The Ultimate Bridesmaid Checklist for the Wedding Day
As a bridesmaid for the upcoming wedding, there’s a lot more to do than just show up in a fancy new dress! Depending on your role or how close you are to the bride and groom, there are plenty of things you may need to do before, during, and after the wedding bells have rung.
To help you out, we’ve come up with this super handy, ultimate checklist for bridesmaids for the up and coming wedding day.
Here it is!
Before:
Create a group on Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, or other social media of choice so you and the other bridesmaids can all stay in touch.
Find and book accommodations. The couple will usually provide a hotel room block if it’s a destination wedding; just make sure you make your reservations as far in advance as possible.
Schedule time off from work (if possible). Speak to your employer about taking time off for whichever dates are most important (the hen party is one; the rehearsal dinner is another; the wedding day for sure you need off!).
Be there for the bride. Even if all you need to do is lend a hand or a listening ear for when she’s stressed out, sometimes that is exactly what’s needed.
Be there for the maid or matron of honour. You may not be aware of how much this person needs to for the bride (true fact: there’s a lot for them to do!).
Get your bridesmaid dress, shoes, and accessories beforehand. This can happen while wedding dress shopping for the bride.
Be positive, and offer to help (within reason). It’s not your wedding so you don’t need to go all out in the planning process, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help if the engaged couple needs it. Just try not to let helping plan the wedding take over your life!
Chip in for costs. While you’re not fully responsible for the cost of everything on your own, you can consider splitting the cost of any pre-wedding activities amongst everyone in the bridal party.
Buy a wedding gift. With all of the other duties to worry about, it’s best you don’t leave this until the very last minute. Check out the couple’s wedding registry to find the gift they’re looking for.
Pack an emergency kit for the day of. This can include: Band-Aids, ibuprofen, pads or tampons, a mini umbrella, a mini pair of scissors, makeup, hair pins and hair elastics, and the phone number of a taxi service (in case you want to drink at the wedding but have to go somewhere else, or need a ride home).
The Day of:
Make sure the bride has breakfast. With the I do’s approaching fast, she may not feel up to eating much of anything, but she will feel worse for not eating later in the day. That goes for you and the other bridesmaids too!
Assist the bride with her dress, jewelry, and shoes. Keep everything light and positive; if there are questions to be answered, direct everyone and avoid placing issues on the couple.
Help the bride get in and out of cars if she needs it. The more helpful you are the calmer things will be.
Be dressed and prepared yourself—that includes wearing the right dress, shoes, etc. Bring along your essentials such as your phone (switch it to vibrate or silent before the ceremony!), keys, wallet, and emergency kit.
During the Ceremony:
Know your cues. You should know during the ceremony when to walk down the aisle and when and where to stand. This will usually be discussed beforehand during the rehearsal dinner.
Help mind the kids. If a photographer was hired to take group photos, or if the couple has kids, it will be a huge help to them to make sure the kids are well-behaved. Depending on their age, little girls and boys aren’t the best at sitting still or listening to everything, and they may find the wedding boring (aside from the food, but it’ll be a while so they’ll have to wait). It’s okay to use bribery if you absolutely have to.
Stand with the bride at the altar. Even if you weren’t a big part of the pre-wedding planning or activities, this is the real reason the bride asked you to be her bridesmaid: to be present on the day of her wedding. Stand straight, hold your bouquet low, and smile (don’t be afraid to get emotional though!).
After:
Mix and mingle. Sometimes the newlywed couple won’t immediately appear at the reception, so it’s up to wedding members to ensure the guests are entertained. Feel free to introduce friends and family of the couple who haven’t met before the wedding.
Get guests to sign the guestbook, or visit the photo booth. These are optional, as every wedding is different and not every single one will have these (most of them do, but not all).
Tend to the bride and groom when they need help. It could be as simple as making sure they get food to eat, or re-adjusting the veil on the bride for photos.
Help the Maid/Matron of Honour with paying and tipping suppliers. It can take quite a few vendors to make the wedding day a good one, and if there’s no wedding planner then the paying task usually falls to the maid/matron of honour. If you can help speed up the process, do so.
Dance your heart out and enjoy the food and cake! Your role as a bridesmaid isn’t meant to be boring or stiff. You’ve put some effort into making sure the night is a blast for everyone; you deserve some fun!
Feel free to print this list out and save it for later! You can also share this with the other ladies in the bridal party if you think they need it!
Tick “dresses” off of your list first!
If you’re the bride looking for her ladies’ bridesmaid dresses, there’s no better place to start than our website! Emily also offers a special service the day of your wedding in that she will help tie up the dresses in whichever style of wrap dress is needed.
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