Bunch of groomsmen and no bridesmaids?

Don't feel pressured to have symmetry or choose people just because your future husband chose 7. My husband had more groomsmen than I had ladies, and it was fine.

Yikes thats a hard decision. I think your close friends/family would definitely be offended if they see he has 7 and you didn't ask them. (on the other hand they might be relieved to not have to spend extra money on a maids dress when already paying to travel). Since your fiance is picking a girl to be on his side then I think you could pick guys and girls to be on your side, if that will help you get the numbers. Since I'm sure you don't want to be changing in front of another man this may be a good way to say you just want your family in the area your getting ready. Managing 14 people may be hard but since you don't need help planning just tell them what to wear and when to be there (they will probably be glad to not have any duties).

7 groomsmen sort of seems like a big number. Could any of them take on a different role (ushers or something) so you don't feel pressured to have several bridesmaids? Also do you have any guy friends or relatives to be on your side? My MOH is actually a Man of Honor - my brother.

He does not need 7 groomsman.

Thank you all for your responses so far!

I agree that 7 groomsmen is a lot! But he has already asked them and they accepted, and he thinks it's too late to "demote" anyone to usher or whatever so I don't want to push the issue. It's really important to him, and he thinks it'll help guarantee that he has his close friends there since it's a destination wedding and there will definitely be more of my family there than his.

I think I could easily put together a mixed-gender party of 5 or 6 people who I'd be more than happy to have stand with me. Would it be rude to tell these folks "I don't need your help with planning, I don't really need you to do much of anything at all until the wedding day, so please just show up in a dress / tie in one of these colors, and be ready to party with me?"

Stick to just your sister no matter what. Read all of the bridesmaid drama here and you'll realize you made a wise decision no matter HOW many guys he has.

I don't think it would be rude to tell them that, in a polite way. To be honest I prefer doing things on my own and don't plan to ask much of my bridesmaids.

I think it's fine to say that. I'd even let them know that you're planning on getting ready privately with your mom and sister. Maybe have another room set up for them with snacks and drinks and whatever else they might need as they get ready. That way it still feels like your taking care of what they need that day, but still getting what you want to.

I think it would be far from rude to tell them that. I have zero required demands of my bridal party outside of them buying their dresses and showing up.

Thanks all! Maybe having few responsibilities for my bridal party will minimize the risk of drama.... or is that just wishful thinking??

I say no worries. Your wedding is a year away & a Destination wedding. Every DW Ive been invited to has a crap load of ppl attending until its time to pay. Likely a couple of these GM will fall through. Wait it out & see. If its closer to the wedding & all of them are coming then have some ppl wear the wedding color & stand nxt to you

Do not ask anyone to be in your bridal party out of obligation. You said you have always only wanted your sister, so stick with that. A lot of couples have uneven bridal parties & they turn out great.

When my brother got married for the second time, he had all four of his sons as his attendants, and his wife had only her daughter as hers, and no one said a thing. Couples don't necessarily come with equal numbers of people close enough to them to be attendants, and that's just fine. Much better than picking people who aren't so close just to make the sides even.

What, noooo being asked to buy the dress and just show up is the BEST kind of BM job! You don't have to ask them to do anything at all and believe me, they won't be insulted if you don't.

I have my two sisters as BM, he has his brother as his only GM. And then we asked my nieces to be junior BM. So there are uneven sides, but we're going to have my nieces stand on his side and the flower girls stand on my side...we want to show that our wedding is about family. So as long as you have who you want by your side, everything will work out just fine.

I'm curious on what you decided. We are running into a similar issue.... My fiancé has seven mandatory GM and I honestly didn't want any bridesmaids. I am all for all groomsmen but he's not so pleased with the idea. I could come up with BMs no problem. I just don't want them lol.

I'm way late to the party but in case others are struggling with the same groomsmen but no bridesmaids question, let me assure you its totally fine. As a wedding planner, I've planned or seen numerous variations and you can definitely have just groomsmen. One possible processional order is for groom to walk with mother down the aisle, seat her, proceed to altar, then have the groomsmen enter single file with half going towards groom's side and half towards Bride's side. Or, if its just 2 groomsmen, for example, they can both go towards groom's side and the flower girl and ring bearer go towards the bride's side. There are no set rules or protocol these days so relax and customize to whatever reflects you! It's a celebration of you and your beloved partner!

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Wow, seeing a reply to this old thread brought back memories! Our sixth anniversary is coming up.

My husband ended up having two groomsmen and one groomswoman (I honestly don't remember how he told the other ones that he was having a smaller party but they came and celebrated with us and nobody was offended as far as I know). I had just my sister as my maid of honor. It was totally fine and great. I asked the groomswoman and my sister to just wear a dress with a single bright color of their own preference, no other requirements or guidance, so they were both able to wear dresses they already owned and loved. He asked the groomsmen to wear grey suits which I think they both already owned as well.

Since it was a destination wedding we had a casual welcome dinner for all guests the night before and optional activities the day after, so I got to spend plenty of time with my close friends and family without having to coordinate too many people on the day-of. And we ended up having one of my SIL officiate and the other do a reading, which was a nice way to include and honor them too.

View Quoted Comment Hi! Sounds like you had a perfect wedding reflecting your preferences! Always glad to hear about couples doing it “their way” and not being bound by traditions that are not meaningful. My daughter is marrying this year and has zero bridesmaids but my future son in law has 6 groomsmen. Their wedding will be perfect too! All the best!