Being a Bridesmaid
Last year I was a bridesmaid for a friend of mine.
When she first asked me to be a bridesmaid I was very excited and honored.
I didn't know the work that would be involved, though.
Before you find yourself signed up as a bridesmaid, you might want to consider the following duties.
First, figure that you are likely to hate the dress but you will have to pay for it and wear it anyhow.
I've seen bridesmaid dresses that were so horrible that the bridesmaid considered burning it, but ended up just donating it to charity instead.
You'll pay a good price for the unattractive dress Ð and yet more for the matching shoes and any alteration that will be required to make it fit right.
But wait, there's more.
You also have a bridal shower.
This is like a formal party to celebrate the bride.
Guess who plans this? The bridesmaid! You have to plan it and organize it, find the location, invite all of the guests, figure out the food and order it, and so on.
That's not the only party you need to organize and host.
There's also the bachelorette party.
You want to plan something fun and a bit wild.
For your more high-maintenance bride, you may even end up planning something out of town Ð or on an exotic island Ð if that is what she wants.
Again, not cheap.
You have to attend it too because you are helping to throw it.
Next we consider the wedding day and the prep day before hand.
The day before the wedding is the day when all of the beauty stuff happens, like having nails done and hair colored, and then that evening there is the rehearsal.
On the wedding day you will be overscheduled and overtasked within an inch of your life.
The wedding I was in tracked where I was supposed to be, from -9 a.
m.
until midnight, using a color-coded chart.
For starters, we had to help her with her makeup and hair.
Then her dress needed something.
Then we had pictures.
The day went on and on.
On the wedding day, you have to do everything you can to attend the bride on her special day.
Being a bridesmaid is tough, and can get expensive.
While it is flattering to be asked, you need to check the practical requirements of the job before you accept.
It can be very rewarding, but you want to gauge your level of friendship and ask yourself if it is worth it to you for the amount of work that you are going to have to contribute.
When she first asked me to be a bridesmaid I was very excited and honored.
I didn't know the work that would be involved, though.
Before you find yourself signed up as a bridesmaid, you might want to consider the following duties.
First, figure that you are likely to hate the dress but you will have to pay for it and wear it anyhow.
I've seen bridesmaid dresses that were so horrible that the bridesmaid considered burning it, but ended up just donating it to charity instead.
You'll pay a good price for the unattractive dress Ð and yet more for the matching shoes and any alteration that will be required to make it fit right.
But wait, there's more.
You also have a bridal shower.
This is like a formal party to celebrate the bride.
Guess who plans this? The bridesmaid! You have to plan it and organize it, find the location, invite all of the guests, figure out the food and order it, and so on.
That's not the only party you need to organize and host.
There's also the bachelorette party.
You want to plan something fun and a bit wild.
For your more high-maintenance bride, you may even end up planning something out of town Ð or on an exotic island Ð if that is what she wants.
Again, not cheap.
You have to attend it too because you are helping to throw it.
Next we consider the wedding day and the prep day before hand.
The day before the wedding is the day when all of the beauty stuff happens, like having nails done and hair colored, and then that evening there is the rehearsal.
On the wedding day you will be overscheduled and overtasked within an inch of your life.
The wedding I was in tracked where I was supposed to be, from -9 a.
m.
until midnight, using a color-coded chart.
For starters, we had to help her with her makeup and hair.
Then her dress needed something.
Then we had pictures.
The day went on and on.
On the wedding day, you have to do everything you can to attend the bride on her special day.
Being a bridesmaid is tough, and can get expensive.
While it is flattering to be asked, you need to check the practical requirements of the job before you accept.
It can be very rewarding, but you want to gauge your level of friendship and ask yourself if it is worth it to you for the amount of work that you are going to have to contribute.
