The sprawling wedding party may be on its last walk down the aisle.
Why it matters: More couples are cutting back on bridesmaids and groomsmen — a move wedding pros say can save everyone money, time and stress.
State of play: The average wedding party has shrunk to eight people (four per side), down from 10 in 2019, according to research from The Knot.
For Gen Z, the shift is mainly about "doing things their own way" and bucking tradition, says Esther Lee, editorial director at the Knot, a planning and registry site.
- "It's not like the traditional 19 bridesmaids that we've seen in the past as much as it is about, "These are my people, and I want them to be present on my wedding day without making them show up in the same looks and stand for an hour,'" Lee tells Axios.
What we're hearing: Traditional wedding parties can be tough on guests, especially couples who spend much of the day apart tending to wedding party duties.
- "We've honestly had such a positive response from friends," says Emma Clark, 25, who's getting married this fall in Paso Robles, California, without bridesmaids or groomsmen.
- Several have offered to help with "small favors and things that traditionally fall onto the wedding party."
People are also tying the knot later. "In your 30s or 40s [and older], your friends might be busy with life," Susan Cordogan, who owns a Chicago wedding planning business, tells Axios.
Yes, but: Plenty still assemble "Bride Tribes" or groom squads, sometimes dozens of friends who won't all stand together at the altar but participate in other wedding festivities.
- 85% of engaged couples say they're having a wedding party in 2026, according to a survey by wedding site Zola.
- The price is steep: Attending one wedding plus a bachelor or bachelorette party costs $2,010 — nearly a month of rent, per a Zillow analysis.
Being a bridesmaid once required "maybe one night of doing shots with the bride and one day of sporting a pouffy dress with a modest neckline," The Atlantic's Annie Joy Williams writes.
- For many young women, it's "metastasized into an 18-month affair featuring four-day retreats in destination accommodations, $800 gowns, an unpaid part-time job monitoring group chats and Venmo requests, and multiple showers."
Between the lines: There's also the question of asking your loved ones to splurge at a time when many feel worried about money.
- Williams has spent around $20,000 on other people's weddings (with more to come) and has been a bridesmaid every year for the past seven years.
Reality check: No wedding party doesn't mean the couple spends the day alone. Many still invite their favorite people to get ready with them or pose for group photos.
The bottom line: Love doesn't need an entourage. Your friends will thank you.
