Here's the story: My older sister and her boyfriend left to Mexico over the summer for a family trip as a couple of almost 3 years, and came back a future Mr. & Mrs. to be! It wasn't too shocking considering my family and I knew it would happen sometime, we just weren't sure exactly when haha. So now that the ring is on my sister's finger, the planning has commenced and bridesmaids have been called to fulfill their duties. Lucky me, I've been pronounced the Maid of Honor and don't have to repeat any Annie vs. Helen movie scenes from 'Bridesmaids'...kidding but not really! Anyway, as a year of wedding planning begins, I'm looking forward to spending time with my sister's bridesmaids and being a part of the wedding so much that I've made a list of must do's we, as a the brides wedding party, would probably have fun doing! See the list below:
1. Cocktail Making and Tasting Party
It's a fun tradition at a wedding for the bride and groom to provide a taste of their signature drinks. These drinks can totally be simple and only involve two ingredients, or they can be a cool blend of several mixtures! Either way, the bride and groom want to make sure they're serving the best tasting drinks during the cocktail hour and well, what better way to experiment than by hosting a tasting party? Enter the bridesmaids to be the beef eaters and supporters! This might be a minor excuse to have a Sunday Funday type of get together, but it definitely serves a purpose.
2. Dress Shopping
This is an obvious one, but an important event that can actually be a lot of fun. Everyone has their own fashion sense, opinions and fit liking, therefore it's nice when a bride takes this into consideration. In return, it's also very helpful when bridesmaids respect the visions of the bride! So, to avoid any conflict and unhappiness, maybe it's just best to wear different style dresses! It's probably a no brainer really, but I think if the bride can designate the color, the bridesmaids should be able to find what they like. Trust me, I hate the color baby blue with every bone in my body, but I've seen some alright looking baby blue dresses before that I'd consider wearing lol. Dress shopping would be so fun to have a mini bridesmaids fashion show montage until everyone agreed on the dress they wanted, and it also comes with memories the bride and her maids will forever enjoy.
3. Invitation Stuffing Party
Although this is something the bride and groom usually put together, there may be an occasion where the groom might be busy! This just makes for another excuse to get the maids together and spend quality time with the bride and wine!?! A cute idea would be to assign one job to each bridesmaid and form a line work set up. For example, the line can begin with one bridesmaid in charge of opening the envelope, followed by inserting the main invitation, then the RSVP card, then the wedding registry, etc. Not only is this a safe way to ensure every single envelope is stuffed with all materials, it also lifts stress off of the bride and groom as they try to tackle hours worth of stuffing 100+ envelopes. Leave it up to the maids to get this done!
4. DIY Day
Aside from the memories made throughout the wedding planning experience, another special way to unite bridesmaids is to host a DIY day. Whether it may be crafting wedding jewelry, bouquet's, or shoe accessories, these are simple objects that only the bridesmaids and bride will have on that special day. I personally love the idea of crafting wedding jewelry like a simple bracelet for the bridesmaids to wear the day of the wedding. Another cute idea could be to decorate the bottom of their heels with a cute message, or craft a simple hair accessory. The ideas are endless and come with special meaning.
5. The Official Bachelorette Party
I'm sitting behind my computer screen laughing while I type this because the thought of a girls weekend never fails to bring in some of the best memories, and I personally can't wait to participate in the atrocity! We're lucky to live really close to Vegas so that's always a fun option since Vegas really has everything we need for a party. I know some brides go out of state for their parties, and that's fun too! I'd say as bridesmaids, it's our duty to make sure the bride goes BUCKWILD on her 'last weekend as a single woman' retreat. A few simple duties could include setting a theme, decorating the hotel room, wearing special outfits, coming up with a weekend itinerary and maybe even strapping a bottle of tequila around the bride's neck! JUST KIDDING I WOULD NEVER DO THAT ;). All in all, this should be a weekend to remember and become a topic of conversation those attending the retreat will always bring up with pure laughter.
Xo..Brocade Closet
