Is it too soon to ask the wedding party?

It's really too soon. As much as we don't want to face it, some relationships do change. Once you've asked your wedding party, there's no going back from it. If you're getting married in October of 2025, I would wait until at least a year before asking.

If you were not moving away and were absolute certain on who you wanted I would ask now. However, I moved away 6 years ago and my bridesmaids are my girls from back home and I asked them 1.5 years in advance. We are now 6 months away and we are still close as ever. As above has said, sometimes things change in life and you may lose contact with them and may not be as close to them when you leave as you settle into your new home town, but that did not happen to me. Go with your gut feeling.

I would wait to ask everyone until around a year before the wedding, especially since you're moving soon. Relationships can and do change over time and with distance. Your decision on who to ask to be a bridesmaid might change, or it might not. But once you ask someone, you can't really un-ask them without risking damage to the friendship. It'd be better to wait it out and make sure that you don't change your mind over the next 10 months.

There is no reason to ask anyone before 6-8 months before the wedding because there is nothing they need to do other than purchase a dress and attend the rehearsal and wedding day. Showers are optional and planning is the responsibility of the couple only. If you browse the search bar (top right of the page) there are many posts that mention horror stories of asking people too early, asking the wrong people, and so on.

I wouldn’t ask them so soon. As others have said, relationships do change. But your vision of your wedding can also change, and you might decide you don’t want attendants at all or just BM/MoH. Also, people’s circumstances change. They may have a life event, job issues, etc that would make them have difficulty being a bridesmaid but they’d feel forced because they already agreed. Don’t box yourselves in for no reason.

I wouldn't ask them so soon because plans can change a lot in that amount of time. For example, one of them might say yes if you ask them now, but have to drop out due to something like a business trip they have to take.

Her wedding is a year and eight months away.

I’m also a fall 2025 bride, I live 10hrs from all my bridesmaids. They were the first people I told and I have already officially asked them. You know your friends and your relationship with them. If you don’t think it’ll survive the move then wait, but proper friendships don’t vanish because of a move.

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Hi Jack,

You took the words right out of my mouth. I agree, Great advice!!

It's up to you, but for me it's too soon. As Jack said above, some relationships can change. Maybe 1 year is maximum.

No, it isn't too soon! I asked mine very shortly after becoming engaged, including my Maid of Honor. They were each excited!!

It is too early. Especially with you moving, you don't want to assume relationships will change but they do. You also may make a really great friend in your new location when you move. I would wait until less than a year out.

It's not to soon!!! My wedding is in October of this year and I asked my bridal party January of last year!

Maybe the old friendships won’t change, but new ones will develop. I can think of more than one post on this forum of people who asked bridesmaids early and are trying to figure out how to work in new friends or people they’ve grown closer to without numbers getting overwhelming or people being slighted.

It’s never too soon because you never know if who you ask may decline! We got engaged two months ago and I’m still waiting on my fiancé to ask my brothers to be groomsmen lol! I hoped that his sister and sister in law could be my bridesmaids and they both declined due to circumstances. I was glad that I asked less than a month after so that I could have time to replace them fairly quickly.

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Thing is, you shouldn't be replacing people. They aren't props. Sides don't have to be even.

View Quoted Comment I had to replace them because they themselves declined. So I had no choice. They wanted to be in it but due to their circumstances they couldn’t. That’s why it’s good to ask ahead of time because you just never know

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You're missing the point.

I’m getting married in July 2025. I’m an anxious person and I like to plan ahead so I asked them by txt. Now that they all said yes, I’m planning on sending the bridesmaids proposal boxes in July so exactly a year from the wedding.

Congratulations! You sound really excited and ready to get some of the work out of the way. I think asking people to play such an intimate roll in your wedding, should be done your way & in your time. If it's important to get some of the heavy lifting (planning) done asap, I'd say go ahead and ask before you move. We know life happens & people change so it may be best to ask now, giving yourself & the recipient(s) of the offer, time to think about logistics.