Your role as a Bridesmaid in the final days
The wedding week will be here before you know it, and if you've taken our advice from part one of the Bridesmaids Tales series, you'll be safe and sound in the good books and in the running for Bridesmaid of the year! I'm with my girl Petrina once again to show you what might be expected of you in the final days before and on your girls' wedding day. So, grab a pen, some paper and a coffee and let's get this thing started.
Being there, like we said in part one is the single most important thing you can do in the lead up to any wedding. In the week beforehand, your bride is going to be stressed, so it's your job to bring her down to earth and make sure she enjoys this time. Offer any form of help you can, whether it be carting things around town, picking items up, any last minute jobs or attending beauty appointments with her. You could go so far as to clear your social calendar for that entire week, have your phone on you at all times and become the brides very own PA - of course with plenty of wine and snacks in hand! I mean, you deserve them too after memorising the entire schedule of the week! There will be rehearsals and potentially dinners or pre-wedding events for you to attend so make sure you are there for those, non-attendance is not an option.
Make sure you're taking care of yourself too, attending any appointments to get prepped and primed, and packing whatever you need a few nights out so you're not forgetting anything.
The day of the wedding is actually the most amazing day! Get together with the other maids the day before the wedding and make sure there is enough food and drink for breakfast, lunch or enough of everything to graze and sip on in the hours before the wedding - one less job for the bride to worry about! Do everything with a smile, and if something doesn't go in your favour simply suck it up and sort it out amongst yourselves without the bride finding out. With that in mind, make sure your 'emergency kit' is on hand and accessible throughout the day. If she can stay in a state of pre-wedding bliss, it's going to make for a magical day.
Once you're at the top of the aisle, your role really kicks in. Make a rough game plan with the other maids around who will take the brides bouquet, and who will be in charge of the tissues. Usually, the two standing closest to the bride will do this. Also be wary of the brides' train, one of you will need to make sure this is placed as best you can, and throughout the day you may need to take turns holding it at times! Watch out also for veils with their own agenda, it may take some speed work to catch a runaway. Handy tip; if it's windy, tuck the veil under the bride's arm, or loop it around if it's getting really crazy. Sometimes tucking into the back of the dress works too. All of you should be ready and waiting for toilet duty if the dress requires it, more so once the seal is broken!
People tend to either love or hate speeches, and if your side of the party has a maid of honour, it's 90% a given that they will speak and toast to the bride. They may ask for your input, so be ready to give to the cause. If however, your MoH is terrified of public speaking, consider making it a joint effort, or discuss between you all who would be best for the job. It's got potential to be an awesome team building exercise if you don't know each other that well!
You can almost let your hair down for the rest of the night now, girlfriend. Your final role is to help get the party started after the first dance. Check with the Bride if she plans on doing anything out of the ordinary, and find out when you and the rest of the bridal party should jump in. There's nothing more awkward than finishing your first dance and nobody itching to get on the dance floor so this is where you can bridge the gap.
The morning after may not quite bring the sleep in you'd hoped for, so do make sure you can function enough to help clean up the day after the wedding. Call the bride after she's had time to sleep in, and check in with her about how she's feeling and the plan for the day. If an aftermatch is being held, see what you can do to help with that. From our experiences, it's definitely worth hanging around for the aftermatch, and taking the next day off work if you can. This is where a bride will really let her head down - I speak from experience!
Remember, what is done in love, is done well.
Until next,
