for that matter, without any of these special girls by my side!

From this bride to the next, I hope my advice helps make picking your tribe a bit more DOable!

XO, Nicole