‘Yes, I'll be your bridesmaid' … where to from here?

Words by Lauren Marks Crennan

Your dearest friend has recently become engaged and there is an air of excitement around the pending nuptials. The bride-to-be hasn't been able to wipe the smile from her face for weeks … and then the phone call comes. It may sound something like, - Let's go out to lunch, just the two of us,” or maybe she says, - We have been friends for so long now.” Either way it is leading to the golden question that many brides ask at least one girlfriend during the planning of her wedding – - Will you be my bridesmaid?”

This is, more often than not, followed by tears of joy and declarations of reciprocal love and treasured friendship. So now that you have accepted the coveted title of bridesmaid* where do you go from here? Following are some details of the role and responsibilities that you are about to undertake, the financial requirements and what you should do to help the bride through the often stressful process of planning a wedding. (*For the purposes of this article we use the term bridesmaid for both bridesmaids and maid-of-honour.)

The fact that you have been asked by the bride-to-be to be her bridesmaid is a huge honour. The bride has chosen you as one of the few people to intimately share her journey from fiancée to wife; she has chosen you as the person she wants standing by her side when she says her vows on her wedding day. The bride's choice to ask you to be her bridesmaid speaks volumes of her respect and love of your friendship and unwavering support. So, if ever there were a time to reinforce that love and support, now is that time. Planning a wedding can be a rocky road for some brides and she will need you to help carry her through to the other side. Are you prepared for the responsibility of your new role?
For more of this article see issue 3.