What does a bridesmaid do?

Will be keeping an eye on this.

I've got 2 of mine organising hen do / weekend but the rest have had nothing to do as yet.

It probably suits them that way to be fair.

Just thought, the other 2-3 I could ask to help set up the venue the day before.

My BM's haven't done anything other than organise my hen do and coming shopping for their BM dresses. I didn't really want their help with any of the other planning because me & my OH were quite happy to pootle along and I wanted to keep our day a surprise to everyone.

On the day they will be helping me get ready, helping get people together for photo's and hopefully will be on hand if I need anything (can't think what I might need but hey ho!)

I too will be keeping an eye on this. My sisters and neice's are the BM's and so far all I've had them do is come shopping for their dresses. I'm not sure what else to ask them to do as I've pretty much sorted everything myself.

I know that on the day they will be helping me get ready and also helping with calming my nerves so perhaps that's enough....

I have no actually asked mine to 'do' anything as such. I expected them to come shopping with me when we picked out dresses for them. I expect them to attend my hen do. I expect them to come down the day before the wedding do attend the rehearsal and the pre-wedding dinner we are having for the wedding party the night before. However, if there had been a problem with any of this I would have tried to be understanding and work a way around it. All I really want from them is that they are there to support me on the day.

As I have picked close friends to be my bridesmaids it also happens that they have listened to all my wedding related joys and woes and one of them is organising my hen do. I haven't given them any specific jobs though.

Hadn't thought about keeping the venue and details a surprise for everyone.

Maybe me and OH will dress it ourselves completely...

I may be completely under-estimating, but I can't see it taking 'that' long!

A range of things, not everything with every BTB but these are some examples of tasks carried out in the past. Sure I've missed some, but gives you an idea:

Pre Wedding:

Dress shopping/fittings
Attended wedding Fairs
Searched for items/ideas and help with theme planning/buying etc.
Made stationery and decorations
Organised Hen party

Wedding Eve / Day:
Set up tables, ironed table cloths and decorated venue
Bride and other Bridesmaid's make up and help with getting dressed.
Pay / liase with suppliers
Fire fighting and general dealing with problems so the couple didn't find out.
Hold dress while the bride went to the loo!

Phew, glad I'm in retirement now!

I think mine will come into their own in the day. I know my sister will be the person to keep me calm and just get things done. My best friend will be at the reception venue the night before so she is going to make sure the OH has set things up how I want them before she heads over to get her hair and make up done!

I think one of my BMs will wind me up on the morning of our wedding rather than calm me!

They have already told me how I better not be 'bossy' etc and how much of a nightmare I am going to be on the morning of the day.

Little do they know I am feeling the same but RE them! Its one of those things like someone constantly asking why you are in a mood when your not, and it ends up making you moody!?

As much or as little as you ask them to really! I was a massive control freak, plus I work at a desk all day whereas both my BMs are teachers, so it was just easier for me to do research/booking things etc.

When I was BM for my sister though, these are some of the things I did:

Pre-wedding

Go dress shopping for her and for us

Go to all her fittings

Help her choose her shoes/accessories

Attend wedding fayres

Help her make her invitations/menus etc

Night before the wedding:

Put favours together

Generally keep her calm!

On the day:

Generally keep her calm!

Help her go to the toilet

Bustle her dress for the evening

Mingle with guests and check if everyone was ok

My MOH is very involved but both of the other bridesmaids live over five hours away so it's hard to keep them involved.... will be keeping an eye on this for ideas too.

Well I am far to much of a control freak to let them do much of anything to be honest! They chose their dress and will choose their shoes. Each one lives a minimum of 200 miles from the next so not much they can do together! They'll also sort out my hen do.

On the day tasks as I seem them are:

- Make sure my veil and dress are not rumpled up for the pictures

- give out confetti

- look pretty walking down the aisle

- be extremely nice to me

- shepherd the mums into the correct cars and generally keep an eye on them

- generally tell the guests what an angel I am.

I have waited a blooming long time for this wedding, and there was no way I was going to delegate anything - I wanted to revel in doing every last bit.

I may allow them to check up on the table/floral set up if my control freakery allows.

xxx

My BM is also my BFF so she's just there for everything i want her to do, which isn't much because i'm turning into a control freak. The only job i have actually given her is organising the Hen do although i have already picked location and activities, she just has to collect monies and organise everyone. She has also come wedding dress shopping with me and been to wedding fayres but everything else me and H2B are organising ourselves.

Some BM are quite happy not having anything to do and are just happy that they are part of your wedding xx

My MOH is over 400 miles away so isn't doing very much except oooh and aaaah over pictures I send her at the moment, she will be arranging the hen do "back home" for me though.

I don't have any other BM's but I do have a best woman! She's had a couple of traumatic experiences as bridesmaid over the past few years and we came to an understanding that I wouldn't put pressure on her to "perform" on the day. She won't be wearing a BM dress or walking up the aisle but she's pretty much doing everything else. She came dress shopping with me, is helping with table and venue decorating, arranging my local hen do, babysitting when I have wedding-type appointments and will act as usher on the day ( we don't have ushers). It's quite nice to have someone involved that isn't busy worrying about what I'm going to ask them to wear and playing along to keep me happy.

My CBM is designing my save the date cards and invitations (she is a graphic designer and runs things by me like she would a client - I love this!). We're also making the place names etc together and we've been to a fair whack of wedding fayres too (and probably a few more - she goes to snoop ideas from other designers so I don't think she minds) She's also coming dress shopping with me and picking out the dresses for her and the other two BM's. My Glasgow based BM is throwing me a hen party up north and my down south BM is completing her masters and her OH has cancer so she can pretty much just show up on the day or not. It'll be great if she can make it but she's got bigger things than my wedding (should there be such a thing!) to think about so it's all cool.If she does make it, she takes excellent photos so she'll make sure there are a lot of good candid shots throughout the evening as she doesn't drink

Glasgow BM is also singing at my ceremony and is in charge of keeping my SIL2B in check (bit of an attention seeking Drama queen that one!).

Yikes, reading this back do I come across as a bit of a bridezilla? The girls are doing loads for me but then again, they do owe me for a million bottles of wine and hot dinners round mine for the past 15 years or so!

2 of mine really organised my hen weekend (and now organising my first I appreciate what hard work it is)

Came to dress fittings.

Moral support in the morning.

Just generally being my besties.

I didn't look for them to complete any specific tasks, and particularly not on the day as I just wanted them to relax and enjoy the day as much as me, whicb they did.