You might be the blushing bride, and that might make you and groom the most important people at the wedding. But you know what? You aren’t the only ones. You’ll want happy bridesmaids too.
Your wedding party will stand by you through thick and thin. They’ll help you on those days when everything is going wrong, and you can’t seem to get anything organized. They’ll ensure that you have a great bridal shower. And they’ll support you on the big day.
So they, I’m sure you’ll agree, are pretty important too. That means you should treat them right.
Although that applies to your whole wedding party, it particularly applies to your bridesmaids, which is why you should avoid going all bridezilla on them and go out of your way to make them happy, and their time as your bridesmaids as easy as it can possibly be.
Here are 8 ways to do just that and have happy bridesmaids:
1.) Understand That They Aren’t at Your Beck and Call
They might have agreed to be your bridesmaids, and they might even be really excited about it. But that does not in any way, shape or form, mean that you can boss them around and have them cancel their own commitments to help you shop for dresses or make decorations.
They have their own lives, and you need to respect that.
Sure, ask them if they would like to help you or if they’re willing to help you out when you need it, but don’t assume and don’t get mad at them if they can’t always be there.
They’re your besties, and it’s not worth falling out with them because they can’t make that 9 am florist appointment. I mean, you can manage some tasks on your own, right?
2.) Don’t Make Them Dress Ugly
So many brides end up putting their bridesmaids in ugly dresses that they hate and which they feel embarrassed to wear. Thankfully that’s less common these days, but it’s still hard to believe when this company and many others offer so many beautiful bridesmaid dresses.
Of course, some brides do it intentionally to make themselves look better on their big day, while others seem to have a sudden taste transplant and pick out the most hideous garments.
The easiest way to get around this, and to ensure that your bridesmaids are happy and comfortable on the big day is to simply ask them what they would like to wear and come up with an option that suits everyone.
Trust them, give them some guidelines, and you’re unlikely to be disappointed.
3.) Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Them
Weddings can be as stressful as they are beautiful, so it’s easy to try and put too much on one or more of your bridesmaids’ shoulders. But you should try and avoid doing this. Ask them what they would and would not be comfortable helping out with, how much time they can spare and what their schedules are like.
Then spread out any duties evenly, so that no one is overloaded, and none of your good friends end up resenting being your bridesmaid.
4.) Treat Them Like VIPs
Chances are your bridesmaids will be sinking a lot of time, money and effort into making YOUR wedding day an amazing day that you will never forget. Of course, they’re doing this because they love you and they want you to be happy, but it still deserves some recognition, right?
So, give them some props! Make sure that they’re front and center on your wedding website, acknowledge their help whenever anyone talks about your wedding preparations or how great the day was, ensure they’re included in the program of events. If you can afford it, pay for their hair and makeup, little treats, and perhaps even their dresses too.
They deserve to be pampered almost as much as you do as the bride!
5.) Help Them to Bond
If your bridesmaids aren’t all good friends already, or don’t know each other, then it is a good idea for you to introduce them to each other well before the wedding day.
Have them over for brunch, go out for drinks, and have fun away from all of the wedding planning stuff. That way they can get to know each other as people, and that when they do need to come together for wedding stuff, it won’t feel awkward, and they’ll be able to have a good time together.
This won’t just help to keep your bridesmaids happy – it will also ensure that things run more smoothly for you too.
6.) Keep Costs Down
If your bridesmaids are contributing any of their own money to your wedding – if they’re buying their own dresses for example – be reasonable and do your best to keep costs down.
Of course you want your wedding to be perfect, but if you want your bridesmaids to be happy, you can’t expect them to spend a crazy sum of money for your big day. And remember that everyone’s financial situation is different, so what may be affordable for one, could be too expensive for another.
7.) Give Them as Many Details as Possible
One thing that will really help your bridesmaids to be happy and as laid-back as possible on the big day is to let them know what you want and how things are planned in as much detail as possible. If they know what to expect well in advance, then they can prepare themselves well in advance too, and that will make it so much easier for all of you.
8.) Give Them Special Gifts
They’ve been through it all with you, so it’s only fair that you give your bridesmaids a special gift to show your appreciation. Ideally, you should give a gift that is personal to each one of them, instead of getting them all the same thing regardless of their tastes or interests.
This website has some great bridesmaid gift ideas that you can take inspiration from. The important thing is that you get them a little something to say thanks.
Have you recently married? What did you do to have happy bridesmaids?
Did you do any of the things in this post or did you do something else? How well did your bridesmaids cope with the experience?
* This is a contributed post
I hope you found this information useful!
Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
For planning help and unique ideas for your wedding call or text me at 937-581-3647, or email me at jean@weddingsfromtheheart.net!