Congrats, you’re a Bridesmaid! Now What?

Wedding duties for bridesmaids

Ok, so one of your closest friends or family members has asked you to be their bridesmaid or maid of honor – where do you start? Being a bridesmaid for your nearest and dearest is a real honor and can be a lot of fun (but also a lot of hard work).

Here are some of the most common tasks that a bridesmaid could be expected to do as part of her duties:

Before the wedding

“Wed-min” support – with any wedding there comes a lot of organisational requirements. You need to be on hand to help the bride with things like selecting suppliers, creating/sending out save the dates or keeping track of certain aspects of the wedding like wedding gifts.

• Dresses – yours and hers! You’ll be involved in choosing the bridesmaids dresses and fittings as well as helping the bride select her dress. There’ll also be appointments that complement these activities like wedding hair and makeup trials that you’ll need to attend and be part of.
• Rehearsal dinners, engagement parties and wedding rehearsal – this depends on the wedding but you would be expected to attend these practice runs if they’re happening.
• Bachelorette party – organising and attending the bachelorette party is a key part of being a bridesmaid. Take into type of bachelorette party the bride is likely to enjoy! Maybe she wants a relaxing spa bachelorette party where you hang out in bridal party robes being pampered, or maybe she wants a wild night in Vegas – either way, it’s up to you to make sure she has fun!

During the Wedding

• Be prepared – Wedding car is late? Father of the bride has a headache? Flower girl has lost her basket? You need to be on hand whatever crops up. Putting together a small emergency kit is always a good idea – we always recommend bridesmaids robes for when you get ready too, it can save a lot of emergency hair and makeup situations!
• Helping the bride to get ready – know how to fasten her dress, ensure that her shoes are on and that you have her makeup with you for touch-ups.
• Know what should be happening during the day – be aware of the order of service, what time you need to be ready, who you’re going down the aisle with, where people should be and who to contact if you need help with anything.
• Keep the party going – dance, have fun and generally get chatting to the rest of the guests to keep a fun atmosphere going well into the night.
• Wedding photos – you’ll be in the wedding photos or video, so make sure you’re around and ready. Also, act as a mirror for the bride, if there’s a hair out of place or lipstick on her teeth – make sure she knows and it’s fixed.

After the wedding

• Cleaning up – depending on the venue, you may need to stay and help to clear up or sort a few things out (like paying the DJ or making sure everyone gets a cab). If you’re needed, make sure you know!
• Returning hired items – if decorations have been hired they will probably need returned pretty soon after the wedding. Check with the bride who’s handling getting these items back to the supplier, if she needs a helping hand then step in.
• Gifts – the bride and groom may be heading off on honeymoon or staying in a hotel overnight so make sure their gifts are safe and accounted for at the end of the night.
• Getting them to the airport – someone else may do this but you should be on hand just in case they need any help with their honeymoon planning, mr and mrs luggage tags or getting picked up from the airport.