So I have a friend who I have become really close with over the last 6-8 months. We met in school and totally clicked, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
Ive had my bridal party “picked out” for a long time. It consists of my closest and oldest friends, a couple family members, and my fiancé’s sister in law who I love. The issue is, with those NINE girls, only a handful of them live in the same state as me. I know that my new friend is going to be doing a lot of bridesmaid duties in lieu of the girls who aren’t around.
I would like to invite her to be in the wedding party, but my fiancé doesn’t want me to add more because I already have more bridesmaids than he does groomsmen.
Plus, while I do love how close we are, I’ve still only known her since just before we got engaged, and my other bridesmaids have been there for me through all the ups and downs.
Should I try to make my new friend a bridesmaid? Is there another role I can give her? I don’t want her to feel like I’ve taken advantage of her help with the wedding planning (even if I tried to not enlist her, she would insist that she helps because that’s the kind of person she is and she knows I have only a couple people here.) I also simply don’t want to hurt her feelings, I feel like she may assume she going to be asked to be a bridesmaid.
Help!!!
EDIT:
I changed my wording because a lot of you seem to think that I plan to use (as someone sweetly wrote) my bridesmaids as "staff." I don't see my friends that way, but I have been a bridesmaid on several occasion and I know that I was always around to help my bride's with certain things because that's just what you do. We don't have a lot of money and my friends will be helping with a whole lot.