How to handle the logistics of uneven numbers in the wedding party.
What do we do if we have a different number of groomsmen and bridesmaids? This might be the biggest question from those with a type A personality or OCD. Couples will stress about the logistics of their wedding party in order for pictures to look right and the processional to look flawless. The good news is that old wedding etiquette is out and mismatched is in. More couples are making sure they have their best people by their side during their big day and if it doesn’t match, they go with the flow. There are so many options to make the uneven number look great and photographers are taking the advantage to be more creative.
Ceremony Processional
Double up – You can easily double up with two guys with a girl or vice versa. You can do this with multiple couples or just one.
Walk in singles – Have your whole party walk one by one. Do not worry about pairing. You can have ladies walk first and the gentlemen follow or mix it up while having the best man and maid of honor walk last.
Mix it up – There does not have to be a rhyme or reason. If you have couples who wish to walk together, have them walk together and some can go down individually. They can all stand in their correct spots without walking down the aisle in the same order. Have fun and keep your guests on their toes.
Ceremony
I usually suggest to have the attendants stand in order of importance. So the maid/matron of honor and the best man should always stand closest to the bride and groom.
Sitting – Have your maid of honor and best man stand behind you and the rest of the pirates take a seat in the front row. This is particularly helpful if you have a long ceremony. Just think about chair placements as parents will not want to be sitting behind your attendants.
Standing – There are a couple of options if you desire to have your party standing during the ceremony. You can have them all (groomsmen and bridesmaids) stand on one side. If you have them stand on one side, consider the maid of honor and the best man stand on one side while the rest of the bridal party stands on the other. You can also have the standard bridesmaids by the bride and groomsmen by the groom. If the sides are way too lopsided and want even pictures, you can have them in a big group and not in lines so it is more visually appealing for pictures. You can also use spacing to your advantage by spacing the smaller party out and condensing the bigger party.
Photographs
If you let your photographer know ahead of time, they will often have many ideas for poses for photos. They are creative and usually get excited to be a little more artsy with pictures. If there is only a difference of one or two attendants, using a V shape to make spacing less noticeable will solve the problem. If there are good numbers to do every other, such as 7 and 3, these make good photos as well. Bunching everyone in a group so that you do not have a line, but dimension to the photo is a fun way to mix it up. In a group photo, put all the girls in front of the boys and get real close. No one will see that the sides do not match up, but they will see the bridal party as a whole.
An uneven wedding party is a chance to have fun and be creative. Remember, most traditional rules have gone out the window so do not worry about following what you think the wedding rules are. If you want to have your best man walk down the aisle with your dog, you would not be the first to do it.
Need additional guides on what the responsibilities of your groomsmen and bridesmaids include? Check out the blog!
Happy planning!
