Has anyone had their wedding without any bridesmaids/groomsmen?

[Aibrean]

My fiance and I are planning on having a very small ceremony at our church and the issue is that the people who I wanted in my wedding party have been complaining about time off/cost involved in getting a dress. My best friend who I wanted to be the maid of honor was going to cook the food (she's a culinary school student) but my issue is she wants me to get like warmers and really expensive food and all that. I don't want to spend that much so I told her I'll just get some veggie/sandwich trays at Sam's Club. My fiance's best friend (who he wanted as his best man) doesn't want to be in the wedding party and he doesn't really have many close guy friends.

SO, our resolution yesterday is to not have a wedding party. Sure, we'll invite them but if not everyone can be in it, I don't want anyone in it. That way no one is singled/left out.

I told this to my best friend and she was happy cause she could save the money but she is sad cause she can't give me her gift of cooking. I don't want to spend the money on something elaborate when there isn't even that many people we are inviting and I would rather save the money for better and more important things like a house (we are currently house hunting and we would like to get married VERY shortly after buying because we don't want to live in it unmarried).

Has anyone else done this...where the wedding party was just the bride and groom...how did everyone feel?

 

[EllaBella]

I've had friends that did it and it was a beautiful wedding. Made things a lot less complicated and she was totally happy

 

[faerieevaH]

Why not ask your best friend to be the bridesmaid and let her chose her dress herself? I let my three bridesmaids chose their dresses themselves, and only asked that they worked together so they didn't clash. (for example one in heavy purple and one in pastel seagreen *shudders*) They looked magnificent, they each payed whatever they wished to pay (one of them bought the fabric and her grandmother who is a seamstress made hers, which looked amazing). The only thing then that you need to make sure is that you coordinate with your dress. For example: if you go for a romantic ballroom dress with pink roses and a hoop skirt, it would look strange if she has a red mini dress on.

Aside from that, not having maids of honour and groomsman is perfectly acceptable. We normally don't do it in Belgium and I would not have had any, if I hadn't married a wonderful American man whose sister really would have been dissapointed not having been asked. So we mixed traditions in having them, but not having them stand up all the time, and having them chose their own dresses.

 

[Aibrean]

Well I had thought about that before the one got a job in Idaho so she doesn't know if she can even get off because the wedding needs to be on a weekday (my fiance's side..but not him is all SDA and mine isn't so weekends are out of the question.)

 

[Rebekka]

We didn't have groomsmen or bridesmaids or best man etc. - just us. My dad didn't even give me away. I would have felt uncomfortable with bridesmaids etc. Besides, what fairieevaH has said about Belgium is true for the Netherlands as well: most people don't have bridesmaids (etc.) over here. But even if it is a tradition where you live, feel free not to follow it - some wedding traditions are nice, but I personally think that a lot of them are just fluff.

No one complained at our wedding about anything, and it would have been improper if they had - after all, it was our wedding, and we paid for it, and they should be happy to be invited to it. And they were. We had an amazing wedding, within our budget, and the way we wanted it. The only thing we compromised in is that we invited more guests than originally planned, to please my parents. The budget stayed the same though - instead of fewer guests and a party and fancier food we had a lot of guests, simpler (still yummy) food and instead of a reception and a party only a reception.

 

[mrscplus]

I'm not sure about your marriage laws, but up here, we have to have at least 1 witness on both sides. The minister is not enough...so there has to be at least 4 people who are "officially" are the wedding party.

Other than the minister, that's all you need. And it's your day - have who you want, not who people think you should have.

 

[Aibrean]

We are going to have people there though.

 

[BeautifulDestiny09]

No wedding party is great, and alot less stress!!! I say go for it!

 

[Rebekka]

I'm not sure about your marriage laws, but up here, we have to have at least 1 witness on both sides. The minister is not enough...so there has to be at least 4 people who are "officially" are the wedding party.

Other than the minister, that's all you need. And it's your day - have who you want, not who people think you should have.

Yes, we had witnesses too, but their role was nothing more than to be a witness. They didn't have a special role after the ceremony, and weren't recognizable (in dress, flowers, seating or whatever) as being part of the wedding party after the ceremony.
My husband asked his brother to be his witness, I asked my brother to be mine, simple. No fuss.