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Beginner September 2023 Essex

Do i have the right to be miffed?

Caroline, 18 March, 2023 at 11:04 Posted on Etiquette and Advice 0 4
I decided to organise my own hen do for just 6 of us to Italy next month - me, my Mum, chief bridesmaid, second bridesmaid, younger bridesmaid & her Mum who is doing my hair & make up for the day. I have arranged it all & paid for it as a thank you present to all the ladies for being part of the wedding because I knew exactly what I wanted to do & didn't want anything outrageous organised for me. My CBM asked if she could do anything or get anything & the only thing I asked her to do was to sort some hen do "accessories" like a few sashes, novelty veil, some "bride to be" bits but nothing too tacky or expensive. I love her dearly & we've been friends for years, particularly close for the past 5 - 6 years but aside from being super organised with her job, she really has no sense of organisation & would rather throw money at a problem than actually do it herself. As suspected, we're a couple of weeks away & my Mum asked if she could get me some "L" plates for the hen & I said yes because CBM hadn't said anything about what she'd found or put together. I told CBM what my Mum wanted to get & her response was "well if your Mum wants to sort out all of the bits that's fine with me". I don't know why I was surprised but in the end I got the feeling that if I didn't organise it all myself, I'd end up with nothing & my parents are already contributing a great deal towards the day so asking my Mum to pay for more things felt far too cheeky. Going by this example, I have the feeling that CBM will be all talk when it comes to the day, she won't actually be any help to me & I'll end up mega stressed unless I organise everything to the nth degree (if you can't tell by now yes, I'm a control freak). We are going away on a pre-wedding trip together in June (that yes you've guessed it, I've organised) - should I drop it into conversation then that I'm really hoping for her full support on the wedding day? She's been married before so she should know how I'll be feeling, I just feel I shouldn't have to do all the running if she's already told me she will be there for me. She has a daughter who will not be coming to the wedding because she's deliberately told me she wants to concentrate on being there for me with no distractions. Please tell me I'm being paranoid & she will actually turn up for me when it counts?!

4 replies

Latest activity by Caroline, 20 March, 2023 at 18:59
  • R
    Genius July 2020 Monmouthshire
    RomanticGreenStationery27135 ·
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    Unless your friend has bailed on you in the past on important events, I think you are overworrying.

    It's not as if you asked her to organise the hen do and she didn't - you organised it yourself because you wanted to. And she may well have been planning to get the things you asked her to but your mother who asked if she could buy them instead. It would be really pushy of your bridesmaid to insist on buying them when your mother has said she wants to.

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  • C
    Beginner September 2023 Essex
    Caroline ·
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    Sorry maybe I wasn't clear - I asked CBM to buy them when she asked a few months ago what she could buy/do. It was only last week when my Mum said she wanted to buy something specific but I see what you mean - maybe she thought she didn't want to tread on her toes & but separate things but the cynic in me feels like she's treated it as a get-out-of-jail-free card. I'll see how the next few weeks go & see if she steps up with other things - we have our 1st bridesmaid dress appointment in a couple of weeks so I'm hoping there won't be any diva outbursts & everything will be fine!
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  • S
    Rockstar April 2023 West London
    Sarah ·
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    I think a big part of this will depend on what you’ll be wanting her to do for the big day. Perhaps prepping things in advance might not be her strength, but being a support on the day might be a different matter.

    I haven’t really asked much from my bridesmaids at all to prepare for the wedding, but they all have small but important jobs on the day (one will be responsible for doing up my dress and bustling it later, another is in charge of my belongings on the day, and one has been tasked with making sure I drink water throughout the day). Not huge jobs, but important all the same.

    I’ve also tried hard to keep perspective of the fact that although my wedding is the biggest thing in my life right now, it isn’t the case for everyone. One of my bridesmaids is pregnant and moving into their new house 2 days before the wedding, while another is recovering from surgery. I think it’s really important not to equate a lack of engagement in advance with a lack of enthusiasm on the day - I know them well enough to know they’ll be there for me on the day. Hopefully you also know yours well enough to know how she’ll be on the day.

    Try really hard to relax about it and enjoy the planning with whoever is involved.

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  • C
    Beginner September 2023 Essex
    Caroline ·
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    Thank you so much Sarah - I think this was the pep talk I needed! Love the idea of giving everyone a job on the day, that's a great idea x
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