Bride Had 34 Bridesmaids in Florida Beach Wedding
A New Orleans bride had 34 bridesmaids in her June 2 Florida beach wedding. While that is a very large number of bridesmaids, Casme Carter says she would have had more if she could have. Her goal was to have at least 50 bridesmaids, but there were conflicts with some of her friends' schedule, including one Army deployment. Therefore, the bride settled for and was content with having only 34.
The bride said every lady was handpicked and she felt so loved and blessed to have every one of them by her side. She was amazed at how the diverse group of women bonded with one another even though they ranged in age from 21 to 50. Many of them had never met before the wedding, but Casme was friends with all of them.
Why So Many Bridemaids?
Why did Casme have so many bridesmaids? The bride says she has a lot of friends in her women's empowerment groups where she is a mentor. She wanted all of them to experience love on her special day. She didn't want any of them to be left out. Therefore, the 34 bridesmaids consisted of her six sisters and 28 of her closest friends.
When Casme told her now-husband, Gary Carter, that she was going to have that many bridesmaids, he thought she was joking at first. When he realized she wasn't joking, his next concern was about him not being able to find 34 groomsmen to match that many women.
The bridesmaids were also surprised when they showed up at the wedding and discovered they were in a group with that many bridesmaids. Casme had divided the women into different groups to discuss the details. However, she did not tell them they were only part of the larger group. She told every group to just bring beach dresses in neutral colors, bathing suits, and khakis. That eliminated the need for the bridal party to have matching dresses. Many of the women wore something they already owned. Casme didn't want her bridesmaids to incur an extra expense for her wedding. In fact, she told them not to give her a wedding present.
According to CNN, when the bridesmaids showed up and realized it was 34 of them, they said, "Oh my God, Casme. This is so awesome!"
The Bride's Plan for Her Beach Wedding
Casme and Gary had been engaged for only three months before they decided to get married. Casme said she had always dreamed of having a beach wedding so it was easy to plan. She is a wedding singer and had performed at about 50 weddings in Destin over 18 years. So, she knew it was the place for her massive wedding. Besides, she didn't want the wedding party to travel a long distance to be her attendants.
She had also been planning her wedding on Pinterest for the last several years even before meeting Gary. That helped her get the wedding together in such a short time.
Casme says her wedding was different and perfect even though the number of bridesmaids was a little excessive. She added that she wouldn't have changed a thing.
Reactions to the Beach Wedding
The bride and her bridesmaids had a photo shoot on the beach in Destin, Florida the day before the wedding. A large crowd gathered to watch and people were amazed to see so many attendants of the 38-year-old bride. Everyone was dressed in different colors of bathing suits standing behind the bride. It was clear to pick out the bride because she was wearing a white bathing suit with a white veil on her head.
The couple got married the day after the photo shoot. The wedding ceremony took place on the beautiful beach in Destin, Florida at sunset. After the 5 a.m. ceremony, the couple and the wedding party had the rest of the day free to do whatever they want to do on the beach. They all gathered later for the sunset reception which included a crawfish boil, barbecue, beach volleyball, and games.
No Set Number of Bridesmaids
There is no set number of bridesmaid a bride should have. The number can range from zero to any number the bride wants. As we saw in this case, the number of bridesmaids do not have to be the same number as the groomsmen. Also, in the Carter wedding, there was no maid of honor or flower girls.
If the Carter wedding had taken place in a church or a small vineyard, it would have been a problem for 34 bridesmaids. It was no problem at all for the Carters because the wedding was on a beach where there was plenty of space in the open air.
