Wedding season is upon us and for some of us it’s extra special as you are not just another attendee – oh no no! YOU are going to be a bridesmaid for one (or numerous – Miss Popularity) of your best gal pals. WOO HOO! But what makes a good bridesmaid? Before visions of scenes from “Bridesmaids” fill your mind with hilarity and horror, don’t panic fillies! With the help of those clever people over at House of Fraser, we share with you how to be a stellar bridesmaid, with a lil’ bit of our own experience thrown in too. You’ll be gliding down the aisle and into the “legendary bridesmaid” Hall of Fame in no time!
1) Wear the dress:
It is that simple. Your friend has enough drama drama drama going on without you throwing a diva-like strop that “this shade of green is not my colour” or that “100 frills just isn’t my thing”. Suck it up and say yes to the dress! By all means offer your opinion but no one likes a negative Nancy. Your friend is planning the biggest day of her life – support, don’t add extra stress. Think of yourself as Katherine Heigl in “27 Dresses” – smile and enjoy the style that might not necessarily be “You”, but will make you a part of one of the happiest days of your bride’s life.
2) Make sure you are invested:
Being a bridesmaid is not all about the day itself, looking fab, gorging on cake and getting trollied (well…that IS a part of it). No no no! There will be numerous duties leading up to the happy day, as well as the day itself.
Your diary should allow for meetings, discussions, fittings, the Hen, as well as calls and texts discussing all the finer details and quelling any worries the bride may have. All hail the Whatsapp group! I found this the perfect way to stay up to date with our bride and bridesmaids recently. Seriously, it was an utter saviour for debates about the lead up to the wedding to the Hen.
WARNING!: Think SERIOUSLY before you say yes to being a part of the big occasion! Bridesmaids shouldn’t half-ass anything – be prepared to use your full ass or not at all. If you can’t commit the time, do not commit at all and kindly decline the offer.
3) Start saving in advance:
Following on from the last point, being the best bridesmaid is not just an investment in time, it is also an investment in money. So as soon as you say yes, it’s time to start being savvy with your savings STAT! You will be involved in everything from the Hen to wedding presents to where to stay on the big day to shoes etc. It is going to rack up quickly, so look at your finances accordingly.
I started setting aside money in a separate dedicated savings account straight away. Whenever I had spare money, no matter how small, I popped it in there and it really made a big difference by investing little and often.
4) Get to know the other bridesmaids:
Sometimes the only thing that you and your fellow bridesmaids will have in common will be the bride herself. It can be a mixed bag of school friends and colleagues to members of the bride’s family…and you will be spending a fair bit of time together on the lead up to the wedding. So now’s the time to start making some new friends! It makes the bride’s life easier and the whole experience a lot more fun and enjoyable.
Again, that ol’ Whatsapp group can be invaluable! Remember you are #TeamBride and should all be pulling in the same direction i.e towards making your friend’s big day the best experience possible. So get social! Swap numbers, add on Facebook.
5) Plan a considerate Hen:
This is by no means your friend’s last big night out ever, but you want to make her Hen do memorable in all the right ways and send her off into married life in style!
Use your noggin. Does your bride like bungee jumping? No? Then don’t take her! Does she hate the great outdoors and being cold? Then don’t book an activity filled ramble, camping in Wales! She says that she doesn’t want a stripper…more often that not that is NOT code for “I want a stripper”, so respect her wishes and don’t get her one. It’s as simple as peas!
For our bff’s Hen we jetted off to Paris in February. We went to the Moulin Rouge, with champers. We hired a private boat cruise of the sights of the Seine, with champers. We went to a very swish club on the Champs Elysee, with champers. Basically, the theme was lots of champers and of course, class for our classy lady. Oh la la!
6) Create emergency kits for the wedding day:
Ding dong ding dong! The bells are chiming and before you know it, the big day is upon us. In the excitement and buzz of the wedding, don’t forget that a good bridesmaid, like a good boyscout, is ALWAYS prepared! Accidents can happen – fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Your stylish clutch will be jam-packed with an assortment of awesome to tackle any situ the day could throw up. Snapped strap on a dress? Safety pins ahoy! Bride’s perfectly coiffed hair falling down? Hair grips are go! Someone tearing up, totes emosh? Hello tissues! Blister alert? Deploy plasters!
You are prepped. You are ready. YOU are a stellar bridesmaid with an arsenal of equipment that’ll keep disasters at bay.
7) Be the peacemaker:
Whilst your bag may be prepped for every eventuality, make sure your head is too! Weddings are a stressful time for all and emotions can run high. There is bound to be some kind of drama before or during the wedding day and it is up to you to help keep the peace and essentially be the bigger person. Most disagreements are petty squabbles or personal niggles and shouldn’t get in the way of the happiest day of your friend’s life. Again, it’s time to suck it up, smile and be perma #TeamBride despite others egos, opinions or behaviour. Quell bad vibes and be as zen as possible for all concerned.
By following these simple to follow tips from House of Fraser and us, your wedding season is going to rock in all the right ways! Be cool, be prepared, be happy – be a stellar bridesmaid! You then really will be “made of honour”!
Until next time fillies,
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
P.S. If you are after an amazing wedding photographer, be sure to visit Matthew Weinreb, the Wedding Photographer Guru for amazing shots of your special day!
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This is such a cute read especially for me who is a complete wedding virgin! Thanks for this, xx
http://www.lexilife95.wordpress.com
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Aww thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it Lexi, it was so much fun to write and share.
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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Great advice – especially the time commitment thing. One of my bridesmaids complained a lot that I wanted her their the day before the wedding for a pamper day (she didn’t even work) and she disappeared the next day – it was a little annoying tbh!
C x
CurvyGirlThin.com
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Thanks lovely! Indeed I think few realise and think it’s all about the actual day and forget the lead up. Oh dear – who wouldn’t want to take part in a pamper day??? That’s so sad! Well…it has to be said, it’s her loss really?
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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I’ve never been a bridesmaid before, maybe one day! xx
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I’m sure you will one day Aymie! It’s so much fun 😀
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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This is such a great informative post! I’ve only ever been a bridesmaid when I was really little for family xo
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Thanks so much Rachel! Hoped that it would be, especially taking in my recent experience as well as we are heading into prime wedding season!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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Loved reading this! My sister got engaged recently and I will be her maid of honour as soon as the date is announced and I am so looking forward to planning her hen do. Found this post really useful. Thanks for sharing
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Awww wow! Congrats to both you and your sister. It must be extra special as it’s your family member! So happy to hear you found this helpful and planning the hen was one of my favourite parts too.
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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‘Wear the dress’ – best advice you can give!! I’ve heard some absolute horror stories regarding fussy/demanding bridesmaids.
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Totally! It really is that simple I think 😀 Indeed, people forget it’s about the bride and what she wants. Input is great, negativity and nastiness is not.
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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I have been a bridesmaid twice in my life and I loved it. Great post x
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Oh wonderful – it’s so lovely right??? Thank you – glad you liked it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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How lovely, I was my sister’s maid of honour and it was really lovely, I did party bags like this too.
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Great minds think a like! They are such a good idea and creates a talking point/something to bond over with the fellow bridesmaids. Awww I bet that was such a special day. I know my sister will be mine and vice versa too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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Great post, really enjoyed reading. I never knew what you bridesmaids go through…
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Hahaha indeed we do – that’s why I thought I would write this “education piece” accordingly 😀 So glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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Aw wow lovely photos! you all look great, I would love to be a bridesmaid looks like so much fun especially the hen party.
Sophie
xx
http://www.pocockins.co.uk
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They are great photos right – the photographer was pretty amazing ;D Had to share them! awww thank you so much. Being a bridesmaid is so much fun – you’ll absolutely love it ❤
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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I’ll never be a bridesmaid, but if I were to, I would follow this guide. Especially like how you prepare for the often inevitable squabble.
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Awwww thank you Stephen – that’s so nice to here. Indeed, you need to hone the peace keeping skills. I could imagine some of the skills would transfer over into being a stellar groomsman too!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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You all look absolutely beautiful in those photos! I’d love to be a bridesmaid one day and I hope I will be for my two best friends but it could be 10 years or so! I think I’d be the sort of person who’d be making all sorts of things to do and little party bags and kits, I’d be so excited! I don’t know how anyone can complain about their dress when it should all be up to the bride!
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Awwww thank you so much – that’s so kind! It’s SO amazing and exciting as your friends start to get married and you get to be part of each others’ amazing days. Totally – putting all those little thoughtful touches into the planning is so much fun. Yeahhhhh, it is pretty bad, but it does happen…that was one of the reasons I wrote this to say “hey, it’s not on – you wear it fora day after all”!
Thanks for stopping by!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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Some great tips for bridesmaids to be and a lovely read. You all looked great! X
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The emergency kit is such a good idea – you never know what’s going to go wrong, do you!?
Jess xo
http://www.theindigohours.co.uk
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RIGHT!!! It was a lifesaver on the day as little things did come up like lipstick top up, blister bubbling and tearage…all averted by the Emergency Kit 😀
Thanks for stopping by,
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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It’s wedding season! I wrote something similar recently (but Mine was just bad jokes and bridal envy) haha! Your list is really well written so thanks for sharing your tips! 🙂
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Ooooh LOVE IT! Love bad jokes and bridal envy1Pop your link as I would love to check it out 😀 Thank you so much – that means a lot ❤
Thanks for visiting!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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What fab advice. Being a bridesmaid can be a bit stressful – I think you need to be organised especially if you are the chief bridesmaid, if you are then it helps to make it all run smoothly.
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Thanks Mellissa – glad you liked it! Exactly, it’s all about keeping calm and being prepped – then you can handle anything 😀
Thanks for visiting!
Leigh at Fashion Du Jour LDN HQ x
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