Bridesmaid Advice
 

Besides doing whatever the bride says, does anyone have any advice for someone who is a first time Bridesmaid? I have heard everything from bring food to bring slippers.
Can anyone weigh in?
Thanks.
C

1. bring a camera (to get behind-the-scenes pictures of the bride getting ready)
2. bring something to keep yourself entertained with (the wedding I was a bridesmaid for was at 4 in the afternoon and I think we were all ready by 2:30 and waiting for the guys to finish their pictures...luckily I had Monopoly in the back of my car that I had just bought the night before!!!)
3. bringing food is a good idea...we brought our lunch leftovers!
4. keep extra deoderant, hair spray, bobby pins, safety pins, etc in a little bag (I know a friend who picked up a bunch of travel sized items to put in a toiletry bag for the bride that had things like this as well as mouthwash, breath mints, hand lotion, etc.)

http://www.lifenetwork.ca/life_onlin...ticles41_1.asp
Found this on my MSN today..............

- Buy your dress and shoes early, as soon as the bride picks them out. One of my BMs procrastinated, and by the time she ordered, the shoes I picked out were sold out in her size, and she had to get something else. (I was cool with it, but not all brides would be.)

- Break in your shoes before the wedding! You may also want to bring ballet slippers or other comfy shoes to slip into at the reception.

- You may want to help plan a shower and/or bachelorette party. Often this is coordinated by the maid of honor - but if the MOH is the bride's sister or another relative, it will fall to the other BMs (it's an etiquette faux pas to host a shower for a relative).

- Make sure the bride eats something on the morning of the wedding!

- Be warned that, depending on the seating arrangements, you may not be able to sit with your date at the reception (if you are invited to bring one).

- Don't drink too much!

Tape to set at the gift table!! Might seem kinda tacky but maybe you could put some lace on it, lol!! Sure beats trying to figure out what gift went with what card!

Start saving your money now because being a bridesmaid is expensive. $$$$

I second that! When the bridesmaid dresses that my sister had chosen for her wedding came in, they were all HUGE...I had ordered a size 4, but the thing was more like an 8 or so. The dresses had corset tops with boning, and my mom had to remake the entire top to my dress...which wasn't no fifteen-minute job. If we had waited to order the dresses, it would be have been a disaster.

No Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!

My daughter was in a wedding in New Orleans in October... cost $900.00... and that did not include plane tickets (I used FF miles to purchase those).

I am in a wedding in Alabama at this month... The total cost so far is over a thousand dollars... That includes: dress, shoes, plane tickets, hotel, BM shower, gift.

Do not misunderstand.... I would do it all over again. I love both parties, but it does get expensive.

Story to go along with this.....I was chosen to be a friend's bridesmaid in December of 2000, and made sure I got fitted for my dress immediately, because I was studying abroad the next semester and wouldn't get home until 4 days before the wedding :eek: When I returned, I had lost a bunch of weight, and there wasn't really time to do alterations on my dress, so I had to wear my dress safety pinned to my bra the entire day (and keep getting the help of another bridesmaid's mother to keep repinning my dress). If I had thought ahead, I would've brought a tape measure along with me as well as directions on how to measure myself so I could email updated alterations to the bride to take in to the bridal shop! :)

dress
 

The wedding is in August and the Shower was this weekend, so that stuff is taken care of.
The dress is another story. According to my measurements I am a size 4. But b/c the dress is a 2 piece, I wanted the skirt to sit lower- I am short waisted. So they ordered me a size 6. The bride called me on Saturday and asked if I had picked up the dress yet and I said no. I thought I was in trouble. Turns out the dress shop ordered the wrong tops. The ones the Bride picked are halter and the ones they got tie on the side or something. There isn't enough time to have new tops ordered and they said it is the Bride's fault b/c someone came in and changed the order. It wasn't the Bride!! Now we are trying to figure out what to do. The Bride thinks to make up for the mistake we shouldn't have to pay for alterations. We have to pay for alterations???? :eek:
I wish I knew about that before.
Anyway, keep the lists of things to bring coming. I think it's a Saturday night affair, so I guess we will be doing stuff all day, right?
Thanks.
C

I have never been a bridesmaid, but one of my sisters has three times. Including the dress, the shoes, the shower, the gifts, and traveling, it cost her over $1200 each. She swears that she will never be a bridesmaid again unless it is for me or our sister. :)

Call me bridezilla but...
 

I had rules for my bridesmaids:
1. Let me know what time your flights are due (they were coming from Baltimore, Toronto, and Winston-Salem, NC)

2. Wear silver shoes (colours were navy and silver)...I didn't care if they were ballet slippers or stilettos
3. Give me your measurments and choice of dress so I can order dresses (they were paying for flight and hotel...that was the least I could do)
4. Look fabulous
5. Keep me calm


Most important:

Have fun!

We had a blast
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...830b0000001610

Re: Call me bridezilla but...
 

Oh Jill,

You looked so pretty. sigh No I wanna get married. (but I gotta find a guy first.

sorry for the slight hijack

Re: dress
 

Are these dresses from David's Bridal? I've been looking at those for both my bridesmaids and because I need to have 2 white formal dresses with sleeves. I was thinking of mixing and matching...

Re: Call me bridezilla but...
 

What a lovely photo!!! You look wonderful, Jill!!


My own hint for being a bridesmaid (after four times): mellow out, now! It's NOT your day, you're NOT the center of attention, go with the flow, and remember what they say about paybacks...!