Arranging Bridesmaids: Height Order For Perfect Wedding Photos

Arranging bridesmaids and groomsmen by height is one of the most popular ways to line up your wedding party. This method is aesthetically pleasing and ensures no one's feelings get hurt. The Maid of Honour and Best Man stand closest to the couple, regardless of their height, and the rest of the wedding party is arranged from shortest to tallest or vice versa. This method can also be used when pairing up bridesmaids and groomsmen for the processional and recessional, with the shortest couple walking down the aisle first and the tallest couple last.

Shortest to tallest

Arranging bridesmaids by height is a great way to avoid any hurt feelings and create an aesthetically pleasing look for photographs. Here are some tips to achieve this:

The most common way to arrange your bridesmaids by height is to order them from shortest to tallest. This creates a visually appealing effect, especially if your flower girl is also included in the lineup. If your Maid of Honour is on the shorter side, she can act as a starting point for the arrangement, with the rest of the bridesmaids lined up behind her from shortest to tallest. This will ensure that she is in a prominent position close to the bride.

Tallest to Shortest

If your Maid of Honour is tall, you can reverse the order and arrange the bridesmaids from tallest to shortest. This way, the tallest bridesmaid will be positioned closest to the bride, creating a striking silhouette.

Pairing with Groomsmen

When pairing bridesmaids with groomsmen, it is customary to match them by height. The shortest couple will walk down the aisle first, followed by the tallest pair, creating a balanced and harmonious look for photographs.

Other Considerations

While arranging by height is a great option, it is important to note that the Maid of Honour and Best Man traditionally stand closest to the couple, regardless of their height. Additionally, if you have an uneven number of bridesmaids and groomsmen, don't be afraid to mix and match. You can have one groomsman escort two bridesmaids or vice versa. Ultimately, the order of your bridal party is a personal preference, and you can choose to arrange them in a way that feels right for you.

Honour the tallest

Honouring the tallest of your bridesmaids is a great way to ensure your photos are balanced and aesthetically pleasing. It's also a simple way to organise your bridal party without hurting anyone's feelings.

If your maid of honour is tall, have her stand beside you and then arrange the other bridesmaids from tallest to shortest. This way, the height order works from your maid of honour outwards. If your maid of honour is on the shorter side, you can reverse the order, starting with the shortest bridesmaid and ending with the tallest.

The height order can also be used to determine the order in which your bridesmaids walk down the aisle. The shortest bridesmaid will walk down first, followed by the others in order of height, with the tallest bridesmaid bringing up the rear. This will also ensure that the bridal party looks balanced as they walk towards the altar.

If you want to mix things up a little, you could pair the tallest bridesmaid with the tallest groomsman. This pairing will create a striking visual and ensure that the height order doesn't look too uniform or planned.

Avoid the shortest

If you want to avoid the shortest bridesmaids being at the front of the line-up, you have a few options. One idea is to have your bridesmaids and groomsmen blend together, with a mix of bridesmaids and groomsmen on both sides. This can make things more interesting visually, especially if you have an uneven wedding party. You could even have your wedding party sit or lounge at the altar instead of stand, turning your ceremony into a high-fashion photoshoot.

Another option is to line up your bridesmaids by how long they've known the couple, with the shortest friendship on the outer edge of the arrangement. This is a diplomatic option that will prevent feelings from getting hurt. Similarly, you could line them up by age, with the youngest on the outer edge.

If you're concerned about how a particular arrangement will look in photos, lining up your bridesmaids by height with the shortest closest to the altar is said to be the most aesthetically pleasing option. However, if you want to avoid the shortest bridesmaids at the front, you could instead have the Maid of Honour stand at the front, followed by the bridesmaids in descending height order.

Pair with groomsmen

When it comes to pairing bridesmaids with groomsmen, there are several options to consider. Firstly, it is important to note that the bride and groom do not need to have an equal number of attendants. One groomsman can escort two bridesmaids, or vice versa. Here are some ways to pair them up:

Real-life Coupling or Friendship

If a bridesmaid and groomsman are dating, engaged, or married, it is customary to pair them up. Similarly, if some of the bridesmaids and groomsmen are friends, they can be paired together. This way, they can enjoy each other's company during the wedding proceedings.

Personality

Pairing bridesmaids and groomsmen based on their personalities can be a fun way to encourage mingling. For example, an extroverted bridesmaid could be paired with an outgoing groomsman. This pairing style can also help create a balanced group dynamic for the wedding party.

Height

Pairing by height is a popular option as it creates aesthetically pleasing photos and avoids any potential hurt feelings. The tallest bridesmaid can be paired with the tallest groomsman, and so on. The shortest couple typically walks down the aisle first, with the tallest couple following last.

Age

Arranging bridesmaids and groomsmen by age, from youngest to oldest, is a straightforward option. However, if all the attendants are the same age, pairing by birth month could be a fun alternative.

Length of Friendship or Role

Pairing the bridesmaid and groomsman the couple has known the longest can be a thoughtful way to honour these relationships. Similarly, the maid of honour and best man can be paired together, as well as any bridesmaids and groomsmen performing readings together.

Arrange by role

There are several ways to arrange your bridesmaids by their role in the ceremony. If you have a large bridal party, one option is to group your bridesmaids by their relationship to you. Start with your Maid of Honour, followed by sisters, then sisters-in-law, cousins, and best friends. Alternatively, if you're not particularly close with your sisters or sisters-in-law, you can have them round out the end of the line-up while keeping your best friends closer to you.

Another way to arrange your bridesmaids is by the length of their relationship with you. This works well if you met your bridesmaids at different stages of your life. Arrange them based on the length of your friendship, from the longest to the shortest. Since this criterion is arbitrary, no one's feelings will get hurt.

If one or two of your bridesmaids are delivering readings during the ceremony, it's a good idea to have them stand at the end of the line. This arrangement will make it easier for them to quickly move to the microphone and deliver their reading.

Finally, you can pair your bridesmaids with the groomsmen based on their roles. For example, pair the maid of honour with the best man, or pair bridesmaids and groomsmen who will be performing readings together.

Frequently asked questions