The Ultimate Guide To Bridesmaids For Every Bride
Planning your wedding can be a long process, with lots of decisions to be made. Your bridesmaids are supposed to make this easier for you, but they can be a difficult decision themselves! How many? Who? And what are they actually supposed to do?
Here is an ultimate guide to bridesmaids and everything they consist of:
What Are They?
Historically, bridesmaids were supposed to protect the bride and groom from being cursed. They dressed identically to the bride so that the evil spirits wouldn’t know who to curse. This belief continued well into the 19th Century. Nowadays, bridesmaids have a much less dramatic role. As the bride, you can decide how much responsibility to give them, but they are assigned to help and support you throughout the planning of your big day.
Who To Pick
There are no rules as to how many bridesmaids you should have, and who to ask. You could invite sisters, or sister-in-laws to be, cousins or friends. People often match the number of ushers, so that they mirror each other during the ceremony. It can also be fun to have junior bridesmaids and flower girls, to involve any children.
Dress Shopping
The dress shopping of bridesmaids can be harder than picking your own dress, as you are essentially choosing outfits for grown women. They used to be all identical, but some brides are now choosing different styles or shades of colour depending on each maid’s own style. It’s best to stick with a theme though, so they don’t look too inconsistent. The junior bridesmaid dresses and flower girl gowns can be chosen after, and matched either the bridesmaids or brides.
Hen Do
The bridesmaids should plan, or help to plan, the bride’s hen do. This is traditionally the time for the girls to celebrate the bride and give her a good send off. This can vary from a night out in you local town, an activity weekend, or a holiday abroad. Again, it is up to you to decide how much control they have, but with all the planning you’re doing it is a good idea to let them have some impact on this.
Preparations
The morning of the wedding should be kept as relaxed and enjoyable as possible. But, with so many women getting ready together, there is plenty of room for drama. If you are choosing to book hair and makeup artists, ensure you have planned and discussed the style everyone is going for. Trial appointments are a good idea for getting everything spot on. If you are all doing your own cosmetics, ensure you have all the products you need and you have all practiced!
On the Day
During the day it is your bridesmaid’s duty to be as useful and friendly as possible. They must remember who’s day it is, and keep smiling even if things are not to their taste. They’ll hold the bouquet and assist the bride with her dress whenever needed.
Just remember, these people are your friends. Try to keep calm and focused, and enjoy sharing your big day with your closest girlfriends.