As a bride-to-be, you will surely find that the months leading up to your wedding are filled with activity and anticipation. Your bridesmaids can help ensure that everything goes smoothly. Not only will they assist you with making arrangements throughout your engagement, but they will also provide moral support on your wedding day by preceding you down the aisle and standing at your side as you say your vows.

The custom of having female attendants is probably as old as marriage itself. Its actual origins are entangled in folklore. As one story goes, a bride in early England would surround herself with friends -- dressed in outfits identical to her own -- to confuse evil spirits that might want to curse her happiness. In another, bridesmaids escorted the bride to the wedding to protect her from marauders after her dowry. Bridesmaids are no longer chosen for protection, of course, but yours will still play a prominent role on your special day. That means you should select them carefully.

Nicole Mau of Rochester, New York, asked her sister, her fiance's sisters, and six of her girlfriends to be her bridesmaids for her September 2001 wedding. "I chose those people I was closest to at that point in my life -- not necessarily the ones I had known longest," she says. Traditionally, the bride selects the sister nearest to her in age as her key attendant, the maid of honor (or matron of honor if the role is fulfilled by a married woman). But a younger or older sister, another relative, or a best friend is an equally acceptable choice. Some brides even ask a male friend or relative to serve in this role; he is then called a man of honor or honor attendant. If you have more than one sister or do not wish to choose between two close friends, consider inviting both to be maids of honor and splitting the duties between them. And though not required, it makes for good family relations to invite at least one of the groom's sisters to be a bridesmaid.

The number of attendants you have will depend on both the size of your circle of friends and the tone of your wedding. A small, informal gathering may call for just a maid of honor, while a large, formal wedding could have a dozen bridesmaids. Having four to six bridesmaids is common. Often the bride's and groom's attendants are evenly paired, but that is not crucial. If the numbers are uneven, some ushers can escort a bridesmaid on each arm, or the women can walk down the aisle together or single file. You may also have junior bridesmaids -- girls between the ages of 8 and 14, who are too old to be flower girls but still too young to be bridesmaids. Their only duty is to walk in the procession.