Tips on Keeping Your Bridesmaids Informed About Wedding Plans

If you are planning your wedding, please make sure that you are keeping your bridesmaids as up-to-date as possible. I beg you. For my wedding, I made sure that my girls always knew what was going on. After all, there is nothing worse than spending hundreds of dollars to share in someone's big day, and they don't even let you know what is happening.

My best friend got married two months after me, and I had the privilege of being her matron of honor. Apparently, keeping her nine girls updated on her wedding plans was not important. She refused to accept any input on bridesmaids dresses, and she waited until the last possible minute to inform us of her dress choice for us. So, we had one week to go to an out of the way bridal shop to order our dresses. And because of the late order date, we had three weeks to get our dresses altered! I thank my lucky stars that the woman who did the dresses for my wedding was able to squeeze me in. One month before the wedding, after much prodding, she finally said her bridesmaids were responsible for getting their own hair done. I will admit this was quite a surprise, after she had spent months insinuating that we would all go to her salon and get our hair done together. Imagine the mad rush to find a stylist that was not booked that day! She never sent out invitations for her rehearsal dinner. I had to beg her to at least send out an email to let her wedding party know times and locations.

And these are just a few examples! I didn't even know what her cake, flowers and centerpieces were going to look like! And I was the maid of honor! So, I'm sure you can imagine how the rest of the girls felt. It was so said to see how angry these girls were, especially when it all could have been avoided by doing a little extra work. I want to share some tips that helped make my girls really feel like they were appreciated and respected throughout the wedding planning.

When I finally decided on my bridesmaids, I made a card for each girl. They were in the wedding colors, and had a bridesmaid dress and flowers with the wedding date in rhinestones across the top. They were fabulous! Inside, I wrote a personal note to each girl explaining why it would mean so much to me to have them standing by my side on the most important day of my life. All the girls loved them, and it really got them excited for the upcoming nuptials!

I also took all of the girls to bridal stores to find out what kind of dresses they felt most comfortable in. They were thrilled to be able to give their input. We also went to Borders and would browse all the wedding magazines to get ideas! It was so much fun to spend time together, planning and dreaming! We came up with so many great ideas, and we got to enjoy one another's company!

After the dresses were picked and other plans began to solidify, I sent out a Bridesmaid Update Card. It was a 4" x 9.5" card (in wedding colors, of course!) with all of the information that would be important. At the top of the front side it said "Dress Information..." I listed everything that was important regarding their dresses - a picture, color swatch, contact info for the dress shop, hemming information, when to return it to me for steaming, etc. Below the dress information, I listed all of the important dates - bridal showers, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding. On the reverse side, under the heading "My Girls...", I listed contact information for all of the bridesmaids and female ushers - addresses, phone numbers, and email. This card was a great idea on so many levels! It gave the same information to all the girls, if they forgot something they could just look at the card, it kept everyone excited during that lull when not much is happening, and it was a reminder that no matter how many other things I had to take care of, they were still at the front of my mind. You can include anything you want on the card, these are just the things I used.

In addition to these simple ideas, I also put my cell phone to good use. Whenever I found out something that would pertain to them, I got to calling. Hair and make-up appointments, when the dresses were ordered, when the dresses came in, plans for the night before the wedding, wedding day plans, and the list goes on and on. I also left a surprise for them at the reception - flip flops! I can't tell you how relieved they were to find them on their seats at the head table! After a long day in your heels, there is nothing more refreshing than seeing those flip flops! Comfort at last!

Just remember - you asked these girls to be in your wedding for a reason. They are obviously important to you, and even though you are incredibly busy with all of the other details, you still need to remember them. They agreed to share this special day with you, and they want to support you and make sure everything runs smooth. But they can't do that unless you give them all of necessary information. Like I said, it will take some extra time, but they deserve to know the details, and your day will be all the more special if you have everyone on board! Have a wonderful wedding day! And enjoy the planning!