Mixed Gender Wedding Parties – All You Need to Know
As a planner, I have to say that mixed gender wedding parties are one of my favorite facets of a modern wedding. Wedding parties have gone from sometimes feeling stuffy and full of obligatory relatives to dynamic, happy, bubbly groups of friends. If all of your closest friends happen to be female, that’s totally great — but if they’re not, there’s no reason to leave a close friend out of your wedding party just because of their gender. Mixed gender wedding parties are getting more and more popular — and really changing the face (and the energy) of weddings. Here’s what you need to know.
You Get To Include The People Who Actually Matter The Most
Firstly, the best part of a mixed gender wedding party is that you get to include the people closest to you. As a wedding planner, it’s easy to see that couples — and brides — are so much happier when they have their team around them. Rather than feeling like you need to include your second cousin once-removed, just because she’s a female relative, you can have a friend you’ve known for decades by your side. It honestly makes all of the difference.
Feel Free To Play Around With The Jargon
If you don’t know what to call the man in your wedding party or your partner’s best female friend, don’t worry — you can literally make up the language yourself. That’s the great thing about mixed gender wedding parties — there are no rules! Some people play around with the traditional language and just change the gender, using terms like “Man of Honor” or “Best Woman” — or even “Bridesman” which I loved for this wedding!. I’ve helped couples navigate this terrain and it’s definitely best to have fun with it.
Outfit Planning Becomes So Much More Exciting
I love helping choose the wardrobe for mixed gender parties. While bridesmaids’ dresses often get a bad rap, there’s no reason that picking out the wedding party outfits can’t be a lot of fun — and having a mixed gender wedding party makes it so much more playful. You can experiment with color schemes, with complementary prints, with styling and accessories, so that each side (regardless of gender) is easily IDable to wedding guests. It’s the perfect time to get creative — and the photos are always oh-so-Instagram worthy.
Include *Them* In The Process
As a wedding planner, this is something that I’ve seen people overlook. Even though it’s so much fun choosing outfits for mixed gender wedding parties, coming up with your own slang, and even picking unique favors for the different genders in your party, don’t lose sight of what it’s really about — the people. When you’re dealing with a mixed gender wedding party, bring them into the decision making. Make sure that everybody is comfortable with the decisions being made, so then it is about meaningful, intentional fun!
Mixed gender wedding parties are more than just a trend — they’re a sign of the way that weddings are changing to showcase what — and who —are really important to the couple. Make it about the people you care about most — because that’s really what weddings are all about.
