The Bridal Entourage: the More, the Merrier?
If you’re one of the lucky few women who are blessed with more than a dozen best friends, you might find out that this can become a dilemma come your wedding day. Although there is no set rule regarding how many bridesmaids you can have for your big day, do consider that having one bridesmaid too many means that you’re wedding may become a heaven-sent affair which took too much effort to arrange for.
To be sure, your bridesmaids should be as many as the size and kind of wedding you have can allow. Having twelve bridesmaids for a large, formal wedding for 200 guests is normal, as is also the case for a semiformal ceremony with up to six attendants. Informal or intimate weddings require the sole assistance of the maid of honor. But this is your wedding, and you can eschew tradition anyway you wish; do keep in mind, though, that your decision as to how many bridesmaids to include must be based on a several important criteria: intimacy, coordination, and not surprisingly, the expenses to you and your potential attendants.
If you’ve served as a bridesmaid in someone else’s wedding, wouldn’t you have preferred to be one among a few select attendants, instead of being a unit in a small army? While the more, the merrier does apply to weddings, intimacy still counts, as your attendants will be there with you through every step of the way, from the planning to the final touch-ups. Try to leave no one behind and keep the size of your entourage at a comfortable minimum, even if it means that some of you’re closer friends won’t be able to participate on the event in a privileged way.
You should remember that each of your girlfriends have a life of her own, and chances are, their schedules will conflict with the event, especially if they have their own personal careers and lives off on the opposite coast, or worse, on the other side of the Atlantic. While all your friends will try their best to fit their schedules into your wedding, for some, it can be a tight stretch. And although the purpose of a wedding party is to assist you in you needs, you’ll still have to tell them where to stand, when to show up for rehearsals and planning, and how to dress. This can get quite frustrating with too many input barraging you from all sides, so keeping it simple is still the best way to go about it.
Unless you have no problem with financing for all of your bridal party’s needs, you’ll have to factor in the cost for maintaining a large entourage. They have to be present at every rehearsal, and at the wedding weekend activities, and you’ll have to cover for the expenses concerned with meals and other sundries. And don’t forget the accessories; extra bouquets and gifts do add up. Finally, keep in mind that the privilege of being your attendant is at the bridesmaid’s expense as well, as she will have to pay for her own dress and accommodations. Be gracious and sensitive enough to answer for at least part of the cost, if one of the bridesmaids you can’t do without is in need of your financial help.
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