Stand By Me
November 28th, 2007 @ 12:18 pm by Mrs. Hummingbird
Though I’ve mentioned them in passing before, Mr. Hummingbird and I are having a nontraditional wedding party. We both have male and female friends so it seemed important to honour those relationships on our big day instead of trying to force ourselves to fit some sort of wedding party mode. Also, having people of different sexes on each side of the bridal party worked out kind of nicely in that there was no need to rank anyone (MOH over Bridesmaid) and everyone got his or her own special title. (For our rehearsal dinner, I’ve been joking about making them all name tags laden with ribbon and glitter . . . you know to boost the special.)
Anyway enough about craft supplies, on to who we picked!
On my side of things, standing up for me I have my Matron of Honour Erin (Hi Erin!) and my Man of Honour Greg.
Erin is my sister in law and an absolute sweetheart. She’s always been supportive of my relationship with Mr. Hummingbird and was a great help when we first started planning by helping me with my silly floundering bride questions and giving me planning advice. Plus, as an only child, it’s kind of cool to get to be going through this phase with a “sister,” even if it’s one through marriage.
As for Greg, we met via a mutual friend when we were in college (me for journalism and him for culinary arts). We both have a demented sense of humour and we pretty much immediately bonded over it. We’ve only been friends for five years but we’ve supported each other through a lot, including moves (he went away for teacher’s college during which we frequently talked and e-mailed) and relationships (when my serious yet ill-matched college relationship ended, he gave me unconditional emotional support . . . not to mention took me out for ice cream), so when we got engaged, I knew I had to ask him.
On Mr. Hummingbird’s side of things, he has his Best Man Nick and his Best Lady Sarah (though he has taken to calling her his groomsbabe, a title which we are continuously debating).
Nick is the husband of Erin and Mr. Hummingbird’s older brother by three years. Though I am told when they were younger they did not getting along, seeing them together as adults makes me wonder how on Earth this could be true since sometimes they seriously seem joined at the brain. I mean don’t get me wrong, it is a lovely brain indeed, but I don’t know how two people can have heads filled with so much knowledge about video games and medieval weaponry (A few summers ago, Nick actually attempted to build a full sized trebuchet. He wanted to build it to be strong enough to catapult some cabbages or a turnip or two, but apparently, his swing trajectory was off and the project was abandoned, which I am sure the neighbours were thankful for.)
As for Mr. Hummingbird’s Best Lady/Groomsbabe, Sarah and Mr. Hummingbird actually dated once upon a time before deciding to call it quits and be friends. A lot of people have found this inclusion of an ex in the wedding party weird, but honestly, I don’t see how it could be any other way. They’ve been friends for almost eight years, and as she is one of the most important people in his life, it seems beyond logical that she should be standing up for him on the big day (and I like her too which is a nice bonus .
Picking our people was one of the first things we did and with 7 months to go, I think I can say without a doubt that we’ve got the right folks for the jobs.
What about you ladies? How did you pick the people that would stand up with you on your big day?
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7 Responses to “Stand By Me”
I am finding that I have to many bridesmaids - two sisters, one Future sister in-law and two bestfriends. My Fiance has only one, his best man and best friend. I don’t care about being even on both sides but if I have a 5 to 1 ratio the pictures might look funny. I have tried to get him to name a few other friends but he is resistant. Should I ask my friends to help out in ways other than being bridesmaids, or wait for him to figure out his side? Any suggestions?
i already told my my younger sister and best friend that they are going to stand as my maid and matron of honor, respectively even though we’re not engaged yet. a friend of mine says i’m cheating by having two honor attendants but i figure i’m just being clever.
like your mister, my younger sister and i didn’t really get along growing up [with an 8 year age difference!] but since i left for college things have gotten better and now you would have thought we were always buddy buddy. and my best friend has stuck with me since high school through EVERYTHING and i honestly couldn’t imagine not having either one of them up there with me.
however, i do have an older sister [by 3 years] but we’re just not that close and i can’t really see her standing for me, even as a bridesmaid. the bf does have a sister my younger sister’s age and while we get along well, i’d feel like i was just adding her just to add her. i would like to include her in some way if the bf wants to. maybe have her do a reading or something.
My mom is my MOH, and my bridesmaid is a friend who has stood by me through the darkest parts of the last few years. I know having the mother of the bride do double duty as the MOH is unusual, but she is literally the most important female relationship that I have and I just cannot imagine anyone I’d rather have standing with me when I make this important transition. It’s really nice that the “rules” are starting to loosen up some.
I really like this idea. There are definitely people special to me (of either sex) that I would love to honor in asking them to be a part of my day.
Hi Jillian! Yay we got shout outs so we have to say hi! We are excited to be part of the non traditional party and I personally can’t wait to get my glittery, ribbon filled card!
We love you guys!!
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Mrs. Hummingbird, Toronto
Age and Occupation: 25, Publishing Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Videogame Designer/Cartoonist
Engagement Date: May 4, 2007
Wedding Date: June 28, 2008
Blogging Since: September 18, 2007
Venue: A garden wedding followed by a tented reception on Mr. Hummingbird's father's property.
About Me: I’m a pop culture loving, vintage obsessed foodie living in Canada’s biggest city with my fantastic fiancé and our lovable fluffy cat Bettie. I’m stoked to marry my best friend and to throw what I hope will be
the most fun and colourful party of our lives.
no clue. still trying to decide.