Wedding Planning 101: The Bridesmaids' Responsibilities
2020-12-06

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Planning a wedding celebration is, no doubt, a herculean task one can undertake. With so many responsibilities, having a team to support you is essential lest you burn out from the physical, emotional, and mental stress.

Enter: your bridesmaids! As your support system, they will take up a portion of your burdens and share your responsibilities with you. Whether you’re a bridesmaid yourself unsure of how you can support your friend, or if you’re a bride-to-be unsure of how to allocate the bridesmaid duties, here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Emotional Support

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Your bridesmaids aren’t just there to support you through your preparations. They are also the people whom you’d turn to when you’re stressed out or frazzled from all the planning. After all, your bridal party are made up of your closest friends and family members; they are people who care about you and your well-being, so be sure to consult them for guidance or support. 

2. Bridal Shower

Having a bridal shower is completely optional, but it originated in the 20th century and was held with the intention to shower the bride with presents to help her establish her new home with her partner. If you do intend to have one, the bridesmaids’ role would be to consult you on who to invite and decide on the theme of the party and the type of gifts you’d like to receive!

Just a tip: to keep track of the entire party, your bridesmaids may want to mark each name on the guest list with the gift received, so that you’d know who to thank and what to thank for.

3. Bachelorette Party

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As with bachelor parties, bachelorette parties are held to celebrate the bride-to-be’s last day as a single lady. There’s no correct way to celebrate; the type of bachelorette party you would have will depend on what you and your friends would like to spend the day doing! 

Some prefer an intimate get-together with glasses of wine as they share hushed tales and reminisce the past. Others may enjoy the raucous excitement that comes from bar-hopping and other exhilarating escapades. Another option is to simply combine both bachelor and bachelorette parties together!

Whatever the case, the bridesmaids have the opportunity (and financial responsibility) to make this event a memorable one. That said, be sure to contribute your ideas so the party will still meet your expectations.

4. Assorted Tasks

As your extra pairs of hands, your bridesmaids are expected to help out with assorted tasks. This could range from simple ones, such as addressing the envelopes and ushering the guests to their seats, to the more difficult decisions, including choosing the bridesmaid dresses from various bridal shops and the like.

Your bridesmaids are meant to help you out by assisting you in a wide range of detail work. Thus, it’s crucial that your bridesmaids are equipped with the right skills and disposition to help you with the tasks. You may even want to pick friends or family members who were either a bridesmaid before or recent brides, so that they have a brief idea on the things they need to get done and how to do it.

5. Rehearsal Dinner

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While you and your partner are the stars of the day, your bridesmaids take the central stage during the wedding rehearsal. Though they may not have any special responsibilities during the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner offers an opportune time to mingle with the groomsmen to ease the communication between both parties. That said, it’s also customary to present them a gift as a token of appreciation for all their help.

6. Hosting Duties

During the wedding celebration, your bridesmaids are your eyes and ears. They will need to host the event in your place. This includes receiving guests, ushering them to their seats, and making sure that the guests are at ease. Their duties will also include ensuring that all aspects of the wedding are going as smoothly as possible, and work closely with the wedding coordinator, if any. 

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These are a few of the common responsibilities that your bridesmaids will be expected to uptake. Thus, it’s important that you be selective and choose only the most responsible and supportive gal pals (or guy friends)!