Number of Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

When planning for that most special occasion, you may wonder how many bridesmaids and groomsmen for a wedding are reasonable. As an experienced wedding photographer in North Carolina, I have seen just about everything.

Personal Choice

Although there are rough guides for various kinds of weddings, it is ultimately your choice. It largely depends on what you think is best.

In a formal wedding where you have invited over 200 guests, the norm is to have 6 to 10 bridesmaids and a similar number for groomsmen. Whatever number you think is optimal, it is always best to keep the number of bridesmaids the same as the number of groomsmen.

In formal weddings, you may also want to include a ring bearer and a flower girl.

For a semi formal wedding, you may want to include 1-6 bridesmaids and the same number for groomsmen. A ring bearer and flower girl are optional.

The general rule is that semi formal weddings usually have fewer bridesmaids and groomsmen than formal weddings.

If you are not willing to along with a formal or semi formal wedding, you can keep it more casual and informal. For more casual settings, you can have just one best man and a maid-of-honor. Such weddings normally do not have a ring bearer or flower girl.

Ushers

To better serve your guest, you should keep ushers according to the size of the ceremony. As a general rule, one usher may be sufficient for 50 guests. Thus, you will want 4 ushers for 200 guests.

Groomsmen can act as ushers and you can also request certain friends to serve as ushers.

Late-in-Life and Second Weddings

For late-in-life weddings or a second marriage, the norm is not to have bridesmaids and groomsmen. It may be enough for such couples to have their own children present although that is not considered necessary.