Hey y’all, Makenzie here for today’s blog post. Since I was just a bridesmaid in Kellie’s wedding last year, we thought it would be fun to talk about how to be a good bridesmaid. For me, Kellie’s wedding was the first wedding that I was in as an adult. It was a completely new experience, but I learned a lot along the way.

1. Listen – As a bridesmaid, you’re going to want to make sure the bride gets everything she wants during her pre-wedding and wedding day experiences. The first thing you can do to ensure her happiness is to listen to what she wants. Remember, this experience is not about you. Listen to what the bride wants for the bachelorette party, bridal shower(s), gifts, things she doesn’t want to have to worry about, and even things she might not want to tell the group of bridesmaids so you’ll need to tell them. I can remember literally taking notes when Kellie would talk about her dream bridal shower and bachelorette party. I wanted to make sure we didn’t miss one important detail.
2. Chip In – Look, most of the time when you’re a bridesmaid, you’re in your 20s or 30s and you may not be in a financial position to spend a ton of money. This is totally understandable and relatable. However, I do think it’s important to do what you can and to not let the financial burden fall on one person. Even if you have to DIY a banner or do a random babysitting (or other odd job) to make some extra dough to spend on decor or group outings. Being a bridesmaid is expensive for everyone, so save up and help out the group. If you are in a tough financial situation and really cannot chip in for the bachelorette party or other expenses, have a honest and realistic talk with the group and the bride. People will be understanding, but you have to be honest about it and offer to help out in other ways.
3. Arrive On Time and Looking Fine – Weddings and pre-wedding events usually have pretty strict timelines. Do not be late. Do your best to be on time and looking your best to any and all events that the bride requests your attendance at. You’ll want to look your best for all the photos that will last a lifetime.
4. Take Candids – A good bridesmaid takes tons of photos, a great bridesmaid takes tons of candid and action shot photos. What a special treat for the bride to look back on. She will appreciate you taking photos to help her remember the special day and pre-wedding events.
5. Be a Team Player – It’s super important that everyone in the bridal party feels included. I know it might be a little awkward at first, especially not knowing all the different girls from different times in the brides life, but do your best to include everyone in your plans.
6. Be Responsive – Answer the group texts! The bride will appreciate this more than you know.
7. Save the Drama – I can assure you, the last thing the bride needs is drama. Do your best to be a good friend and minimize the drama between the bridesmaids or family members. It can be hard with so many girls, but as they say, “save the drama for your mama!”
8. Try On Your Bridesmaid Dress As Soon As You Receive It – I say this because your dress most likely will need to be altered. If it doesn’t need to be altered, it might be see-through. You might need to think about Spanx, sticky bras, or other specialty undergarments that look best under the dress. For Kellie’s wedding, we all tried on the dress about a month and a half before the wedding and realized that half the dresses were completely see-through. We couldn’t figure out any specialty undergarments that would work – you could see everything. Luckily, we were able to exchange them for a different style, but it was super stressful so close to the wedding. I would definitely recommend taking care of this as soon as you receive your dress to avoid return deadlines and added stress.
9. Be Supportive – This is probably the most important part of being a great bridesmaid. Support the bride in the entire wedding planning process. Help her make decisions. Be there for her when she’s stressed out. Offer to help with whatever she may need. Make sure the bride eats on the wedding day. Make sure the bride also has a drink on the wedding day. Basically, just be there for whatever the bride may need. On Kellie’s wedding day, we realized her dress had fallen in the garment bag and was completely wrinkled. Kellie’s mom and some of the bridesmaids were steaming the dress hours before the ceremony was set to start. Weddings are stressful, she will be happy to have you there by her side before and during the wedding.
10. Have Fun! – Don’t forget to have fun! I was a little bit anxious about Kellie’s bachelorette party because I didn’t know all the girls, but I ended up having the most fun I’ve had in a really long time. It was nice to have a weekend dedicated to nothing but fun. The wedding was even better, just so much fun with family and friends.