Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Wedding Wednesday: Tips for the Bridal Party

So your friend just asked you to be a part of her big and special day, one of the most important days of her life... her wedding.  Now what?

The job of a bridesmaid doesn't just consist of throwing and attending her bridal showers and bachelorette party, standing around for lots of photos and partying the night away at the wedding, it means you're there for whatever the bride needs.  Weddings are a lot of work, and a lot of stress, and as a bridesmaid you're committing to help the bride stay as calm and stress free as possible, which includes before the big day, and during!

Source

Read on for some tips from Erin of The Not Wedding, as featured on Every Last Detail.

The Week of:

- Assist with any loose ends, whether it's finishing the welcome bags, favors or decorating the reception hall.  Be helpful and do it all with a smile!

- At the Rehearsal Dinner, make sure the bride is able to mix and mingle with all of her guests, but make sure she isn't drinking too much and that she gets into bed at a reasonable hour!

- The night before the wedding, make sure she's relaxed and calm enough to get some sleep - try playing some cards, watching a movie, or enjoying an activity that's a stress reliever for her!


The Day of:

- Just as you did the night before, make sure the bride is calm and relaxed.  If there's any issues that arise during the day, be there to help out.

- Make sure she has her overnight bags packed, make-up case ready for touch-ups and a change of shoes for later in the evening.

- Prior to the party getting started at the reception, help the bride bustle her dress.

- Help the bride and groom out by getting their drinks for them - they will have a ton of people to greet and thank, so any trips to the bar you can eliminate will be totally helpful!

- If you have time, take photos throughout the day and night... even though they'll have photos from their photographer, it's always nice to see some "behind the scenes" photos of their guests enjoying their time.

- As the reception wraps up and the couple are heading to their hotel room (or wherever their post-wedding reception may be), stick around to help the family tear down the reception venue, pack up cars, make sure wedding accessories and gifts make it to where they need to be.


After the Wedding:

- If the bride and groom are hosting a gift opening brunch/lunch, be sure to attend and help with any final obligations (be the person to write down which gifts were from which guest, help them carry their gifts to the car, see them off to their honeymoon).

- If able, offer them a ride to the airport for their honeymoon, or offer to pick them up from the airport.


Did you know there was so much that went into being a bridesmaid?  I certainly didn't in the weddings I've been a bridesmaid in!  Head over to Every Last Detail to read more tips for bridesmaids, and be sure to check out all the other wedding inspiration she has to offer (especially Tuesday's for her Tuesday Tips series!).

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