Photo: Morgan G Photography

While you and your hubby-to-be will be the most important people up at the altar on your wedding day, you won't be the only ones. You’ll have your wedding party up there with you, too! Classic wedding photos flaunt even rows of bridesmaids and groomsmen on either side of the happy couple, but do you really need to have the same number of people on each side?

You've seen it before: bridesmaids and groomsmen walking down the aisle, two by two, then parting ways to stand by their friends as they exchange vows. There's definitely something aesthetically pleasing about all that symmetry, but having even wedding parties is definitely not required.

If you do end up with different numbers of bridesmaids and groomsmen, you've got a few options when it comes to the processional and photos. First, if you have more bridesmaids than groomsmen, consider having one (or a few) of the guys escort two gals down the aisle, or vice versa if you have more groomsmen than bridesmaids. In the latter case, you could also pair up your ‘maids with groomsmen, then have the remaining groomsmen walk solo or escort your grandmothers or the groom’s mother down the aisle.

Another option is to have your wedding party walk solo, in whichever order you please. If the difference in sizes is on the larger side (three or more), consider sending all of the groomsmen down the aisle one at a time, followed by all of the bridesmaids in the same fashion.

When it’s time for photos, the difference in numbers will be less distracting if you have your wedding party mixed together around the two of you, rather than separated with the bridesmaids on one side and the groomsmen on the other. Huddle everyone together, take action shots of the group walking, or pose more formally on a set of stairs or in an area that will allow your photographer to layer people in a cohesive way.

This article was written by Jaimie Schoen for Brides.com.