My best friend got married in the middle of the pandemic, and when she asked me to be her bridesmaid, I was living across the country from her. I wanted to be as supportive as I could be from a distance because I knew I probably wouldn’t get to see her until soon before the big day.
Fortunately, her wedding was small, and everything pretty much went off without a hitch! I’m not going to pretend there weren’t some bumps along the way, though. But it was a great first bridesmaid opportunity for me and I got some experience helping make the bride’s day as lovely as possible.
So, what’s a bridesmaid to do, in pandemic and non-pandemic times? You need to be prepared to help the bride with everything from selecting bridesmaid dresses to getting dressed on the day. Here are a few top tips on how you can help the bride to make her big day even more special.
Choosing Bridesmaid Dresses
Choosing bridesmaid dresses is not always easy. At the moment, going out shopping may even be challenging because of the pandemic. And if you live far from the bride, like I did, it may not make too much of a difference whether you shop for your dress in person…or online.
Why not suggest shopping online for bridesmaid dresses as an alternative to the bride-to-be? The online brand Cicinia offers a fantastic range of beautiful bridesmaid dresses. No matter your body shape or figure, Cicinia has an excellent selection of dresses that will make any bridesmaid look stunning.
Online bridesmaid dress shopping lets the bride have enough input but, ultimately, you can take the reins on finding dresses. It’s way easier than browsing in stores — it can be done from the comfort of your own home (and your own side of the country).
What About The Flowers?
Flowers play an important role on the big day. Many brides have an idea of what they are looking for when it comes to flowers, but that doesn’t mean the bride should do all of the hard work herself.
Why not take some time out to check out flowers, colors, and different styles of arrangements and bouquets? This is one of the best ways you can help your bride.
Start by looking at ideas on sites such as Pinterest. When you have a better idea of what the bride would like, you can start visiting local florists. Get an idea of what her budget is like and ask for pricing information and other important details, like whether they’ll deliver and what they offer for bridesmaid/groomsmen. Even just coming to the bride with a list of options you’ve already narrowed down will be a HUGE help.
Don’t Forget About The Makeup
It’s easy to forget about the bride’s makeup look until the day of, but that can be disastrous. Who wants to worry about choosing which eyeshadow to wear on the morning of their wedding?
You can suggest to the bride that she hire a professional makeup artist on the day. That takes a lot of the hassle out of the situation. If she thinks that sounds like a good idea, it is important to visit different makeup artists before the big day. Ask to see shots of previous wedding looks they’ve done, ask if they charge, and see if they’ll come to you or if you have to go to them.
If the bride prefers to do her own makeup, consider visiting a cosmetics counter with her to talk about the type of look she wants, what products she needs for it, and how to apply it. Make sure she practices before her wedding, too!
Doing Her Hair
Both the bridesmaids’ and bride’s hair are super important. Once again, this is where you need to plan ahead. Make sure that you have visited a few local hairdressers and checked out how they style bridal hair.
Perhaps you already have a favorite hairdresser. If you do, you need to make sure that she can handle bridal hair as well as bridesmaid’s hair. Is she going to cope with doing more than one hairdo on the day?
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Maybe you’re lucky enough to have a fellow bridesmaid who knows her way around a head of hair — if so, (and if she’s willing to do everyone’s hair) make sure everyone knows what they’re doing with their hair before the big day, and have everyone do as much of their own hair prep as they can.
Coping With The Guest List
The guest list for most weddings is rather extensive, and each name added means a whole lot more work for the bride and groom. Once they’ve figured out who they’re inviting, you can step in and help with the logistics.
You can help the bride and groom send out invites — writing names and addresses on envelopes takes longer than you may think! They also might want help figuring out seating arrangements and making wedding favors and name cards for each person. Food is another issue — you could offer to organize every guest’s food choice and communicate that to the reception caterers.
Have you been a bridesmaid before? What advice do you have on how to be a good bridesmaid? Share your tips in the comments below.
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