Line up your bridesmaids and groomsmen by height, with the shortest closest to the altar and the tallest the farthest away. As a bonus, this lineup is the most aesthetically pleasing, so if you're worried about how it will look in photos, this one is for you.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
The bridesmaids and other bridal attendants usually line up behind the bride on the left, and the groomsmen and groom's attendants on the right.
The maid of honor usually stands closest to the bride and holds the bride's bouquet. If one of your besties is a matron of honor, you can ask her to stand in the second spot.
Pair them by height.
Pair up the gang by height: the tallest bridesmaid with the tallest groomsman, for example. The shortest couple walks down the aisle first and the tallest twosome goes last. It works aesthetically, making your photos look balanced.
By Height. This is the easiest option, as it avoids any and all hurt feelings. Line up your bridesmaids and groomsmen by height, with the shortest closest to the altar and the tallest the farthest away.
There's no actual rule as to what order the bridesmaids and groomsmen should take. One of the most common ways to arrange them is by height. This will help you avoid hurting anyone's feelings (and it will also look aesthetically pleasing when the photographer takes shots of the ceremony).
The best man or woman and the maid or man of honor usually will be placed right next to the couple, and the rest of the party will take the other seats.
The maid of honor, along with the rest of the bridal party, is expected to cover all wedding attire costs. This includes the dress (plus any necessary alterations), shoes, and any jewelry you'll be wearing the day of. Occasionally, the bride will gift her bridesmaids with whatever accessories she wants them to wear.
After those people take their places, the best man and the groomsmen traditionally walk down the aisle, in order to protect the groom from evil spirits or attackers. Then the bridesmaids make their way down the aisle, followed by the maid of honor.
The mother of the bride is traditionally escorted by her son if she has one. Otherwise, any close male relative, the best man, or a groomsman walks with the mother of the bride during the procession.
5 minutes prior to ceremony: The groom's mother is escorted to her seat by the head usher, a son, or the groom. The groom's father follows and sits next to her. The wedding processional follows. Read more about the wedding processional order here.
After hearing feedback from our brides around the world and taking logistics into consideration, we would recommend a limit of six bridesmaids. This means that you still have plenty of room in your bridal party to make sure you involve as many of your loved ones as you can, but still allows the day to be manageable.
Typically, the maid of honor walks down the aisle with the best man, but this "head bridesmaid" could also walk behind the bride. If you have two MOHs and only one best man, you could either have him escort both MOHs down the aisle or tap another VIP (such as one of your brothers) to serve as a second escort.
The groom might opt to escort his mother down the aisle and to her seat in the front row, followed closely behind by the groom's father. This gives the groom an opportunity to give his parents a hug before taking his place at the altar.
Traditionally, the father of the bride walks the bride down the aisle. Now, you can have anyone who is special walk you down the aisle – brother, uncle, cousin, your children, your sister, you Maid/ Matron of honor, or maybe even both parents. The officiant is at the front waiting for the wedding party to walk down.
We'd say there's a fairly solid consensus that the couple should pay for anything beauty-related for bridesmaids, like hair, makeup, tans or nails. Basically, anything that affects the way the girls look that the bride has specifically requested.
Dresses and Suits
The bride and groom are responsible for paying for what they will wear on the wedding day. Oftentimes the bride's mom will help pay for her dress and accessories. The groom should handle any costs associated with their suit.
The groom's family financed the rehearsal dinner, the officiant's fee, marriage license, and the groom paid for the bride's engagement and wedding rings and honeymoon.
The parents of the bride always sit in the first pew or row on the left, facing where the ceremony will be held; the groom's parents sit in the first row on the right. At same-sex marriage ceremonies, the couple might assign each family a side, and seat guests on "Bill's side" or "Kevin's side" accordingly.
2. Mother of the bride. The mother of the bride is the last person seated before the officiant, groom and best man take their places at the altar. She can walk alone or be escorted by her son, son-in-law or another relative.
Who gives a toast at a wedding? Your parents/parent figures, wedding party members, best friends, or close relatives are generally the ones who give speeches or readings throughout your wedding celebration, but ultimately, you can ask whoever you want if it will mean something to you.
Traditionally, the Best Man holds the rings at a wedding. The Best Man will keep them safe before and during the ceremony until the couple exchanges the rings.
There Is No 'Correct' Number
The bottom line: You don't need a certain number of people in your bridal party. You don't have to choose an odd number or an even number or a certain number, like five, because you've been to (or have been a part of) other weddings where that was the case.
A wedding can have quite literally any number of bridesmaids. Some brides have no maids at all, whereas others might have several dozen. The most common number of bridesmaids is 3, but anywhere between 1 and 12 is considered a perfectly normal amount.