Bridesmaids at a wedding, their duties and rules of conduct

Guests, Preparation, Articles January 28 The Bride

Being a bridesmaid is not only an honor, but also many responsibilities, and the larger the celebration, the more of them. We decided to help the bridesmaids and tell them what awaits them in this exciting role.

Fight panic

Many brides start to panic in the last weeks and days before the wedding, wondering if they did everything right and if their choice of dress, restaurant, ceremony location, performers and so on was good enough. Your task as the main bridesmaid is to reassure the bride and confirm the fact that everything has been prepared at the highest level.

And if thoughts of drastic changes at the last moment do not leave your friend, then talk seriously with her and, making sure that she is thinking soberly and not panicking, help make all the changes as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Who can be a witness or bridesmaid at a wedding?

As a matter of routine, during the registration of a marriage, the presence of witnesses is required to sign the official documents.

In addition to such an official mission, the witness and witness accompany the bride and groom throughout the entire wedding celebration. As a rule, the groom does not experience any particular difficulties when choosing a witness for the wedding; it is enough for him to offer this honorable role to a close friend, and the choice is over.

It's a different matter with the bride. There are many recommendations for choosing a bridesmaid who will be the main witness at the wedding. According to established tradition, brides entrust this honorable mission to their close friends or relatives. There is a common belief that a bridesmaid must be unmarried.

This statement can be called controversial, because since the times of Ancient Rus', older, experienced people were chosen as guarantors or witnesses for a young couple.

So you can safely ignore such ridiculous conventions. However, from a practical point of view, it is best to choose an unmarried single girl for the role of the main girlfriend. In this case, she will be able to constantly be near the bride, and no one will be jealous of her groom’s witness.

For the role of witness, you need to choose a girl with the following character traits:

responsibility;
punctuality;
attentiveness;
cheerfulness;
wit;
ability to act decisively in critical situations.

A wedding is a fun, festive event, so a bridesmaid should be able to have fun and make the bride happy. A shy friend of the bride will be embarrassed, and it will be difficult for her to support the newlywed, who herself is not used to being the center of everyone’s attention, especially when a song is played at the event, and she needs to “light up” the crowd of guests and relatives along with the witness.

An overly shy witness will not be able to cheerfully “bargain” during the bride price and participate in funny pranks.

If quiet and shy people are not suitable for the role of main girlfriends, then there is no need to go to extremes and invite violent, eccentric people who are partial to alcoholic beverages.

If the chosen girlfriend causes antipathy among the groom and his witness, then the bride should refuse such a choice so as not to spoil the mood of her beloved loved one - her future spouse.

A situation often arises when the bride has many close friends, and she does not know who to give preference to and appoint as the main witness at the wedding . In this case, we can advise you to pay attention to the beautiful European tradition - several bridesmaids who, in identical dresses and with identical bouquets of flowers, accompany the bride at the wedding ceremony.

The most important thing is that a person who enjoys the bride’s absolute trust is chosen for this role.

Organizing a bachelorette party

You can certainly entrust the issue of the pre-wedding party to your friends, even if it is a surprise bachelorette party, and you will be the hero of the occasion. This way you won’t know all the details, but that’s the beauty of it - you won’t have to waste energy on organizing a bachelorette party, because the wedding itself is ahead. Plus, we think your girlfriends know you well enough to throw an unforgettable party that you might not have decided to host yourself.

In one style

This option gives guests more freedom. Bridesmaids' dresses may be different in color, style and materials, but they will be united by a single style, which will guide the entire wedding concept. For example, you can ask the girls to wear old Hollywood or floral print dresses for an outdoor spring event.

Photo: Maxim Koliberdin

What should a bridesmaid do after the wedding?

The guests have left, the party is over, but this does not mean that you can relax. “Debriefing” after the wedding requires no less effort than preparing for the celebration. And here the bridesmaid should come to the rescue. What should she do? At a minimum, help sort out gifts and put things in order if circumstances require it. When you leave the place of celebration, make sure that not a single gift or bouquet is forgotten. Organize a dinner or tea party the next day to discuss the details and highlights of the wedding. After the excitement experienced, such gatherings help to relax and unwind.

In this article, we looked at what a bridesmaid does before, during and after a wedding. Read about the duties and functions of other participants in the celebration on the wedding portal www.svadbagolik.ru. Organize the perfect holiday with us!

Bridesmaid Responsibilities

She arrives early for the registration ceremony and helps the bride out of the car.
Before registration, he helps remove the veil and takes the bouquet.
After registration, collects bouquets.
During the day, her purse should always contain matting napkins, lipstick, spare stockings, deodorant, thread and needle, mineral water and other little things that the bride may need at any time.

Throughout the day, she makes sure that the bride looks good and also helps her visit the ladies' room.
At a banquet, a friend needs to help seat guests, help collect gifts, and monitor the table so that it is not empty.

By the way, the bridesmaid is the main point of contact for all the service staff that evening, so that they do not bother the bride and groom with questions about “when to serve appetizers”, etc.
She also needs to make sure photographers, videographers and toastmasters are fed.

However, at the banquet, all responsibility will lie not only with her, but also with the groom’s groomsman.

The list of responsibilities is simply huge, so you should immediately discuss everything with the bride and distribute powers. In addition, if the bride has invited several bridesmaids, then you just need to correctly distribute all the responsibilities.

Have you had the honor of being a bridesmaid at a wedding?

Preparation of documents and cosmetics bags

Of course, the bridesmaids will play a big role not during preparation, but on the day of the celebration itself. Their help will be useful to you from the very morning - they should always be with you to support you, make sure that you don’t forget to have breakfast and collect all the documents. By the way, about documents. Since from the very morning you will be in a whirlpool of people and events, ask your most responsible friend on the eve of the celebration to collect the necessary documents in a file and a cosmetic bag, and take them with you on the wedding day. And, of course, don't forget about the rings!

Help at the registry office

Arriving at the registry office or other place where the wedding will take place, you should not stand on the sidelines admiring the beauty of the bride, but help her straighten the train of her dress and veil. Critically evaluate the appearance of your unmarried friend and help correct the defects. But under no circumstances talk out loud about shortcomings. Give your friend a hug before her wedding ring appears on her ring finger. And of course, remind her of her unearthly beauty.

Already during the painting, you may be needed to hold the bouquet or help the bride escape if she decides not to commit herself to marriage.

Main responsibilities in preparing for the holiday

By choosing bridesmaids, you thereby confirm a special trusting attitude towards these girls. Therefore, your friends can be proud of this status. But besides this high title, there are a number of responsibilities that must be observed.

They should provide assistance in choosing a wedding dress and accessories for the bride.
Arrange with a hairdresser, makeup artist and manicurist.
Their help will be needed in the production of invitation cards, as well as their distribution.
Organize a good bachelorette party.
The bride price is also given to the bridesmaid. She must organize an interesting scenario.
Decorating the apartment and cars also falls on the shoulders of the girlfriends.
They find and enter into an agreement with a toastmaster, a photographer.
They should prepare one common gift from the bridesmaids.
In addition to all their duties, they must provide psychological and moral support, because a wedding is a very important event in the life of the bride.

Editor's Choice: Wedding Wishing Tree

Identical outfits: pros and cons.

The idea of dressing all the girls in the same outfit has its pros and cons. The bride faces several questions:

Will everyone agree?
Who pays?
Who comes up with the design?..

So, in order: in the West, the bridesmaids’ outfits are paid in full or in part by the bride, but there this is customary at all weddings and no questions arise. The style is usually chosen depending on the theme of the celebration and the time of year.

Dress options for bridesmaids:

Completely identical dresses
I sew completely identical dresses for all the girls, from the same fabric and the same color. Shoes, bouquets, hairstyles and accessories can be different. This option is good if all the girls are about the same build.
Same color and fabric, but different style
This option is suitable for girls of different heights and builds; the length and style of dresses may differ slightly, but not dramatically; it is still important to maintain a single style. In this case, it is better to order tailoring from one dressmaker. Now, for example, transformable dresses are very popular; they have a universal silhouette, several length options, and most importantly, each girl can fasten the top differently, showing individuality.
Same style, but different color
This option is also popular, the so-called amber effect, when girls have dresses of the same style, but in different shades of the same color, for example, from soft lilac to rich purple. This option is good if it is difficult to choose a color that suits all girls.

Turquoise Bridesmaid Dresses

The advantages of identical outfits are undeniable:

Wedding style support
If the entire celebration is in one color, then the girls dressed the same way create a bright spot of color, which visually makes the image of the celebration complete and winning.
Looks great in the photo
Photos with identically dressed bridesmaids look amazing. Don't believe me? Just look at a selection of photos with bridesmaids in identical dresses, and then compare with photos where your friends are dressed separately, and draw conclusions.
The bride stands out among everyone
Still, a wedding is a holiday dedicated to the bride and groom; bridesmaids dressed in the same style create a beautiful background, emphasizing the perfection and uniqueness of the bride.

But there are also some disadvantages that you may encounter when deciding to dress your friends the same:

Difficulty in choosing color and style
All girls are different, each has their own taste, advantages and disadvantages of their figure. It is quite difficult to choose a universal style and color for dresses, because it should not only suit the girls, but also fit into the style and color scheme of the celebration. And, nevertheless, you can find compromises: slightly different styles, different shades of dresses, and so on, you just need to get together and discuss everything.
Financial aspect
Everyone’s financial situation is different, this is also worth taking into account. If it is not possible to pay for the tailoring of the dresses, then the bride can buy the fabric and choose a seamstress, discuss the styles with her friends, and the girls will pay for the tailoring, provided that the dress remains in their wardrobe.
Not all girls can agree
Perhaps someone will say that they do not want to participate in this. Of course, you shouldn’t insist, but after all, this is your celebration, so a real friend can compromise and please the bride.

Post-wedding affairs

The bridesmaids' help doesn't end with the wedding day, quite the opposite. After the ceremony, the bridesmaids can take care of transporting gifts to your home, and also take care of the fate of your wedding dress - pack it properly and send it to the dry cleaner. These responsibilities are especially important if you immediately go on your honeymoon after the wedding and are busy getting ready. They can also help guests find items forgotten at the wedding venue and advise guests when photos will be ready.

Photo: Misha Moon, Andrey Nastasenko.

Appearance

Looking your best is the direct responsibility of every bridesmaid.
It’s great if the bride has the opportunity to pay for the costs of her bridesmaids’ dresses, but if not, you yourself need to make sure that the dress, shoes and accessories match each other and suit the style of the wedding and the outfit of the main character of the holiday. The purpose of your dress is not to attract as much attention as possible, but to help create a harmonious picture of the celebration. Bridesmaids: TOP-30 ideas from real weddings

Painting ceremony

It is worth saying that the witness and witness at a wedding have many important responsibilities. But still, their most important roles are as witnesses during the painting ceremony. What should a bridesmaid remember here?

It is the witness and witness who must spread the towel in front of the newlyweds in the registry office.
When the couple signs the wedding, the witness holds the bride's bouquet.
The witness and witness put their signatures in the marriage registration book.
The witnesses have the responsibility to beautifully arrange the guests in the “corridor” along which the newlyweds will pass.
After the painting, it is the witness who accepts the bouquets that are given to the couple.

If before the painting the witness rides in the car with the bride, and the witness with the groom, then after the registry office the newlyweds ride in the main car, and the witnesses ride in the next one in the wedding procession.

How to choose a bridesmaid?

Since they play an important role in the pre-wedding preparations and at the celebration itself, you need to choose a girlfriend seriously. A couple of practical tips will help simplify the choice. So, the candidate must:

sociable - she must be able to communicate with every guest and host of the celebration;
knows how to “control herself” - the girl perceives all kinds of situations normally, does not get lost in unusual situations;
collected and responsible - carries out all instructions clearly and accurately;
sense of humor - she manages to turn difficult situations into a positive attitude;
photogenic - numerous staged shots are taken with her, and she should always be nearby.

There is an opinion that only an unmarried girl can be a bridesmaid at a wedding. However, this is the wrong approach, because your family happiness does not depend in any way on your friend’s status. The main thing is that you want to see her as your girlfriend on this day, and whether she is married or not is not so important. By the way, even a relative can become a friend.