Have you been asked to be a bridesmaid and not even sure what you signed up for? Don’t worry, because this post simply and easily breaks down the bridesmaid duties and what you can expect.
Before we break down each part lets first understand why you have been asked and what the bride wants. The average bride has between 4-8 bridesmaid and a maid of honour. This means the amount of help required will be split, however this is not an excuse to take a back seat.
The bride needs someone who is on hand to give advice, help and overall just be supportive. Remember to always remain positive and give feedback in a way that does not reject ideas, simply improves and builds on them. It may seem difficult to appear positive when trying to ensure there are backup plans in play should you need them. Perhaps to keep things positive try thinking of solutions before bringing up the potential problem.
So what do you need to know?
Bridesmaid Duties Pre-Wedding
- Scouting for venues, dresses, decor and anything else that the bride would need. Before you can do any of this you need to understand a few key aspects. What style, budget, guest numbers etc does the bride have in mind already? Ask the right questions before throwing out ideas and wasting time.
- Planning is not just for the wedding but also for the bridal shower, bachelorette party or kitchen tea and the rehearsal dinner. This is a lot so ensure everyone is on the same page, passing messages etc. Perhaps create a facebook group to share ideas, make announcements and keep track of who is doing what. Creating a facebook is fairly easy as detailed in the following post – “How do I create a group“.
- Get involved in ‘do it yourself’ projects with the bride. These types of projects tend to be more meaningful and a great bonding experience. There are limitless ideas when it comes to DIY and relatively easy to do, don’t panic, even if you are terrible at making things.
- Dress shopping is a key part of it all for both the bride and the bridesmaid. As a bridesmaids it is key to know when the dresses will arrive and how they will get to everyone. There also needs to be enough time for alterations on each dress should that be required.
- Document it all in photos. The wedding day is actually a build up of months of hard work. Using the photos the bride can look back and piece it all together. This means no selfies, instead photos of the bride that capture her with friends and family. Spontaneous photos are normally big winners.
- Seating plans, especially for larger weddings, can be a nightmare to figure out. It might be best to draw out each table and place the names at the tables. Alternatively for the modern bride there are online apps which allows you to easily manage this. The benefits of using an app is being able to share the layout between bridemaids and its easy to update on the fly according to RSVPs. For online seating plans try – http://www.toptableplanner.com/. Although there are free alternatives not all offer the same features.
- Arranging transport can be a huge help. Ensure on the day you have a way for all the guests to get home safely. This will help put things at ease near the end of the night. You don’t want the bride worried on her wedding day, especially not about everyone.
- Listening to the bride complain. This ties in with staying positive as mentioned before. You can expect to hear a lot of complaints. You just there to suck it up and let the bride get it out her system. Maybe this includes downing a good bottle of wine too.
Bridesmaid Duties on the Wedding Day
- Being available the entire day and knowing the schedule like the back of your hand. There are many moving parts where you simply have to be flexible and understand its all about the bride. Be prepared for when things go off schedule but ensure everyone understands the schedule. This includes caterers, photographers etc.
- Getting the bride in her dress and assisting with make up. This might include helping other bridesmaids who are falling behind.
- Take care of the small things. This could range from signing for flowers, getting the bride food and water etc. Try to avoid bringing up things if you can take care of it yourself.
- Be social before & during the wedding! Introducing guests, showing them their seats, showing them the bar and encouraging them to sign the guest book is part of the job.
- Get on your dancing shoes. No one likes to be the only one dancing so you need to kick things off. Keep an eye out for guests who need a little encouragement or partner.
- Ensure there is a plan in place for cleaning the venue and returning of hired goods.
Being a bridesmaid can be a lot of work. With an understanding of what it entails and the right planning it will make being a bridesmaid a breeze. Now you know what it takes and what being a bridesmaids involves. So what is next? That is up to you, start planning.
Feel like we left something out, want to add your own advice. Leave a comment below.
