How Many Bridesmaids Should I Have in My Wedding?

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The blushing bride needs someone to stand by her side. Bridesmaids! But what should be the number of bridesmaids be? An even number? An odd number? What does tradition say about it? A bride always keeps worrying and questioning, “how many bridesmaids should I have”. As she is usually the one to spend on the dresses and accessories like bouquets, etc. Or sometimes you have too many people you want to inlcude in the entourage. Here is an ultimate guide to decide the number of bridesmaids on your wedding.

How Many Bridesmaids Should I Have? Any Rules to Follow?

1

Consider Your Wedding Style

The most important factor in determining the number of bridesmaids is the wedding style.

  • Traditionally, if it’s a lavishing and large formal wedding, then you can have bridesmaids as many as eight to twelve, a ring bearer and one usher assigned for every fifty guests.

  • For informal weddings we normally observe one or two bridesmaids and groomsmen without flower girl or ring bearer.

  • And semi-formal weddings have one to six attendants. Ring bearer and flower girl are optional.

2

What’s Your Wedding Size?

What really matters, is to avoid a disproportionate situation e.g. having a large bridal party in a small budget wedding with quite a less number of guests sitting in the pews, similarly a small number of attendants in a lavishing ceremony seems equally disproportionate. Secondly, decide these numbers, keeping in view the space on the altar, aisle and the overall site of the ceremony for a well-organized wedding processional.

3

Major Rule

As long as it’s not required traditionally or religiously, the number of bridesmaids can vary in different situations. As there is no cardinal rule about this. Choose your favorite and closest gals to be your bridesmaids. The bridal party should be consisted of the people that are most reliable for performing various types of tasks on your wedding such as planning the wedding shower, wedding dinner rehearsals and choosing the bridal party dresses etc. It will all be fun, if the people around are reliable as well as cooperative.

4

Your Big Day, Your Choices!

There is no certain number defined for the bridesmaids. So there is no reason of spending too much time thinking about how many bridesmaids should I have? You are all in all to decide all the technical issues related to bridal party. It purely depends on your own will and decision.

  • Having as many as 10 to 12 close friends, and you do not want to skip any of them? No worries. Let it be.

  • Sometimes there are more women in a bridal party than men. That too, is not an issue. As no symmetry is required for it, just feel free to arrange it all.

  • You have the choice to decide the movement of the bridal party. After walking down the aisle with the bride, the bridal party can sit in the first pew rather than standing by your side all the time. As you already have your maid of honor and best man there to be with you. This way, you will have less crowd on the wedding altar.

  • If it’s someone’s second marriage or a late-in-life-nuptial, you have the choice to skip the idea of bridesmaids, you can have kids of family with you walking down the aisle.

5

Interesting to Know!

A recent finding has made it clear that the average of the number, that the brides prefer today, for her bridesmaids, is 4.5. And 38% brides want the bridesmaids to get dressed in the same color and style.

Consider Bridesmaid Dresses and Logistics

Before you end up on the numbers of bridesmaids, keep in mind all the logistics related to bridesmaid dresses. Before, a bride was the one responsible for providing all the dresses (properly fitted) and other wedding accessories including bridesmaid’s bouquet, jewelry and shoes. Contrary to it, a common observation, in western culture these days is that, brides who are planning a budget wedding, can ask the bridesmaids to pay for their dresses and accessories. So, you can go both ways.

Set Your Pre-Wedding Atmosphere

Your bridal party and specially the bridesmaids are the entourage that are going to stay with you for a longer time. So before you finalize on how many bridesmaids should I have, whether cousins or friends, it’s better to give a thought to the pre-wedding atmosphere that you want around you. In the mood of chilling out and having fun, you can have the best of your giggly girls around you. Contrary to that, for a peaceful and serene day, you can choose your sisters or closest of friends to pamper you throughout the day. Bear in mind that the bride needs to pay their hair and makeup if having it done professionally.