5 couples in wedding party?

julialynnjones

My fiance and I originally thought that we wanted a small wedding party, but after considering all of our family members and friends, our wedding party number has jumped to 5 couples.  What do you think are the pros and cons for having a larger wedding party?

kelklump

I had 6 on the girls side and 6 plus two ushers on the guys - the only expense to me was the flowers and their gifts (mine was their makeup from brideface and hairflowers from pinmeup couture). I loved having a big wedding party. I wish I would have had both of my brothers that were readers just in the wedding party... I am still kicking myself for that.

jollygreen

We're having 5 people on each sides and I actually don't think that's too big.    I've been to/in weddings where there were 10 people on each side.  That did take a bit longer in terms of pictures, but, even at that size, it really wasn't too big of a deal.  They did get a bus to take us from place to place...transportation might be an issue if you want everyone to be together the whole time.  One positive of doing something larger is that it's like a party everywhere you go! 

We got up to five because of siblings, people who have had us in their weddings, people we like, etc.

In my sister's wedding, I was the sole bridal party member.  That was nice in terms of the logistics of the day (only two people getting hair and make-up done).

Ashes_3

I have eight girls and he has 5 guys. It is hard  to find a limo within our budget to accomadate all of us. I do have a lot of girls willing to help out!!! My girls all got their dresses, but one which is FSIL.

clearheavens

I think a good guide is a couple for each 50 guests at the wedding.  Obviously, rules are meant to be broken.  You can do what you want.  My only suggestion is, pick those who are near and dear to you, and who you can foresee still being your close friend in at least 2-3 years.

As far as expenses, I'm paying for their bouquets, which I figure is an average of $50-70 per girl.  As a Vietnamese bride, I am also paying for their dresses, but this is the norm in Vietnamese circles and not the cultural norm in the US.  On the other hand, if you don't pay for their dresses, you should give them a meaningful gift.  I don't have to give them a gift since the dress is like a gift.

What I found hard in my planning wasn't the actual size of the WP, but whether someone in the WP was already in a relationship.  We had to consider whether that person preferred to sit with us (the B&G) or with their SO's.  We also had to consider that those who sat with their SO's weren't the best people to ask to do some of the "tasks" the day of, like being an usher or passing out the cake, since that would take them away from their date.  Had they been all homogeneously single, it would've been easier; but for those in my WP that are in a relationship, I couldn't imagine getting married without them at my side.

I asked a similar question before on the wedding party board.  You will get a lot of interesting answers!

glassslippergirl

I think its great! We have 8 on each side plus a flower girl and a ring bearer. He has two sisters and two brothers so we had already started with 4..lol Then add my sister, her husband (who we are great friends with), and then our closest friends from HS and College and voilla big bridal party.

More the merrier, but I think it is fun at any size!