Gender-Blind Wedding Parties

Editor's Note: Please excuse the gendered language in the following post. I usually try to be inclusive and gender neutral with my language but this particular issue only really applies to heterosexual couples because same-sex couples are already bending the gender norms to start with. :-)

Have you never really gotten along with those of your same gender... always been more of a "tomboy" or "just one of the girls"... are you a bride who's closer to her brothers then anyone else in the world... are you a groom who's best friend is a girl... or are you one to think that having a gender segregated wedding party just cramps your style? Then having a gender-blind wedding party may be for you.

I have no idea how this trend (for lack of a better, more permanent word) got started, but in my mind the path was forged by a forward thinking bride who dared to ask, "Why do MY brothers have to stand on HIS side?" And from there was born a new frontier; one that has now brought us the terms "Man of Honor", "Best Lady", "Bridesmen", and "Groomsladies".

Now I know that your dear old 90 year old aunt is silently having a coronary even as I type this, but now more than every the only rule in weddings is... don't talk about weddings... oops, no wait, that's don't talk about Fight Club... oh yes, here it is... there are no rules! Couples today are bending tradition to suite them, picking and choosing the traditions that are meaningful to them, and even creating new and wonderfully fresh traditions of their own, and this flexibility in the genders of the wedding party is definitely one of my favorites.

I wish I had been exposed to this idea earlier in my wedding planning journey. I would most certainly of had my brothers up there with me. In defense of my untraditionality (yes it's a word. I just said it therefore it's a word), my mother was my maid of honor.

I know what you are all thinking... " But what about the pictures????" Well, first of all, while balancing the fact that the pictures are the only lasting thing about your wedding, I always remind brides that the pictures should not dictate your wedding. The people in the pictures are far more important then the pictures themselves; however, how awesome does this wedding party look????




This is Ms. Hummingbird from wedding bee, and is one of my all time favorite brides. At some point I'll share with you the hilarious blog that her husband wrote about his groomzilla break down and his insistence that his brother and father come shopvac up the puddled water in the back yard after it rained.

Afraid that your wedding party won't be as awesomely symmetrical as this one. Have no fear! Check out this GQ worthy groom with his groomsmen and groomslady.

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So, if the only thing holding you back from having your dream wedding is the tradition of gender segregated wedding parties... then worry no more because gender-blind wedding parties are coming to a wedding near you!