So, one of your closest female friends is getting hitched – and you’ve been given the honour of playing a role in the ceremony, as a bridesmaid.
It’s a role that comes with several important duties attached, and you might already be feeling daunted by the prospect.
After all, you probably don’t want to let your friend down.
Being a bridesmaid is a thing worth taking seriously. Let’s take a look at how you might approach the task, and ultimately smash it.
The importance of giving support to the bride
The primary duty of a bridesmaid is to provide emotional support to the bride, and to generally shield her from the stress and upheaval that’s going on around her.
This will be most important on the morning of the ceremony before the actual vows have been exchanged.
Adding to the stress for the new bride has been the ongoing squeeze on living costs.
Diamond necklace specialist F. Hinds surveyed 2,000 UK adults and found that around 94% of couples are looking to scale back their wedding plans for financial reasons.
Around 22% were willing to get hitched during autumn or winter, while a fifth were willing to compromise on bridesmaid dresses.
This thriftiness is found in wedding guests, too, with 85% of respondents reporting that they would take some cost-cutting measures if invited to a wedding.
How to be the best bridesmaid
The duties of the bridesmaid are many and varied.
Listen sympathetically to the bride’s complaints, don’t overshadow them in the fashion department, and be prepared to give a speech if you’re asked to do it.
Be honest when the plans are being composed – if you’re asked to commit to a task (or a level of spending) with which you’re uncomfortable, then speak up immediately.
A good set of bridesmaids won’t act in isolation. In most cases, there will be more than one bridesmaid at the wedding, and you might both have ideas about how things should go.
Treat it like a business venture: be willing to compromise, while still putting your point of view across, and while keeping in mind the primary objective: supporting the bride, and helping the wedding to go swimmingly.
If you do end up at loggerheads with the other bridesmaids, then make sure that you conceal the friction from the bride.
Otherwise, you risk casting a shadow over the big day, and your relationship with the bride.
Conclusion
While you might at first find yourself overwhelmed by all of the tasks and baggage that come along with being a bridesmaid, the truth is you’re only (ideally) going to get one chance at being a bridesmaid for this particular bride.
It’s important that you enjoy yourself, even when things are stressful and hectic.
The experience will only last for a matter of hours – so make sure that you aren’t going to look back on it with any regret.
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