Should I Include the Groom's Sister as Bridesmaid?

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You want your bridesmaids to be some of your closest and helpful friends, but what about your future sister in law? If you don't feel too close to your soon to be sister in law, you may be contemplating whether you should ask her to be one of your bridesmaids or not. If you are torn in this situation, you will benefit from what some wedding etiquette experts have to say about it.

Should I Include the Groom's Sister as Bridesmaid?

Of course, you can choose her to be or not to be your bridesmaid. You should ask the groom's sister to be one of your bridesmaids:

  • If you and your friends want her to share in the honor of standing your side through your new journey

  • If you think she is nice and genuinely just want her as a bridesmaid

  • If you need an additional bridesmaid and know she would feel appreciated by the offer

The groom's sister can even serve as your Maid of Honor:

  • If you are exceptional close with her

  • If you really like her a great deal

  • If you think she would serve as a good maid of honor

Even in instances where you may not feel particularly close, it is still recommended you ask the groom's sister as bridesmaid. You are about to be family and while she doesn't have to be your maid of honor, it is courteous to ask to be a part of the bridal party. Not asking her could result in hurt feelings or make your relationship worse, which will only lead to more stressful encounters in the future. Remember that your wedding day is about you and your fiancée starting your new lives together, and this includes accepting their family as yours. Remember to be considerate and when you can avoid hurting feelings, you should. Think about this, would you want your sibling to be left out of the wedding?

If you are keeping your bridal party small, then this could be an exception. Then you may want to consider having your future sister in law do a reading during the ceremony to make them feel included if you don't ask the groom's sister as bridesmaid.

Let's See What Others Think About It

If you think you are the only person who is struggling with whether to include groom's sister as bridesmaid, you'll be relieved to know you are not alone. See how these brides handled their issues with including their future sister in laws in their wedding.

"We ran into the problem with my future mother in law being offended that his sisters were not included in the bridal party. We sat down and discussed the situation with the sisters and we came to a compromise to including them in the wedding without having to add to our already large Bridal party. They did a beautiful reading during the ceremony that they were comfortable with, even though the mother in law was still not happy about."

"I thought including my husband's sister in the bridal shower was a nice gesture which she agreed to at first. We are not close at all but just thought it was polite and considerate. A few months before the wedding, she told me she didn't feel comfortable being a part of the wedding party. So, you know the result. It is always a good idea to talk with the sister and see what her feelings are about the subject instead of just making up her mind for her."

"We kept our bridal party small, two of his best friends and two of mine. So when we started to get some backlash for not including his sister in the bridal party, we had a suffice reason for it. We did let them do a prayer reading during the ceremony to include them in the ceremony."