How Many Bridesmaids Should I Have?

You might be wondering, “how many bridesmaids can I have?” the answer is completely up to you!

The tradition of making bridesmaids an integral part of the wedding ceremony came into vogue many years ago. Bridesmaids were to serve as the bride’s trusted accomplices and infantry and keep scorned suitors at bay, when the bride went to the Groom’s community, back in the day. Even in Roman wedding tradition, bridesmaids would dress very similarly to the bride, so it would throw evil spirits off track and they would not be able to recognize who the actual bride was. All said and done, the tradition of bridesmaid poses a whole different problem today.

The ‘how many bridesmaids should I have’ dilemma is not new, nor is it easy to answer. Then again choosing anyone who was even faintly close to you at some point of time, or the ones who might get offended if not given the bridesmaid shoes, may not be the answer. The last thing you want at your wedding is more people on the altar than the pews, and guests trying to catch a glimpse of you and your beloved well-done bridesmaid heads. Then again, doing otherwise comes at the cost of disappointing some of your closest friends. So how many bridesmaids should you be choosing, and who should they be? Let’s find out!

 

How many bridesmaids?

How many bridesmaids should you be choosing for your wedding, seems to be the big question that many brides-to-be seem to ask. There are many aspects that come into picture while finalizing the number of bridesmaids. For starters, ask yourself whose company you would prefer right before the wedding- one where it’s just you and your best friend (or sister), or one with you and a big gang of all your favorite girl pals, that should give you a fair idea to start with.

You may also want to look at the aspects of the wedding where the bridesmaids will be accompanying you. For instance, you may want the bridesmaids to accompany you at the wedding top table, in which case you may want to keep the bridesmaid numbers low. On the other hand, say they will be just walking along with you down the aisle, then you can afford to get many more bridesmaids on board.

The next thing that you want to look at is the guest numbers. The conventional rule is to have an usher and a bridesmaid for fifty guests, so you can see whether or not your wedding party needs more bridesmaids based on the same convention.

Whom should/shouldn’t you be choosing?

One common mistake that many brides do is choosing someone as their bridesmaid to simply return the favor. If you find yourself considering someone for the bridesmaid role because of obligatory purposes, you may want to look past it. On the other hand, you do not want to look past considering someone as a prospective bridesmaid just because she does not live in the same city or is expecting. See if they can take time off for your big day, or do not mind flaunting their baby bump on your big day.

If you come from a big family, chances are there will be a long line of mothers who will expect you to make their daughters your bridesmaids. If you are not keen on having these tiny tots take on the bridesmaid role, you could try making them the flower girls instead.

Know that this is one of the biggest days of your life and you want to have someone who matters to you in the bridesmaids shoes, and who can get along and co-ordinate well with the other bridesmaids.