The Bridal Party For a Small Wedding
Many couples prefer to have smaller weddings these days.
It gives them the chance to have a more low key event surrounded by only their nearest and dearest.
Certain things will tend to be different for more intimate weddings than large ones, such as the size of the wedding party.
These are some tips on choosing the bridal party for a small wedding.
First of all, we should define what is "small" when it comes to a wedding.
In general, a wedding with fewer than eighty guests could be considered to be an intimate wedding, although certainly many weddings will be considerably smaller still.
The key to selecting a bridal party for a small celebration is proportion.
After all, you don't want the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen to outnumber the guests! For a wedding with eighty or so guests, a bridal party of about three people per side would be about right.
Of course, if the bride has four sisters, she would not exclude one just to meet a set number, but a group of six bridesmaids would be excessive for a wedding of this size.
Remember that however many attendants you have for the bride, you will likely have a similar number on the groom's side (though exact symmetry is not required).
With the bride, groom, officiant, and six attendants each, you would end up with a total of fifteen people standing up at the altar, and that would be an awfully big group for a little wedding! When the wedding is smaller still, say about thirty to fifty guests, is is appropriate for the bridal party to be scaled down accordingly.
Two to three attendants per side would be acceptable for a fifty guest wedding, and one to two would be best for a thirty person or smaller ceremony.
For such a tiny wedding, all you really need is a best man and a maid of honor; only have more attendants than that if you have several siblings you wish to include.
If the wedding is very small and the bride has either a lot of siblings or too many dear friends from whom to choose, she may even opt not to have any type of bridal party.
You need a witness to sign the marriage license, but there is no law that you have to have bridesmaids! Most small weddings tend to be a bit more personal and less formal than larger affairs, so the chances are that you will skip the brigade of children.
If there is one special little girl or boy who you would really like to include, by all means have a flower girl or ring bearer, but don't go looking for someone just to fill that role.
The bridal gown should be in proportion to the scale of the wedding as well, meaning that you won't be needing any little pages to carry your cathedral length train for an intimate wedding in your living room, since you won't be wearing such a massive bridal gown in that setting anyway.
When the bridal party is small, it is really nice to allow your each of your bridesmaids to wear a dress that fits her taste and figure.
The groomsmen could be asked to wear a nice suit, but not necessarily the same one.
When your group is very small, it is very nice to pick out different groomsmen and bridesmaid gifts for each individual.
As long as you give gifts to the groomsmen and bridesmaids which are of a similar value, there is no need to try to pick out one type of item for all the bridesmaids and another for all the groomsmen.
When you only have a couple of attendants, they will surely be the people to whom you are the closest, so pick out gifts that you know each will truly love.
It is a great way to thank your friends for being in your wedding party.
It gives them the chance to have a more low key event surrounded by only their nearest and dearest.
Certain things will tend to be different for more intimate weddings than large ones, such as the size of the wedding party.
These are some tips on choosing the bridal party for a small wedding.
First of all, we should define what is "small" when it comes to a wedding.
In general, a wedding with fewer than eighty guests could be considered to be an intimate wedding, although certainly many weddings will be considerably smaller still.
The key to selecting a bridal party for a small celebration is proportion.
After all, you don't want the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen to outnumber the guests! For a wedding with eighty or so guests, a bridal party of about three people per side would be about right.
Of course, if the bride has four sisters, she would not exclude one just to meet a set number, but a group of six bridesmaids would be excessive for a wedding of this size.
Remember that however many attendants you have for the bride, you will likely have a similar number on the groom's side (though exact symmetry is not required).
With the bride, groom, officiant, and six attendants each, you would end up with a total of fifteen people standing up at the altar, and that would be an awfully big group for a little wedding! When the wedding is smaller still, say about thirty to fifty guests, is is appropriate for the bridal party to be scaled down accordingly.
Two to three attendants per side would be acceptable for a fifty guest wedding, and one to two would be best for a thirty person or smaller ceremony.
For such a tiny wedding, all you really need is a best man and a maid of honor; only have more attendants than that if you have several siblings you wish to include.
If the wedding is very small and the bride has either a lot of siblings or too many dear friends from whom to choose, she may even opt not to have any type of bridal party.
You need a witness to sign the marriage license, but there is no law that you have to have bridesmaids! Most small weddings tend to be a bit more personal and less formal than larger affairs, so the chances are that you will skip the brigade of children.
If there is one special little girl or boy who you would really like to include, by all means have a flower girl or ring bearer, but don't go looking for someone just to fill that role.
The bridal gown should be in proportion to the scale of the wedding as well, meaning that you won't be needing any little pages to carry your cathedral length train for an intimate wedding in your living room, since you won't be wearing such a massive bridal gown in that setting anyway.
When the bridal party is small, it is really nice to allow your each of your bridesmaids to wear a dress that fits her taste and figure.
The groomsmen could be asked to wear a nice suit, but not necessarily the same one.
When your group is very small, it is very nice to pick out different groomsmen and bridesmaid gifts for each individual.
As long as you give gifts to the groomsmen and bridesmaids which are of a similar value, there is no need to try to pick out one type of item for all the bridesmaids and another for all the groomsmen.
When you only have a couple of attendants, they will surely be the people to whom you are the closest, so pick out gifts that you know each will truly love.
It is a great way to thank your friends for being in your wedding party.
