How big should your wedding party be?

Ever wondered how big your wedding party should be? As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen big wedding parties where ALL the bride and groom’s close friends are included and I’ve seen small, intimate bridal parties composed of 3-4 super best friends. Both are good and I love photographing them either way! The biggest deciding factor usually is the bride and groom’s personal taste. If you’re on the fence about numbers, keep on reading!

First of all, there’s no hard and fast rule on this! Whether you have 15 close friends or 2—have them all! What’s most important is that you have the people who support you and your marriage standing by your side on your wedding day! Here’s a few things to think about when it comes to the size of your bridal party:

Room sizes & seating

This one’s pretty easy! More people = more space. Picture 15 girls trying to get ready all in one tiny hotel room. It’s probably going to be a little cramped! Same goes for reception seating. How big is your head table? A traditional head table might not be big enough to comfortably seat a large party. If that’s the case, some couples that have large bridal parties do a King’s Table in the middle of all your guests!

Posing for pictures

As a wedding photographer, this is a big one for me! Wedding party photos can be SO FUN! Posing a lot of people however, can get a little complicated. Simply having more people to move and position takes more time. Also, the more people you have, the farther away I have to be to get everybody in the photo. This means little to no close ups of the whole group. It’s just not possible! Whenever a wedding party is larger than 6 people on each side, I’ll always suggest bringing chairs and having half the party sit!

Risk of overwhelm

If you’re like me, you like to really be able to focus on and pay attention to all the people around you. I love getting together with just a small group of friends! That way, everyone can be in the conversation and enjoy the time together. Your wedding day goes by so quickly. The last thing you want is for your day to become more overwhelming with too many people with you all day long.

Additional cost

Anything that you’re paying for (bouquets, gifts, meals, rooms, etc.) is going to increase with additional members to your bridal party. It can add up quickly! If you’re on a tight budget, this is something to consider.

If a big wedding party has always been your dream, by all means go for it!! But, if you’re on the fence and can’t decide, consider these four things! And know, small wedding parties can be just as fun (or more!) than a large party!