Ashley’s Trend Report: Big Wedding Parties

If you asked 10 brides, “Did you think about who you wanted by your side on your big day before you
even got engaged?”, I bet at least half of them would answer, “Heck yes!”. In fact, I’m going to guess
that it’s one of the most common things brides-to-be think about before they get the bling-bling. And I
totally get it! Half the fun of getting married is celebrating with the people you love most!

If you recently got engaged (keep reading, but also check out our 20 things to do when you get engaged
blog post), or you’re in the small percentage of people who didn’t already plan out your bridesmaids, I
think oversized wedding parties are becoming more of a fad! Don’t get me wrong, it’s so fun to be
surrounded by all of your gal pals on your big day, and if it’s necessary, girl do what you gotta do!

But if you’re asking yourself, how many bridesmaids should be in a wedding party? Or what is the
average size of a wedding party? Stop right there! Don’t add more people to your wedding party just for
fun because the more people, the more expensive everything is. And you know that here at Forever
Bride, we’re alllll about finding ways to save you money on your wedding day! (Sign up here to save
BIG!) Like $250 off and a complimentary engagement session when you book Kelly Reeves Photography, who shot the wedding below!

Keeping your wedding party small may be easier said than done, but this week, I wanted to share a few
pros & cons to large wedding parties. And be sure to keep reading until the end, because I also want to
give you advice on where to start!

Pro: Mismatched Bridesmaid dresses

I wrote about this trend, that in my humble opinion is here to
stay, a few weeks ago. And if you’re someone who is having a larger bridal party, I think it’s the perfect
opportunity to have your girls wear mismatched bridesmaid dresses. Or, if you’d rather do an All White Bridal Party, check out our blog!

Con: Too many opinions can get overwhelming

When preparing for your big day, you do not need or
want a million unsolicited opinions thrown at you. To avoid this, pick your closest (or the most honest)
people for your wedding party and let them be your go-to’s for wedding planning. That way you don’t
have a laundry list of people to run every decision by! Gosh that sounds exhausting! But seriously how cute are those mismatched bridesmaid dresses below? Captured by the one and only, Royal Hart Studio, who will give you 100 4×6 prints of your wedding day for free for mentioning Forever Bride!

Pro: You don’t have to say no, or decide between two people

If you’re a people pleaser, you might as
well accept the idea of having a big wedding party. But that’s okay! Because sometimes, the stress of
picking who will stand up for you does not outweigh saying no. If you want to avoid hurting feelings or
deciding between two people, this is the way to go. But remember, it’s your (& your future spouses) big
day, and if someone’s feelings get hurt, that is okay. It’s life and (hopefully) people understand! If you
aren’t going to ask someone that may be expecting it, the best advice I can give you is to be sure to talk
to them beforehand, so it’s not a surprise and they know you value their friendship, but had to draw the
line somewhere! Bonus tip – remind your friends often that you value them, no matter what the
occasion! It’s always a day maker when I hear it from my girls.

Con: The more the merrier”¦right?!

Although I love this cheeky saying for parties, it’s not always true.
Especially not in this case! The more members of your bridal party, the more personalities you will have.
And we all know what can happen if there’s too many cooks in the kitchen”¦ If you are obligated to have
a particularly difficult or dramatic person in your wedding, cough, cough your sister, have a point person
for them, someone to answer their questions and keep them busy and off your back! Also, make sure
you keep tabs on the group, it helps so that problems get resolved before it turns to chaos – keeping an
eye out is the perfect role for your MOH to play!

Are you loving Kristen’s Sophisticated Garden Wedding below? It was all photographed by Brett & Janelle Photography!

Pro: So many helping hands!

Let’s say, you have 8 bridesmaids and he has 8 groomsmen, UTILIZE them!
His groomsmen can go pick up his aunt, that’s not something you as a bride should have to worry about!
Are you struggling with getting all of your favors put together? Are you able to set-up your gorgeous
venue space ahead of time? Make a day out of these activities and invite your bridal party to help you
out. Better yet, just ask them to do it. No need to worry about being bossy, it’s okay to ask for help!
Most people are expecting to help you out! Best of all, with a big wedding party, you don’t have to plan
any events! Let your maid of honor and his best man plan all of the pre-wedding shenanigans. If you
want to drop some inspo into your MOH inbox, send her this past trend report.

Con: It’s tough to organize

Having so many people trying to find attire, book a flight or simply be
somewhere at a specific time is hard. Scheduling is hard. Planning the little things and making sure that
your 12 bridesmaids are free can really tough. But this is why you need the perfect maid of honor or
best man, someone that is a great planner and has good people skills. Plus, maybe one or two other
people to help your MOH out, because she is going to have her hands FULL.

Pro: Getting ready!

I already kind of referenced this before, but imagine you and your best friends in
those super cute floral robes, drinking mimosas, and getting your hair and makeup done the morning of
your big day. Music playing, snacks galore, everyone’s laughing and complimenting the heck out of you.
How fun, right?! You can kiss those pre-wedding jitters goodbye if you have a room full of encouraging, awesome people! And who doesn’t want that kind of reaction (picture above)?! Captured by the wonderful, Steena Anne Photography!

Con: Sticking to a schedule

The scenario above is possible! Buttt, quite a bit of preparation is required
beforehand in order to make that happen. Here’s some ideas on how to stick to your schedule. One, make
sure your wedding planner or maid of honor/best man/personal attendant/most organized bridal party
member has sent out a wedding day timeline to all the important people on your big day, yes that
includes your future mother-in- law! Two, don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on a second makeup or hair
stylist. Most hair and makeup artists offer that option and it’s really not that much more, but oh so
worth it! That way you aren’t falling behind schedule because 3 of your 8 girls don’t like their hair.
Three, make sure you have food and drinks around, there is nothing worse than a hangry bridesmaid
and nobody has time to make a run for food! Just look at these beautiful ladies, captured by Tonya Hjort Photography (who offers Forever Bride brides a complimentary engagement session!).

Now that I’ve spelled out some pros and cons to going with a big bridal party, you might be
wondering, “but where do I even start?” It’s totally okay if you weren’t one of those brides that knew
exactly who was going to be in your wedding party. Here’s my two steps on how I decided who was going to be standing
next to me when I was planning my wedding.
1. Siblings should be in the wedding party.
2. Choose your closest friends.
The
people who have been by your side through life’s biggest moments and have supported you and your
hunny’s relationship. Boom. That’s it! Now, let’s move on to a few
things that people make a big deal about but really aren’t worth stressing over…

Obligation.

Do not feel obligated to ask someone just because you were in their wedding. They will understand.
Also, don’t add the person you used to be close with that you may have casually mentioned (back when
you were close) that one day, you’d totally want them in your wedding someday. Time goes on,
relationships change. You want those you feel most comfortable and happy with surrounding you, espeically so you get super fun pictures like this one below! Photographed by A Sister Collaborative. Mention Forever Bride to receive $100 your wedding package!!

Uneven sides.

Again, pick the people that are truly near and dear to you. If that means you have one or
two more people on your side than he does or vice versa, who cares?! Someone can easily walk down

the aisle alone, or two girls to every one guy. The important part is that your #bridetribe is up there with
you.

Maid of Honor(s)?

Not sure who to pick? Too many choices? Have two! Or don’t have any at all. I’ve
seen it all, and I promise it’s okay with whatever you go with.

So, whether you already had your maids “picked” before reading this blog post, are just starting the
process, or have already asked some ladies, hopefully this post has helped you navigate what can be a
sensitive and tricky space. Just remember, keep it simple and keep in mind you can’t please everyone
and that’s okay. This is YOUR big day!