“There was so much love and laughter”: Record-setting bride had 168 bridesmaids

Choosing how many bridesmaids to have is a dilemma that many brides-to-be face at one point or another. 

It’s hard to decide who will take up the coveted role of a bridesmaid, especially when you’re caught between a large group of friends and relatives.

Some brides opt to choose more than one. 

But how many bridesmaids are enough?

For one woman, the answer was 168, meaning she earned the record title for the most bridesmaids to one bride. 

Tina Ackles of Killeen, Texas, was married at the Safety Harbor Resort in Tampa Bay, Florida on 18 April 2015 after dating her husband for 12 years.

Tina is a member of the American Business Women’s Association, which she joined in 1999.

“Over the years, several of my ABWA sisters said they wanted to be bridesmaids when we finally got married,” she said.

As with most families, you really can’t leave anyone out.

Each of the bridesmaids was invited through an ABWA chat, and happily obliged. 

Tina let everyone know in October 2014 that she and her husband would be getting married on 18 April 2015. 

This allowed the bridesmaids enough time to coordinate their attendance.

Tina says all of the women were very excited and spent months on the chat talking about where they found their outfits, shoes, and accessories.

“We were attending an ABWA conference in Safety Harbor and decided to get married at the venue after the conference ended,” said Tina. 

We have three conferences in the spring and several of my friends selected the Safety Harbor event so they could be in the wedding.

Because ABWA’s colours are red and black, Tina chose to have her bridesmaids wear black outfits with red jewelry and shows.

They each carried a white carnation, which represents the ABWA.

“The excitement leading up to the event was amazing,” said Tina. 

On the day of the wedding, there was so much love and laughter.

Among her 168 bridesmaids were Tina’s sister, two cousins, and her niece. 

There were also about 180 additional people in attendance at the wedding, including Tina’s friend Valerie, who was her maid of honour. 

Several of the bridesmaids also helped coordinate the procession by guiding others.

Tina admits that she did not originally plan to enlist so many bridesmaids but thought it would be beneficial for the ABWA. 

“One of my ABWA sisters from North Carolina brought the record to my attention after we announced in October that we were getting married in April,” she said. 

We thought this would be a good way to spread the word about ABWA and the amazing experiences we have all had.

Tina says there were minimal challenges when it came to having so many bridesmaids because most of them are type A personalities and made the process very easy.

However, the documentation aspect of achieving the record title did prove to be somewhat difficult. 

“The official counters were the mayor and councilwoman from Safety Harbor. The American Legion post commander was also one, as we are both veterans,” said Tina. 

We also asked the clerk who filed our marriage license. They said it was pretty overwhelming having all of those women coming in two by two.

After the wedding, Tina and her slew of bridesmaids celebrated the matrimony with dinner and drinks and even shared the event on social media for those who were not able to attend. 

Tina is elated to hold a Guinness World Records title, although she never thought she would have one. 

“I always like the mass events,” she said. 

“But I never dreamed I would be in one.”

She also says her friends and family were surprised to hear the news of her newfound record title. 

“They were in awe and still are,” she said. 

Some joke that they don’t have that many friends. I told them they should make more.

See Tina in Guinness World Records 2024 – on sale soon!

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