They're your best girlfriends, they know all your secrets {like that one time, at bandcamp...}, and now you've asked them to be your bridesmaids. But what does a bridesmaid actually do? As a bride who had five fabulous maids, these are my top tips on how to get the best out of your girls. For more bridesmaid inspiration, be sure to check out my Pinterest board.
{Wedding Photographer Credit} Jose Villa
♥ Ask them nicely! It's an honour to be asked to be a bridesmaid, and you want to build some excitement around the anticipation of your wedding day. So take your friend out for glamorous cocktails, and make a bit of an event out of popping the question. This makes it sound like a proposal! But any excuse for cocktails....
♥ You could even send them a card. I featured these gorgeous bridesmaid cards a few weeks ago. Or even a fabulous DIY bridesmaid box, like this one made by Bethany on her blog Rinse Repeat.
{I want this} DIY bridesmaid box made by Bethany on her blog Rinse Repeat.
♥ Make it clear right from the start who is going to be paying for the bridesmaid dresses. Traditionally the bride paid for the material, and the bridesmaids made their own gowns {!}. Unless your friends are particularly crafty, that's sooooo unlikely to happen, so now the bride's family usually foots the bill. If you want all the girls to be wearing matching shoes, then you'll need to pay for those too.
♥ If you're happy for your girls to choose their own dresses within a certain colour palette, then I recommend sending them a swatch of some sort, so they're all on the same page. For my wedding, I told my bridesmaids I wanted them to wear something in soft grey, which in retrospect was a terrible idea, because it meant they had to buy a grey dress {which they might not have wanted to do}, and they all had a different idea of soft grey. The result was a very un-put-together look, which offended my wedding blogger eye!
{Wedding Photographer Credit} Unknown
♥ Be honest about what you want from your hen night. I'm a control freak, so I told my maid of honour exactly what I wanted, and she organised it on my behalf, with just one extra surprise {not a stripper}. If you're like me, then don't be embarrassed to being a little bit bridezilla, this one time. As long as it doesn't involve spending a crazy amount of money, your maid of honour will probably be relieved.
♥ Give them a good sense of the schedule on the morning of the wedding. They need to be ready before the bride, so they can then help you dress. Are they going to be doing their own hair and make-up? Remember they're going to want to look fabulous as they walk down the aisle {all those people looking}, so give them the time to prepare.
♥ There's a lovely tradition that the groom gives the bridesmaids a present on the morning of his wedding. Now it's more likely for the bride to give her girls a piece of jewellery, to wear with their wedding outfits. If you give them a simple designer bracelet or pendant necklace, then every time they put it on, it'll remind them of your big day!
Love Before the Big Day? Never want to miss a post? Sign up for our free newsletter, for exclusive content and special offers! Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.
{Wedding Photographer Credit} Jose Villa
♥ Ask them nicely! It's an honour to be asked to be a bridesmaid, and you want to build some excitement around the anticipation of your wedding day. So take your friend out for glamorous cocktails, and make a bit of an event out of popping the question. This makes it sound like a proposal! But any excuse for cocktails....
♥ You could even send them a card. I featured these gorgeous bridesmaid cards a few weeks ago. Or even a fabulous DIY bridesmaid box, like this one made by Bethany on her blog Rinse Repeat.
♥ Make it clear right from the start who is going to be paying for the bridesmaid dresses. Traditionally the bride paid for the material, and the bridesmaids made their own gowns {!}. Unless your friends are particularly crafty, that's sooooo unlikely to happen, so now the bride's family usually foots the bill. If you want all the girls to be wearing matching shoes, then you'll need to pay for those too.
♥ If you're happy for your girls to choose their own dresses within a certain colour palette, then I recommend sending them a swatch of some sort, so they're all on the same page. For my wedding, I told my bridesmaids I wanted them to wear something in soft grey, which in retrospect was a terrible idea, because it meant they had to buy a grey dress {which they might not have wanted to do}, and they all had a different idea of soft grey. The result was a very un-put-together look, which offended my wedding blogger eye!
{Wedding Photographer Credit} Unknown
♥ Be honest about what you want from your hen night. I'm a control freak, so I told my maid of honour exactly what I wanted, and she organised it on my behalf, with just one extra surprise {not a stripper}. If you're like me, then don't be embarrassed to being a little bit bridezilla, this one time. As long as it doesn't involve spending a crazy amount of money, your maid of honour will probably be relieved.
♥ Give them a good sense of the schedule on the morning of the wedding. They need to be ready before the bride, so they can then help you dress. Are they going to be doing their own hair and make-up? Remember they're going to want to look fabulous as they walk down the aisle {all those people looking}, so give them the time to prepare.
♥ There's a lovely tradition that the groom gives the bridesmaids a present on the morning of his wedding. Now it's more likely for the bride to give her girls a piece of jewellery, to wear with their wedding outfits. If you give them a simple designer bracelet or pendant necklace, then every time they put it on, it'll remind them of your big day!
Love Before the Big Day? Never want to miss a post? Sign up for our free newsletter, for exclusive content and special offers! Before the Big Day - The Best UK Wedding Blog.
