Now that you have a wedding date set, it’s time to start planning your big day. One of the first decisions you’ll likely make is how many bridesmaids should be in your wedding party. How many bridesmaids do you need? Is there really such thing as too many bridesmaids? Read on for answers to these questions and more:
Why Are There Bridesmaids in the First Place?
You may be wondering whether or not you need bridesmaids in the first place. The answer is, you don’t! Having a wedding party is totally up to you. If the thought of choosing your bridal party is adding stress (or drama) to your wedding day, consider axing the idea altogether. Alternatively, you could consider setting a guideline for who will be in the party: such as only having family members in the party, or just having a maid of honor.
The whole intent of the bridal party is to support the bride-to-be. They might help with planning for the wedding itself, or other pre-wedding events such as a shower or bachelorette.
Bridesmaids are a long-standing wedding tradition. If it’s a tradition that you want to incorporate into your big day, do it! If not, that’s great too.
Should I have a certain number of bridesmaids?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The number of bridesmaids you choose should be based on your relationships, as well as your budget, and your vision for your big day. For a point of reference, in the United States the average bridal party includes 5 members. In other parts of the world, 0-2 bridesmaids is the norm.
If you have a smaller wedding and don’t have a lot of money to spend on them, one or two bridesmaids might be enough to represent all of those who are closest to you. If you’re having a larger wedding, three or four might be more appropriate. If you want to include people from various parts of your life (childhood bestie, college roommate, etc), you might end up with a larger crew.
How Many Bridesmaids Is Too Many?
Once you get beyond 4-5 bridesmaids, you are in big wedding party territory. As with all wedding things, there are no rules here, but here are a few things to consider if you are having more than 5 bridesmaids:
- Increased costs. This will vary depending on what the bride/couple are paying for verses those in the party, but larger bridal parties tend to result in increased costs. The bouquet for each bridesmaid alone can start ringing up that floral bill!
- More logistics. Getting ready the day of will have to start really early for large groups to get hair and makeup done. It can also be more difficult to manage transportation and ceremony logistics. It can also be more difficult to nail down a bachelorette date when dealing with more schedules.
- Added time. Larger parties will take up more time coming down the aisle. If you are planning to introduce the party into the reception, this can also eat up a big chunk of reception time.
Of course, there are ways to work with all of these considerations. It is just helpful to know what you are getting into BEFORE you ask 10 of your BFFS to stand up with you!
Your wedding – your decision!
Choose a wedding party that makes sense to you and your partner and reflects the type of wedding you want to have. Go with a traditional party or don’t, the choice is all yours!
