Record-Setting Bride Has Over 100 Bridesmaids
An Ohio woman set the Guinness Book of World Records mark for bridesmaids.
Anastasiya Kostsina / 123RF "Always a bridesmaid, never the bride." That's the saying, right? But what about the saying, "Always a bridesmaid, rarely one of 110 bridesmaids?"
You've never heard it because wedding parties usually only have 4-10 bridesmaids. And though a wedding is always a momentous occasion, for one woman, her wedding wasn't just breathtaking, but also record-breaking.
Narrowing down the old wedding list is a chore in making tough decisions for any couple planning their big day. And it can be a pretty grueling situation.
You have to figure out which friends are on the fence, which are in the circle (of trust), and who you think won't come, but will send a gift. It's definitely exhausting. But it's even tougher nailing down the actual wedding party.
Maybe you have a sister who catches feelings easily. Maybe you have a good friend who thinks she's your BFF. And maybe you have a close coworker who you absolutely, positively cannot trust to get anything right.
So, sometimes you have to just say forget it and take every woman you've ever met as a bridesmaid. At least, that's what Jill Stapleton did.
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For her 2010 nuptials, Stapleton had 110 bridesmaids attend the event. And no, that's not an extra zero that was accidentally added. It was really 110!
And despite many of them being little kids from the bride's dance class (tiny dancers, if you will), it was a record. If we consult the official record-breaking manual, AKA the Guinness Book of World Records, the previous record for the most bridesmaids at a wedding was 90.
Stapleton and her husband, Chad Greenhill, got married in Proctorville, Ohio. She's a gymnastics instructor who has her own gym called Jill's Tumble World.
So, when it came time to gather the bridal party, Stapleton decided to ask all of her students to be a part of it. Yes, all 110 of them.
She said, "It's kind of a record. We were actually going away for a wedding but this wedding day is more important to these little boys and girls that made my dreams come true. We decided on another fairy tale, and this is our dream wedding."
Now, I've been to a few weddings in which the bride and/or groom have had a seriously tough time culling down the list of friends and ended up drafting a soccer club for bridesmen and groomsmaids, respectively.
I've even been to a few weddings in which a fellow had such a hard time picking a best man that he chose his dad, rather than putting his brother and best buds through a civil war for the honor.
Frankly, I've been to too many weddings in which the groom's and the bride's sides are unbalanced. And it's a little bit strange seeing people walk down the aisle solo. (Let's face it: not everyone wants to deal with being a bridesmaid or a groomsman.)
So, congrats to Stapleton for being able to find 110 people who actually wanted to be a part of her bridal party. Because we can't say the same for many other couples.
Tom Miller is a writer, performer, and has been the general manager and coordinating video producer at YourTango for 12 years.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on June 16, 2010.