You know you need to walk down the aisle in a dress of the bride’s choosing, but what else is expected of a bridesmaid? Here’s some bridesmaid etiquette to help you out, and these tips on how to be the best bridesmaid will surely make the job easier.
PREP YOUR POCKETBOOK
Expect to pay for some things, but not everything (for more on this, we’ll do a full breakdown article of financial obligations another time). In general, expect to pay for your dress, shoes, and possibly accessories. Also save for events like the shower and the bachelorette party, as well as the shower and wedding gifts.
DON’T COMPLAIN
Sure, there are expenses and obligations, but whatever you do, don’t complain to the bride. Vent to your mom, your sister, or keep it to yourself. This is her moment, and let her have it. (Wedding Guys Wisdom: you might be the bride someday so you’ll appreciate it then when she reciprocates the silence).
GET ALONG
It’s really helpful to the bride to get along with the rest of the bridal party. You might know them well, and you might not, but leading up to the wedding you’ll be seeing them at various events, and it helps if you’re at least cordial with each other. We know this can get awkward, so we’ve written an article on Fun activities you can do with your Bridesmaids to help break the ice.
SHOW UP
Believe it or not, it is your obligation to go to as many events as possible. They are not optional unless you live far away or have extenuating circumstances. And be on time! Straggling in late to the shower is just rude
STEP UP
Come wedding day, you really need to be there for the bride. Whether it’s to listen to last-minute jitters or help bustle a train, you were asked to be in the bridal party, and now’s the time to help out when you can. It’s also a time their might be stressful moments, so being there for the bride is a great way to show support.
LISTEN UP
This might be obvious, but you were chosen as a bridesmaid for a reason. If the bride needs to vent, be there with an open ear. If you have words of wisdom (or even just a way to make her laugh) great, if not, just being there to listen is more help than you realize.
BE A CHEERLEADER
Lead the way to the dance floor on the wedding night. If people are slow to hit the dance floor, here’s your time to shine. It’s nice to get the party going, and if you and some other maids start dancing, it’ll signal to other guests to join in. This can be a very helpful gesture to the guests of honor and set the fun tone for the rest of the reception.
Keep these tips on how to be the best bridesmaid in mind and you’ll have a very grateful bride, who might even be able to reciprocate for you sometime.
