Big or small bridal party?

You invite your close friends to the wedding. You keep the bridal party to your actual immediate people. Like two. Maybe three.

Big wedding parties are expensive.

You need gifts for your girls and flowers for all of them. Are you paying for their attire? Are you requiring special shoes or a specific hairstyle? All of these things you will need to foot the bill for.

If you have the budget to pay for 10 girls to get all of these items, then go for it. Otherwise, I would recommend 3 or less.

Plus, please read all of the vents posted to WW on people have bridesmaid probs. You'd be a lot better off with less to worry about! But you do you.

Biggest con is it's more expensive with the gifts for them, bouquets, etc. And if you add a bunch of people with different personalities the odds go up that they could clash when it comes to things like throwing you a shower or bachelorette.

I had a big bridal party (8), and the biggest pro was spending that extra time with my best friends who are harder and harder to get together as we get older (all of them live in different states than me). Sharing the rehearsal dinner and getting ready moments with them were really special for me. They're all friends with each other too, so that cut out any of the standard BP drama posted on WW day in and day out.

Pro - having your best friends with you throughout the whole day!

Con - gathering everyone to get places on time

I had a bridesmaid and a MOH and it's plenty. Small is easier! You also have to buy these people gifts and pay for mandatory things. like you if you want their hair a certain way, you pay! So small is easier on the budget. Also question to ask yourself... in 5 years will I still be friends with ______ if your answer isn't' certain do you want that person in your wedding photos?

I'm having four and I think that's the most I could handle. The bigger your party the harder the logistics of EVERYTHING become. Example: took me a month to find a day all of us were free to look at BM dresses (myself and one other are nurses so we work every other weekend). Imagine how much harder just getting everyone together gets the more people you have.

Flowers are expensive.

Gifts are expensive.

Coordinating is HARD.

I had a huge bridal party and the entire process was completely stress free, so I guess it can be done if you truly have that many people who you are super close to. Even the day of, we were actually an hour EARLY for the ceremony, but this may be different depending on your start time (ours was later). If you've lurked around here even for a short time, I'm sure you've seen MANY issues with bridal parties and obviously the more people you have, the more likely you are to have issues.

I'm only having 3 women total. I didn't want it to turn into a circus. For me, dealing with less people makes me stress less.

I recommend 2 bridesmaids...I have 5 and have had so much drama. It does depend on the group but it's so much easier to have less.

I have 11 bridesmaids. I have to pay for 11 bouquets 11 ppl to get their makeup done, keep up with 11 ppl the day of. 11 bridal gifts, jewelry, etc. My moh is planning my bachelorette party around 11 different schedules. On the other hand it's made the trip so much more affordable with 11 people paying money towards it. I've had fun with them so far, no drama. Some are childhood friends some are my family (cousins) and some are from high school / college. Everyone gets along. It can be done, it just takes organization!