How many people will be in your bridal party? (inc. Bride and Groom)
How many people will you include in your bridal party?
Modest bridal parties with just a few key members are more popular than having large numbers of attendants according to an Easy Weddings poll. 70% of respondents said that their bridal party would contain less than eight people, including the bride and groom, and 24% said their bridal party would be just four people or fewer. The most popular size of bridal party was 7 or 8 with 25% of couples selecting this option.
Four is generally the smallest number of people that can make up a bridal party. This would consist of the bride and groom and two witnesses over the age of 18. The witnesses would typically be the best man who will accompany the groom, and the maid of honour who will accompany the bride. Another key member of the bridal party is likely to be the father of the bride, or another representative of the bride’s family who will walk her down the aisle.
The size of a bridal party is often linked to the size of the wedding, and traditionally you would add one bridesmaid and one usher for every 50 guests invited to the wedding. However this is often just a matter of preference and budget. It is really up to you to decide the number of close relatives and friends that you would like to include in your wedding.
As well as adult ushers and bridesmaids you might choose to add children to your bridal party in the form of junior bridesmaids, flower girls, page boys, or ring bearers. 30% of the couples that responded to the Easy Weddings poll reported that they would have nine or more people in their bridal party with 11% stating that they would have more than 13.