WANT TO KEEP YOUR BRIDESMAIDS AND MAID OF HONOUR HAPPY?

 Then follow these simple steps to a stress free bridal party….

Balance the responsibilities

For the bride arranging a wedding will be a full-time occupation, but that doesn’t mean your maid of honour and bridesmaid will have to do the same.  You must keep in the forefront of your mind that they are your friends so you must make sure the relationships stay strong throughout the wedding planning.  Remember they will have a life outside your wedding so do not try and burden them with a list to do of jobs, you will have your family and fiancé to help you with the jobs too.

Ensure they are comfortable

You must remember that your maid of honour and bridesmaid will have all different figures, so some dress may not suit them all.  The best thing you could is inform them of the colour and length of the dress which you would like and let them pick there own dresses.  Yes okay they may not all be matching designs, however they will all look stunning together and most importantly they will beautiful and comfortable on the day.  (plus if the dresses don’t match designs it will show each individuals personality, and this will remind you why you loved them)

Keep count on the pennies

Your maid of honour and bridesmaids will be forking out a lot of money behind the scenes leading up to your wedding day… there will be hair, nails, hen weekend, travel expenses possibly hotel expenses.  Its best to bear all this in mind during your wedding planning and if you can afford it, why not treat them now and again to a lunch or pedicure, something nice to let them know that you really appreciate there time, effort, and expenses they have put into your wedding.

Keep the to-do list simple

This section really relates to the top section of this article you really need to make a simple to-do list which can be managed leading up and on the day.  You need to ask yourself “would I do this for her?” and then this will put things into perspective.  Don’t forget you have all your family members available who would love to help with the little arrangements and be involved in the day.

Be thankful

When it comes to your hen weekend you may not get what you expected, but don’t let this damper your mood.  You must remember that although its not what you wanted, a lot of thought and effort has gone into the weekend planning and all they wanted was to make you happy, so be appreciative.  Give them gifts to say thank you and you really appreciate the love and attention they have gone into the weekend.

Be her friend

This may seem really simple but you can get so caught up in planning the wedding that your friendship may be pushed to the side.  Ensure that when you meet up with your friend that you give her time to talk about her and what’s been going on in her life.  She will really appreciate the time to talk to you about what’s going on in her life and how she is feeling.  It has always got to be about your wedding, you need some time out too and listening to her will give you the break you may just need to switch off.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR FLOWER GIRL COMFORTABLE

Apart from being the gorgeous little flower girl that she will be it can be a very daunting task and she may become a little overwhelmed.  Follow these simple steps to make her feel comfortable so she can enjoy the day as much as you.

Practice

If you are walking down an aisle for your wedding why not give the flower girl plenty of practice leading up to the wedding.  You can practice at home or outdoors, you must remember to keep it fun at all times.  Practice the walk in the shop, in a park, out on the street… the more you do it in a public place the less likely it will be daunting to do it in the church as she will be used to people watching her (and you).

Involvement

Depending on how old your flower girl, get her involved in the preparations.  Invite your flower girl round to help with decorations of the invites, take your flower girl shopping with you when you sample wedding cakes.  If you keep your flower girl involved in the wedding process come the big day she will be familiarised with the décor and surroundings.

Beauty

Again depending on how old your flower girl will be why not get her involved in the morning of the wedding day, give your flower girl a little pamper, let her have her hair done and a bit of make up if she wishes.  This way she will not feel left out of the party.  If your flower girl has never had her hair or make up done before why not treat her a few times leading up the wedding, take her a manicure or have her hair done as a special treat for being your flower girl.

Most of all you want your flower girl to be relaxed on the day so ensure she meets all your bridesmaids and maid of honour, get her involved in the decorations, ensure that she feels completely comfortable in her surroundings and she will give you the best performance on the day.

GUIDE FOR YOUR FLOWER GIRL

Preparation in the morning

Ensure your flower girl has had her breakfast, showered, and done any messy tasks before putting her in her dress.  (if you can do not put her in the dress until the last minute)

Flowers

Is your flower girl carrying a basket of petals to throw down the aisle?  If so it might a suggestion to get someone to scatter some petals down the aisle beforehand so then if the flower girl does throw burst of petals it will still look equal down the aisle.

Photos

Chances are the photographer will be at the brides house/room in the morning so she will be introduced to the photographer there.  Ensure your flower girl feels comfortable around the photographer and maybe get the photographer to take a few “dummy” shots of the flower girl so she get settled with the camera before the day starts.

Walk up the aisle

If you have practised the walk leading up the wedding day then your flower girl should be fine with the walk.  However another trick to help her up the aisle would be to have her favourite teddy at the top of the aisle with one of your family members.  Or to give her a treat when she reaches the top of the aisle, this will help to coax her to the end.

Standing for a long period of time

If you feel your flower girl may have a short attention span during the wedding ceremony it might be a suggestion to bring her a colouring book and cranons into the venue so she can draw whilst the ceremony goes on.  The other suggestion is to have a designated person to take the flower girl outside if she gets fidgety so the ceremony will not be spoilt.  Always remember to congratulate the flower girl on a job well done.www.weddingxtras.co.uk/bridesmaid-91-c.asp

TIPS ON PICKING THE BRIDESMAIDS AND FLOWER GIRL ATTIRE

Choosing your colour theme
You need to pick the colour theme before you are able to go dress shopping with your bridesmaids and flower girl, this decision needs to made between you and your fiancé.

Will she wear it again?
If you splashing the cash to pay for your bridesmaids and flower girl dresses you would like to think they would wear it again to get the most out of the cost, so its best to bear this in mind when you are out choosing the dresses with your bridesmaids and flower girl.

Footwear
You need to keep in your mind when purchasing footwear for your bridesmaids and flower girl that they will not all be the same size and shape.  Some of your bridesmaids maybe tall so will not want big heels, whereas your flower girl and your bridesmaids may be short so therefore will want to wear heels.  As long as you ensure all the footwear is the same colour then you should leave them to choose their own style and design.
 
Jewellery
It is traditional for the bride to purchase the bridesmaids and flower girls jewellery as a gift to say thank you for being part of her special day.  It may nice to get the same jewellery for all as if the shoes and dresses are not the same style as list they will all be bonded by the same jewellery.
Flowers
Have you considered having each bridesmaid carry a bouquet of different flowers, all within your wedding colours? For example if your colours are pink and green, one bridesmaid could hold a bouquet of pale pink roses, another of fuchsia peonies, and another of green hydrangeas. Your flower girl can then carry a basket of all 3 coloured petals to scatter up the aisle and this will leave your bouquet to consist of one or two flowers from each of theirs, bringing the look together.