Disney Bride Stephanie is planning a Walt Disney World wedding at the Canada Pavilion and GM Conference Room for March 2018.
I’m a pretty typical girl, in the sense that I’ve always dreamed of getting married and fantasized about how my wedding would look like. Some aspects change over time as I got older, naturally, but one thing I never thought I would change about my wedding was having bridesmaids and groomsmen. After being a bridesmaid for two of my closest friends and evaluating the pros and cons, my fiancé and I decided to opt out of a wedding party altogether. After we got engaged, the more I thought about it and read up on it, the more I realized this was the best decision for us.
It Saves Everyone Money
One of the big factors is definitely due to the fact that we are having a destination wedding at Walt Disney World. It’s obviously not a cheap trip by any sense. We’re asking guests to pay for their flight, their hotel stay, and their meals (minus the wedding day, of course). Anyone who’s been in a wedding party knows costs can add up quickly – dress, hair and makeup, accessories, planning a bridal shower and/or bachelorette party, etc. Asking my friends to attend our wedding and spend money on these additional items did not sit well with me. Skipping out on bridesmaids and groomsmen not only saves our friends money but it saves us money as well. For example, our floral expenses, which can add up quickly, will be much less with only one bouquet and boutonniere.
I Couldn’t Choose Favorites
Another reason was because I couldn’t imagine choosing just three or four bridesmaids and leaving out my other friends and family members. Having a large bridal party never appealed to me either, and my fiancé doesn’t have as many close friends as I do, so choosing them ALL as bridesmaids was not an option.
We did decide, however, to have a maid of honor and best man. We’re still in the process of figuring out how official we want to make this (we’re discussing whether or not they will stand with us at the ceremony, if we’ll have a sweetheart table at the reception or if they will sit with us with their partners, etc).
We Are Still Honoring Our Closest Friends
With choosing not to have a wedding party, it was still important for me to figure out a way to incorporate my close friends, my two cousins, my sister, and soon to be sister-in-law into the wedding. I thought the best alternative to a bridesmaid dress would be to request them to wear a dress in our wedding colors, which are navy, gold, burgundy, and eggplant. This gives them flexibility with their dress choice and it eliminates the need to make appointments to find expensive matching dresses they will likely never wear again. It will also look great for group photos, knowing everyone “matches.” My friends and family love this idea and some of them already own a dress in this color palette.
Despite not having official titles as “bridesmaids,” I am including my friends, cousins, and sisters as much as possible when it comes to the planning and the wedding day. I ended up buying my dress with my mom, and because I bought a sample dress and brought it home right away, I was able to invite my friends over and try on the dress for them. Since my friends weren’t present when I bought the dress I decided to ask them to attend my accessories appointment to help me choose a veil and jewelry.
Overall, I am very happy with our decision to omit bridesmaids and groomsmen from our wedding day. Everyone, including my friends, supports our decision and they don’t feel less involved in the wedding as a result. Ultimately, choosing not to have an official wedding party just gives us more freedom, time, and money to plan our dream Disney wedding.
