Being a bridesmaid is a such great honor. You get to help a loved one, whether she’s a friend or a family member, on their best day ever! The Bride will be forever grateful that you were by her side on her best day ever! However, being a bridesmaid means agreeing to a fairly long list of responsibilities. Our team at Complete Weddings + Events in Tampa FL has put together a list of tips and tricks on how to be the perfect bridesmaid.
Given the current state of events this list, my look a little different for the next few months as chatting about dresses and color schemes may happen over a zoom call or some sort of video chat vs in person. You can also bet that brides getting married in 2020 and early 2021 are going to need all the support they can get from their bridesmaids as they face the unknown, and potentially having to postpone or change their original plans.
Being the Perfect Bridesmaid in Tampa, FL?
Before the Wedding
Be there for the bride:
We all know planning a wedding can be stressful, so a big bridesmaid responsibility is simply lending a helping hand or attentive ear to the bride when she needs it. Your support will mean everything to the bride. Even when maybe you don’t love the dress she chose for you or her centerpieces remember that it’s her day!
Be that sounding board for the couple to bounce ideas off of. Look at the Brides Pinterest board and give her feedback if she asks. Wedding planning can be overwhelming at times, she will appreciate having a friend or friends to lean on for support.
Buy your bridesmaid dress, shoes, and accessories on time.
A big thing on the list of bridesmaid duties is just simply being on top of it — especially when it comes to your attire. While there are a number of reasons why you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to order your bridesmaid dress, shoes, and accessories, the biggest is that if you do, it probably won’t all arrive in time. An upset like this will not only stress you out but also the bride and other members of the wedding party. Avoid the drama (and the potential that you’ll stick out like a sore thumb in the photos), by ordering your bridesmaid dress.
Go wedding dress shopping with the bride-to-be.
Wedding dress shopping is a unique experience for every bride and the number of people in the entourage will likely differ from bride to bride. However, it can be a lot of fun the bride wants you to attend. Just remember, be supportive and positive!
Help plan and organize the bridal shower and bachelorette party
While planning most of the pre-wedding events falls onto the maid of honor, keeping track of details can be incredibly overwhelming, so add “offering event planning assistance” to your list of bridesmaid duties.
Attend pre-wedding events
One of the best and easiest items on how to be a perfect bridesmaid list is celebrating with the bride-to-be. So try to be available to participate in the bridal shower, bachelorette party, and especially rehearsal dinner.
Buy a wedding gift
It’s a proper wedding etiquette for guests to buy the couple a wedding gift. With all the other details of being a bridesmaid, try not to let this fall by the wayside.
Hair and Makeup
Many brides will hire a hair and makeup people or schedule a day at a salon for bridesmaids to get professionally coiffed and made up before the wedding. If you choose to partake in this hair and makeup session, expect to pay for the cost yourself.
Wedding Day:
The big day is here! As a bridesmaid, you should help ensure everything goes smoothly for the bride, her maid of honor, and the majority of the wedding guests. Try to be prepared for anything and everything.
Get Ready With the Bride
Bridesmaids should plan on showing up at the designated getting-ready location on time, with all of their gear (bridesmaid attire, shoes, jewelry, makeup, undergarments, etc.) in hand. Besides getting themselves aisle-ready, the bridesmaids should do whatever they can to assist the bride during this time, such as:
- Keeping her smiling, laughing, calm, and collected
- Answering any incoming texts, calls, or logistical questions for her
- Making sure she eats something and stays hydrated
- Pouring celebratory bubbly for everyone to enjoy
- Keeping hair and/or makeup appointments on track
- Helping her into her dress
- Assisting her with her shoes, jewelry, or veil
Be the bride’s support crew
To be the perfect Bridesmaid you should embody the concept of being the support crew for the bride and the maid of honor in any way you can during the big day. They can also serve as a point of contact for guests and vendors when it’s helpful. Double-check that all members of the wedding party and any special family members have their personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, flower crowns, or toss petals). Assist with pinning on boutonnieres or other floral accessories as needed. You can also help guests navigate the venue, such as directing them to parking areas, bathrooms, handicap access, exits, and if applicable, the bar or refreshments station.
Participate in the Ceremony
Bridesmaids should be in place at the ceremony venue on time, (most likely hidden out of sight), and ready for their cues to process down the aisle. Keep chatter to a minimum and be respectful of the planner, officiant, or whoever is running the show. Be ready for group photos directly after, and help point guests in the right direction for the cocktail hour. The DJ can help as well. Don’t be afraid to ask him to make announcements and have him help direct guests, that’s what he is there for. Our team DJ with Complete Weddings + Events Tampa is used to this and will have a full timeline of events and where to direct guests.
Be the Perfect Wedding Guests
Another thing you can do is throughout the night encourage guests to participate in the festivities, whether it be signing the guestbook or using the photo booth. You should mingle and chat with other guests, enjoy the food and drinks offered, sit down at their dinner table when asked. You should also participate in guest-related activities like signing the guestbook or visiting the photo booth, listen to, applaud, and/or give any speeches (that have been pre-arranged), witness the special dances, and boogie down (tastefully) when it’s dance floor time.
Maintain a Stress-Free Send-off
Finally, the perfect bridesmaid should help the maid of honor, coordinator, or the couple’s parents assemble any items then need to be transported out of the reception venue at the end of the night. This might include:
- Any getting-ready clothing or gear
- Extra/unused ceremony programs, favors, or sparklers
- Leftover alcohol
- Any decor or signage that was personally provided (not rented)
- The bride and/or bridesmaids’ bouquets
- Wedding cards and gifts
- The guest book
- Special toasting flutes, cake servers, or cake plate
- A basket of late-night leftovers (packaged by the caterer)
- The top tier of the wedding cake
- A few slices of late-night wedding cake (packaged by the caterer)
- The bride and/or groom’s wedding attire, if they’ve changed into getaway clothes
- Make sure all guests make it onto the right shuttle buses, find their cars, or otherwise make it safely out of the venue.
- Hand out pre-addressed tip envelopes to the vendors.
- Make sure the bride and/or groom’s overnight bags make it to their wedding night hotel room.
- Organize guests to the after-party, if there is one.
As we stated earlier being a bridesmaid is a great honor and tremendous responsibility. We hope that these tips for how to be the perfect bridesmaid will help you through your loved one’s special day. The most important piece of advice though is to live in the moment with the couple and enjoy the experience. They have just asked you to be by their side for one of the biggest days of their life. You will forever be a part of their fondest memories.
Complete Weddings + Events in Tampa, FL
Planning your dream wedding or event should be simple and fun, and we firmly believe that having all our services under one roof makes planning easier for you. So relax. We’ve got this. Our job is to make this easy for you, your job is to enjoy the party! Complete Weddings + Events, Tampa’s leading provider of event and wedding photography, videography, lighting, DJ services & photo booth rental.
