Bridesmaid to Be – The Best Hacks to Help You Nail Your Duties!
Becoming a Bridesmaid to Be – The Best Hacks to Help You Nail Your Duties! One of your best friends wants you to stand beside her on her most special day, what could be better? Being a bridesmaid is more than going shopping and looking glamorous on the wedding day. In the course of planning, you’ll become many things: food taster, therapist, personal assistant/ errand girl… the list is endless.
Are you a little uncertain about what’s required from you? Or maybe you’re wondering how to get through the next few months without killing anyone? Learn how to hack your bridesmaid duties without losing yourself or your friend.
1. Manage Bridal Party Costs
There’ll be a lot of group costs, from diners and dress/accessories purchases to hotel reservations and bachelorette party bills. If you’re in charge of the money, you’ll need to track who has paid how much for what without losing your mind. There are free tools like Venmo, which allow you to privately and securely send money requests and receive payments. All you need is to get the other bridesmaids’ phone numbers and send them a group Venmo request for their share. They can pay directly to the linked bank account for you to forward to the relevant vendors.
2. Managing Group Schedules
Planning for any group of people can be nerve-racking, but there are places where your schedules must merge. For example, bridesmaids can plan fittings separately, but you must all be there for the shower or bachelorette party. Instead of sending emails back and forth, use free scheduling tools like Doodle to zero in on dates that work for everyone.
3. Silence or Opt Out of Group Messages
When creating a bridesmaids’ communication line, clarify that the only messages shared should be wedding-related. If you’re a serial bridesmaid, an idea might be to open a separate email account with a label for each bride.
On group chatting apps or Gmail, mute messages so that they don’t interrupt you with multiple notifications. Muting allows you to go back to the chat when you’re ready, and you can read through and respond to all messages at your convenience. If there’s a serial texter who shares irrelevant information, politely ask the bride to talk them into compliance.
4. Remember Who It’s About
Every bride is different, and they will have different needs or wants from you. The safest thing is to try and abide by the bride’s demands, requests, or needs (within reason). To prevent chaos, share chores between the maids so that everyone is in charge of something.
Don’t hesitate to seek clarifications from the maid of honor or bride where you’re not sure. Never make final decisions without consulting the bride or overstep your mandate when handling tasks. The bride will be stressed enough as it is, and you should make her work easier, not harder.
That said, if the bride is unreasonable, try to voice your thoughts calmly and politely. If you’re unable to comply with her demands, you can step down respectfully. Don’t stay around and become a cold blanket, grumbling about everything.
5. Keep the Peace When Buying a Dress
The rule of thumb is that bridesmaids should pay for their own dresses, accessories and hair and makeup. Every bridesmaid’s dream is for the bride to choose a dress she loves, but this may not happen. Even if you think the dress is hideous and unflattering, listen to the bride and try to keep the peace.
If the bride gives general guidelines, stick within her boundaries, and try to make the look work for you. If you feel like a particular color or style doesn’t work for your hair color or body type, see if the bride might be open to tweaking the style a little. Even then, support her final decision and stand by her.
6. Save Up for It
Being a bridesmaid will take as much out of your pocket as it does your time and energy. You have the dresses, accessories, hair and makeup, bridal shower, bachelorette party, travel and hotel (for destination weddings) and the gift, among others.
One way to manage the costs is to pay for things during the time you have until the wedding. Ideally, you have five or six months to plan and set aside the money.
If you’re young or struggling financially, you can ask your friend to skip over you this time. You may need to sit out some weddings if you have many close friends because it can drain your savings. Sometimes, the bride can offer to help you cover some costs if she really wants you to be part of her big day.
In addition to this, if your duty is to help with the present lists, one of the best solutions for arranging it is to create an online wedding or honeymoon registry. You’ll have the ease of mind by helping your friend to set it up and after it – you don’t need to spend much time on this task!
Conclusion
Becoming someone’s bridesmaid is one of the highest honors a woman can bestow on her friend. Your most significant role is to support her dream wedding, be present to help with planning, and bring your enthusiasm and glam on the wedding day.
Photo Credits:
From top to bottom – DivineMethod Photography | Stock | Daniel Kim Photography | Jessica Q Photography | Luke Fotoliv Photography
