How much did you save by NOT having a Bridal Party?

I so wish I had dine this or had nothing but guys in the party it would be so much easier but 6 girl s already paid for their dresses so no turning around now

We DOnt Have A Bridal Party And Its Been Great.

Do it!!!!

I would love to go back in time & have just my sister as MOH. That's it. Bridal parties are a pain in the you know what.

We're not having a bridal party, just my sister as MOH and FH's brother as Best Man. I'm Australian and we're getting married in the UK and while I hope my close friends can make the wedding, I couldn't take the chance on putting them in the bridal party and then them not being able to afford the flights.

Plus, sometimes I think that the bride and groom get lost in a sea of people when there is a large bridal party. Or at least the groom gets lost! I remember a friend putting photos up on FB of her wedding and every single picture was of her and her bridesmaids, getting ready, posing with champagne glasses, dancing it up at the reception...a photo of her and her husband only made it in the second round of uploads!

I don't think it means a significant cost saving for us, as I will pay for dress, shoes, hair, makeup and flowers for my sister (as she will be spending a couple of thousand dollars and spending 20 hours on a plane) but I can see how you would save a lot.

I would think you would not only save money but more importantly, so much stress!!! Let the focus be on you and your groom - hopefully he is your best friend anyway. You will both have close friends there at the wedding to have fun with and celebrate, but they won't have to all be wearing the same dress or tux which will probably make them more happy anyway.

With the way that wedding gowns are getting more scaled down in size - not that this is a bad thing, I think the bride and groom would stand out more without all those attendants. Today you have to look closely to figure out who is the groom. And I think it would be great to let the bride be the only one that is all dressed up and looking incredible!!

Maybe keep it simple, marry each other and party with your friends later Just a thought.

You could always just do the MOH and BM if you'd rather do that than have no BP. I think you know your friends better than we do, but I've had basically no drama (had a hard time getting in touch with my cousin who's MOH for a while but that was it), and I have 5 BM's, MOH, FG, RB, and FH has 2 BM and 2 GM, so it really depends on who's involved. Everyone's paid for their own stuff (RB's and FG's parents paid for theirs), and everyone on both sides is either in first jobs and pretty low-income, still living at home or still in school.

Didn't have one - Didn't miss it. So can't say how much we saved, but it was worth it either way.

It prob would have saved me about $500 each since we're paying for just about everything. Ugh... they better show up.

It wasn't about the money for me, it was about keeping things simple. My sister is my MOH. My daughters (6 and 5) are my JB's. FH has 3 friends he's asked to stand up for him. 100% drama-free.

We don't have a BP, but a MOH/BM might be nice for helping with certain things and whatnot.

My reasons weren't about money. I just didn't want to deal with the drama of picking dresses, following up with several people to ask if they've done this or that, etc.

My FH's family is from a state very far from us. We agreed on no bridal party, unless his bf from home was able to make it. His bf IS coming so I made my niece my MOH. By not having a bridal party your save on flowers, a gift for them, and a lot of hassle.

Do it! I wish I had 3 girls, instead of 6. If only I could hop in my time machine.

It would have saved me some money, but mainly it just would have made my life easier.

Thank you all for responding. Ok I've decided I'm not having a bridal party. I've known these women for over 20 years and I know how they are. This is my first wedding. I'm 44. I'll be 46 by time I'm married, and I really don't have the time nor patience to deal with the drama that I know will ensue if I put them in a bridal party. Plus, I want to be considerate of their financial circumstances. They don't make much money and/or in huge debt and they've already told me in the past how they hated being bridesmaids for other brides and would never do it again. But of course they said they would do it for me. I'll just have my half sister as MOH and FH brother as best man and that's it.

@ ASc2 - I didn't think about that. About the bride and groom should stand out and not try to find them in a sea of bridal attendants. I never thought of that. Thanks.

@ Shannon - Thanks. I'll have to make sure my FH and I are in lots of pictures together.

If I did it again I'd only have my SIL as a MOH. One BM dropping out saved me about $200 in hair/makeup/gifts.

My bridal party is costing my very little. I made the gifts for the girls, maybe $25 in materials. We are making their jewelry, maybe $15 in materials. I'm not paying for their hair or makeup. The groomsmen are costing about $45/each in gifts..... So basically it would save me $175 to not have a bridal party.

ETA: Oh yeah, add about $150 for flowers.

My bridal party has had 0 drama.

I picked the right bridal party. No drama.

I have three girls. FH has three guys for his. We're spending about $800 in gifts and maybe $200 in boutineeres and bouquets. But they have also spent money on wedding shower and bacheloretty/bachelor party for us... in the long run, wedding party is spending more money on us than us spending on them...

I had six girls, and they were all nothing but amazing. I was lucky. I also didn't spend too much having them. I just paid for their gifts (probably about $30 each?) and helped pay for their makeup on the big day ($15 each). Wasn't a big deal. They spent WAY more on me between bridal showers, bach party, and gifts. I am a lucky girl having such amazing friends!

We had only a maid of honor (my daughter) and a dude of honor (my son). We were able to let them wear what they wanted, since no one had to match anyone else. And we had no bridal party drama.

Didn't have a bridal party when we first got married and not having one next year for our 10th anniversary vow renewal. My BFF was and will be my MOH and her husband was and will be the BM. And that's it.

We dont have a bridal party either. My FH's brother will stand next to him, and my brother will stand next to me, as our attendants. ITS BEEN LOVELY!