So, you’re planning your wedding and you’ve almost got everything down; however, you’re not sure how many people should be in your wedding party. Do all of your friends need to be included? Is ten men and ten women too many? How will the amount of people in your wedding party affect the flow of your wedding day? You should be asking yourself all of these questions and more before you make any finalized decisions. The size of your wedding party can affect your wedding day more than you know!
A Big Wedding Party: The Pros & Cons
A big wedding party can be amazing to have around on your wedding day. If you choose to have a large wedding party, then you’ll be able to include more of your close friends and make more people happy all around. However, there are some possible negatives to having a large wedding party. Below, we’ll cover all of the pros and cons.
The Pros:
- You’ll have additional support before the wedding!
- You’ll each have your own, personal hype team.
- The more hands on deck, the easier it may be to get some things done.
- You’ll have more people’s eyes on the timeline trying to keep your day on track.
- You’ll have gorgeous photos with your closest friends before the wedding & in the getting ready suites to cherish forever.
The Cons:
- If your wedding party isn’t responsible, it’s easy to lose track of time.
- More people that need to get ready before the wedding means more of a possibility for a potential delay.
- You may have to deal with a diva or a groomsman that had a bit too much to drink.
- You may not get as much quality time with the people that mean the most to you before your wedding.
At the end of the day, it’s your personal decision whether or not you’d like to have a large wedding party. If you’re going for a more intimate wedding, I would say stick to a small wedding party. However, if you’re going for a more fun, vibrant wedding that feels like one big party, a large wedding party may be perfect for you! Let’s cover the pros and cons of a small wedding party.
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A Small Wedding Party: The Pros & Cons
A small wedding party might be just what you’re looking for if you’re an introvert or want to be a bit more introspective before your wedding ceremony. Maybe you’ll choose to have one or two close friends by your side the whole day rather than 8, 10 or even 15 to keep it more intimate and close-knit.
The Pros:
- You’ll have a tight knit group with you before the wedding to help keep you grounded.
- You’ll only have your closest friends around, so you won’t have to worry about pre-wedding jitters.
- If you need someone to talk to before your ceremony, you’ll have someone around that you know you can confide in.
- You only have to rely on one or two people to get ready on time, help plan your bachelorette party, etc rather than having to put your trust in 8 – 15 people.
The Cons:
- Your party may feel additional stress leading up to the wedding and on the day of because they may be one of the only people in the party to help with last minute adjustments or emergencies.
- Your getting ready suite may feel a bit low energy, somber, or extra serious with just 1 – 2 people around
- If you have a super small party and someone gets sick, you may be left with no one to hold your bouquet during the ceremony.
There are definitely many benefits to having a small wedding party; however, there are also negatives that come with this size as well. At the end of the day, the most important thing to do when planning your wedding party is to try to take all of these things into consideration so that you feel good, prepared, and excited for your big day!
I personally recommend a medium sized wedding party of 4 or 5 on each side so that you can reap the benefits of both a small and large wedding party. This way, most of the negatives from each end of the spectrum melt away. Then you can focus on what really matters on your wedding day: Having an amazing and memorable time with your closest friends and family members!
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Want more tips? Check out my post from last month on Southern California Wedding Venue Ideas!