Fiancé doesn’t want a bridal party

Dear Harriette: My fiancé has a large group of friends. I do not have many friends at all, so I was hoping to skip having a bridal party altogether. My fiancé is disappointed by this because he was excited to be able to have all of his friends be a part of our wedding. I understand, but I just don’t have enough friends to match his groomsmen, and it honestly makes me feel bad. Am I being unfair by asking that we skip the bridal party tradition? — Short Guest List

Dear Short Guest List:

Why not get creative and different? Since your fiancé wants to include all of his friends, invite them to be your bridal party. Have them stand on either side of you two and present as a united front. If there are any of your friends you want to include, have them as part of the collective. You do not have to divide them up to stand on either side of you. Just plan the ceremony considering them as a unit, and determine where people will stand and what function each will perform along the way. In this way, you incorporate your fiance’s ideas and loved ones into your ceremony without adding pressure for you to come up with people who aren’t in your inner circle.

My 23-year-old daughter suffered from psychosis from the beginning of this year up until very recently. She is now of sound mind but deeply depressed.

She feels that she’s fallen behind in life. She was unable to work for six months due to her condition, and she has lost touch with many of her friends. I try to give her hope, but

Dear Harriette:

nothing seems to be working. How do I encourage my daughter? I am so worried for her mental health that I’m starting to feel a bit hopeless myself. — Trying to Help

Now is the time to engage your daughter’s therapist actively. Dealing with mental illness requires professional help. Ask her doctor what strategies have helped other patients in the past. Be assertive when you talk to the doctor, and insist on some kind of support to help with reentry into the world.

In addition, think about if there is one friend who may be willing to put forth a bit more effort with your daughter. You can reach out to that person and let them know where your daughter stands and that it would be great for them

Dear Trying to Help:

to reach out if they can.

You can also enroll your daughter in classes that she would attend with other people, anything from an art class to a cooking class, something that will engage her and push her to communicate with others. If she likes sports, you could encourage her to swim or play tennis, whatever she may have liked in the past. The point is to get her out and about and around other people, even if she doesn’t know them.

You should also be aware of the signs of depression to ensure that your daughter is safe. For more information, go to mayoclinic. org/diseases-conditions/ depression/in-depth/ depression/art-20045943.