How to Choose Your Bridal Party Size

It's tempting to include all of your friends in your bridal party. But where should you draw the line? Although having 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen is perfectly acceptable, it can look a little strange to have that many people in certain situations. Read on to learn the best strategy for determining your bridal party size.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. First, get an idea of your guest list.
   
   You probably won't get it complete at this point in the game, but you should have a general idea of how many people you'd like to invite. Think of your list in terms of small, medium, and large. A small wedding would have fewer than 50 guests. A medium wedding would have approximately 51-150 guests. Any party with more than 150 attendees can safely be called large.

2. Use the size of your wedding to determine an appropriate bridal party size.
   
   For a small wedding, two to three bridesmaids and groomsmen will be sufficient. A medium wedding will be most appropriate with up to seven attendants for the bride and groom. For a large wedding, the sky's the limit! Still, choosing more than 10 attendants each might be more trouble than it's worth. Coordinating that many personalities won't be easy!

3. Deserve to cheat.
   
   You now know how many attendants would be most appropriate for your wedding, according to the number of guests. But don't feel confined to a specific number. If you must include more people than the recommended number, go ahead and do so. Just know that some guests might think it strange if your bridal party makes up half of the guest list. But if you don't care about what people think, go for it!

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, you can always give people roles other than being bridesmaids and groomsmen. Have a friend pass out programs, select readers for the ceremony, or designate someone to be in charge of the guest book. These little jobs will make your friends and family feel special, so you won't have to include them all in your bridal party.
• There's no rule stating that you have to have the same number of bridesmaids as groomsmen. Don't feel obligated to make both sides match!
• A new trend is to include friends as honorary bridesmaids and groomsmen. These special people get to participate in all the bridal party activities, but they usually don't stand up by the bride and groom on the big day. This is a great option if space is limited at your wedding site.
• Siblings should almost always be included in your bridal party. So don't cut out your sister if your trying to reduce the number of bridesmaids.
• Bridesmaids and groomsmen have important duties to attend to prior to and during the wedding. They can make your life easier. So while it might be tempting to cut the bridal party out altogether, it's not really practical.