Happy Maids and Gents = Happy Bride

Today, I have some advice on how to keep your bridesmaids and guymaids happy and you’re relationships with them in peak condition throughout your wedding planning process. First things first, remember that these are the women and men that you love and cherish the most. So much so, that you have asked them to stand next to you on what is the most important day of your life. Keep that in mind as you progress through the months leading up to your wedding. You don’t want to lose your besties by turning in to an unhinged Bridezilla.

 

Trust me, nothing positive will resort from Bridezilla antics. Source:http://marryingananti-bride.blogspot.com/2012/09/sooo-what-is-anti-bride.html

Next, consider the body type of ALL of your bridal party when choosing what they will wear.  If you have petite or plus size maids, pick a style that will flatter everyone. No one should have to crash diet or wear sky high heels just to work an outfit. This too goes back to rule number one.Second, keep the finances of each of your attendants in mind when choosing your bridesmaid’s and guymaid’s attire. If you have one person who could realistically afford a $400 dress/suit and another who can only afford to spend $200 or less, don’t make the one with the smaller budget feel insecure, misunderstood, and feeling like he or she has to get a part time job just to pay for being in your wedding. What to do? Either choose a more affordable dress or pay the difference. Remember rule number one: these are the most important people to you, treat them with love and respect.

Fourth, when planning events such as the bridal shower and bachelorette parties, keep the budgets and beliefs of your maids and gents in mind. That trip to Vegas could conflict with religious beliefs or be unattainable due to finances. Trust me, you can have a great bachelorette party keeping it local and affordable and by everyone present keeping their clothes on. If you and your maids can do the weekend in Vegas, then by all means drop some dollars in the slot for me!

Finally, be respectful of your maids’ and gents’ time. Give yourself a good old fashioned reality check when it comes to your expectations of your crew. Expecting them to attend each and every wedding related event from dress shopping, making favors, to parties is incredibly selfish and unrealistic. They have lives too and you have to keep in mind that they have to work, take care of their kids, pay bills, etc. and that your only expectation should be for them to attend the rehearsal the day before the wedding, purchase their outfits, and stand next to you at the wedding. That’s all that should be asked and expected of them.

Don’t be like this real bride who sent this letter (that has since gone viral) to her bridal party:

“To my lovely Bridesmaid: [Names removed to protect the brideslaves]

As you all know I picked 10 wonderful ladies to stand by my side, share and make happen my special day to Jake. Each of you individually have a reason and a special place in my heart of why I picked you to be a bridesmaid. We have set our date for Saturday, August 31, 2013 in Vail, Colorado. That seems far away but it really isn’t, the earlier the planning the better. You may have already knew that my wonderful sister L— will be the Maid of Honor, she’s in charge under me. Also my lovely mom will be a big help as well. L— has a big role in throwing me a bridal shower and bachelorette party, of course all of you guys do but at the end of the day shes the go to person and makes it happen+Doe.

You all have a big roll in this wedding, so before we continue I’m going to be setting some ground rules and its very important you read and think about everything through before you accept this honor to be a bridesmaid. If you guys email anything I would also like you to put L— in the CC. Not all the bridesmaid need to be CC’d unless its coming from me or L—, if it something everyone needs to see then well do it. We set the date to August 31, 2013 if that’s a problem we need to know NOW. Also by the end of the week we will be setting dates for the engagement party, bridal show and bachelorette party.

Our wedding party is really the most important people at the wedding besides my self and Jake so we want every single one of our bridesmaid and grooms at our parties, I have 10 not 8 where two couldn’t make it so if you already know you cant make one of the parties then we have to find someone else, not to be harsh in the slightest it would sadden me and of course you’ll still be invited to our wedding, engagement ect. But it’s different if your not in the wedding party and couldn’t make it. We’ll give everyone well advance dates for the parties and it will always fall on a weekend. The wedding as I stated will be in Vail the engagement party will either be in NY or CT and the bachelorette party will be in Vegas, cliche yeaa but I’ve never been.

A few girls live out of town so if there is going to be a problem with coming to either one then I need to know now because after this week I don’t want to be surprised. I would like everyone to send me any dates they are going away or planning to go away after February so if your going away in January I don’t care. I want any dates from February to the day of our wedding in August, that way we know not to plan something when your away. But after this week the dates are set in stone. Also if money is tight and you cant afford to contribute to say the bachelorette party or wont be able to afford a dress etc then L— and Myself don’t have time to deal with that, I’m sorry. This includes flights as well, everyone knows the states where the parties are going to be held so if you wont be able to afford a flight then that means you cant make a party which ultimately means I cant have you as a bridesmaid. Obviously we’ll get the best deals and were not gonna books flights for $1000 and shit that’s why were doing this in advance, that goes for bridesmaids dresses as well everything will be affordable but if you think by affordable its going to be a $25 forever 21 dress then your going to the wrong wedding.

If your out of state though don’t think you have to fly in for all fittings, that we will work with you, find stores in your town, get measurements..you don’t have to worry about that. Also if you accept this honor another thing is that you need to be available, I’m not going to harass you with wedding stuff every hour of everyday but if its something important and it takes you a week even 2-3 days to get back to me seeeee ya! I don’t have time to wait around for responses, everyone has their phone on them, it shouldn’t take you more than a day to get back to me, even if your out of the country, check your email!

Furthermore, Ever since I could remember I have dreamed about this day all my life. I want to share it with the people that are most important to me. You only get one time to plan your dream wedding and I couldn’t pick a more amazing group of girls to make that dream come true! So please, what’s stated above think about it all and by Wednesday I need to know if everyone is 100% in, and what I have asked about sending me dates if your gonna be away between Feb-Aug ill need that on Wednesday. If you don’t think you’ll be able to attend one party but can make the rest of them I’m sorry but I’ll have to take you out as a bridesmaid and put you as a guest. If you want to get back to me before Wednesday, that’s fine. Really think about everything I’ve said. This is really going to be the most epic wedding ever so I hope you girls can share this special day with us!

Love,”

Read more: http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2012/10/this-bridezillas-letter-to-her-potential-bridesmaids-is-sad-terrifying/#ixzz2I1Xnn8rF

Really? That is one big mess of crazy and I would hope that her bridesmaids stood up to her.

So, with that said, how about some affordable bridesmaids dresses for under $150?! For your guymaids, rental suits and tuxes are typically under $150, but here are some great accessories under $50 so your guys can spice up those cookie cutter rentals.

Little Borrowed Dress

Ladies, ever been jealous of men and their tux rentals? I know I have! Well, you’re in luck, because I’ve found absolutely stunning bridesmaids dresses available in the first online wedding boutique to offer bridesmaid dresser for rent, Little Borrowed Dress!  From the moment I set eyes upon the gorgeous gowns in the Little Borrowed Dress collection, I was smitten.

These beauties are 100% silk and come in a range of colors (order your free fabric swatch here) sure to work with any palette!  The stylish silhouettes flatter all figures and have built-in adjustment points to ensure a perfect fit.  And best of all? Rental prices start at just $50!

It’s $50 for knee-length, $75 for floor-length, plus a $5 insurance fee.

 

So how does it work: Browse their website, littleborroweddress.com, and pick the style, size and color you want and then reserve the date. Not sure what size you are? They’ll send you two options. When the wedding’s over just pop it back in the mail in the pre-addressed and stamped envelope that came with your dress.

 

You can follow Little Borrowed Dress on Pinterest…. just click HERE.

Bachelorette Party Games

We are all aware of the fun but corny games people play at bachelorette parties… but here are some games you can play that don’t get old too fast.

Never have I ever…

Here’s how to play:
As far as I know, we all pretty much know how to play this game. Therefore, we all know it can get really dirty pretty quickly (WHICH IS SO FUN FOR BACHELORETTE PARTIES!). Although, be sure you are aware of your audience and adjust the game to make it age appropriate or to avoid embarrassment. If you are unfamiliar with the game, anyone who has done the deed drinks. If you are the only one to drink, you have to share the juicy details!

*FYI* ^That’s my sister 

Lingerie Shower Guessing Game

Here’s how to play: Have every guest bring some type of lingerie (teddy, g-string, victoria secret maids outfit…) have the bride go out of the room and give each person a hanger and hang their piece of lingerie all over the room. The bride will be brought back in and she will write down who she thought brought which item of lingerie. She has to drink every time she guesses incorrectly!

(^Note how airbrushed her “tummy” is!)

Finish his sentences

Here’s how to play: In a sense, it is like Mad Libs. Before the shower/party the MOH will ask the groom to write out sentences such as “I love when I come home and the bride is…” or “My favorite thing to do with __ the bride__ is _____”. After you get enough sentences, make copies and have everyone fill out what they think he would finish the sentence as. Trust me, it can get dirty, so make sure you know the crowd. If you need to tone it down a little to avoid embarrassment, it is easy to do so!

 

Wedding Night Preview

Here’s how to play: At the shower, when the bride is opening her gifts, someone records all of her reactions to each present she opens… such as “Oh, WOW!” “You’re going to have to show me how this works..?” or my personal favorite, “Oh, I have wanted this for SO long!”. After she is done opening all of her presents, you play the game. The recorder will inform everyone that your reaction to each opened gift is our preview to things you will say on your wedding night. Pretty hilarious at times. Make sure she says some good ones!

 

 

(Reblogged From TwoBirds,One Stone Wedding)

Avoiding The Worst Wedding Toast

“That was the worst wedding toast I have ever heard before,” is the very last thing you want to overhear after you give your special toast to the bride and groom! After spending time in the wedding business and attending several dozen weddings, it should come as no surprise to you that I have heard just about every kind of wedding toast. From the father-of-the-bride who speaks for over 20 minutes to the super drunk best friend who reveals way too much from the college dorm days, I have heard them all!

Source: Pinterest

 

First thing’s first — who’s your audience that you will be toasting in front of? Make sure you ask the bride and groom who is going to be at the wedding? Is there family flying in from all over the world? Are there sensitive subjects that should not be brought up in front of all the guests? Does everyone know that the couple is living together? Is the group or parts of the group very religious? These are all great questions to ask the bride and groom.

Source: Pinterest

 

What makes a great wedding toast/speech? Something from the heart is a great place to start when thinking about your wedding toast to the couple. If you are deathly afraid of public speaking, I suggest writing out your thoughts. Word of advice, if you are giving a toast it may be wise not to become too intoxicated until after your speech!

 

Here is a list of some helpful tips when creating your toast to the couple:

Wedding 101: MOH Duties

Just been selected as the brides maid of honor and have NO clue what your duties are? I am writing this post for you! As a young MOH, I was very confused about my duties until I became part of the wedding world. I was thinking things like,” I don’t have enough money to be the MOH” and “I don’t know the first thing about how to be the perfect MOH”.  But the good news is, you don’t have to have tons of money to carry out the duties, all you need to do is pay attention to the brides needs, calm her down if she is freaking out, and communicate with the bridesmaids. To spell it out for you, I listed many of the duties as MOH, but realize, you do NOT have to do all of them. It completely depends on the bride, and every bride is different (which makes this *SO* much fun!)

 

Pre-wedding:

• Go shopping! Help shop for the brides dress and the bridesmaid dresses (she will want to see it on to get the full effect of the dress, so wear clothes and shoes that are easy to slip in and out of).
• Be the leader of the pack! That’s why she picked you. Make sure the bridesmaids have gotten their dresses and their shoes. Make sure they have transportation and lodging settled if they are from out of town. Basically, be sure they pull their weight. Also keep them informed about all of the showers and pre-wedding events. They are NOT expected to go to all of them if they can’t.
• Attend all pre-wedding events (or at least try as hard as possible).
• Host/cohost a bridal shower. This one is iffy for me… it isn’t expected. I mean, I was 5 hours away in college when I was MOH and I was, stereotypically, a broke college student. It isn’t cheap to host a shower and it isn’t cheap to travel 10 full hours in one weekend. Like I said, it depends on the bride so try and get a feel for what she is expecting. If your vibes are screaming “Yes she is expecting this”, try and split it between you and the bridesmaids, that way the finances aren’t all on your shoulders. (Brides- remember your girls are paying for their dresses, shoes, travel, and lodging already). Or, you could ask to help at one already scheduled from a family friend.
• Plan the bachelorette party! You could make this into a lingerie shower, and I have the BEST bachelorette lingerie game in mind!
• Be there for the bride! Whether its lending an ear about the same planning worries or the marriage, you are her maid of honor, so be sure and be there for her.
• Spread the news about where the bride and groom are registered.
• Get the bride a special gift she will remember forever and give it to her on the day of her wedding, when y’all are getting ready together.

Day of Wedding Duties

• Make sure all the bridesmaids are on track with getting their hair and makeup done and to the ceremony on time!
• Bring the 6 emergency items needed when getting ready with the bride and bridesmaids
• You’re in charge of the grooms ring. Wear it on your thumb, it’s the safest place!
• Arrange her veil and train before you walk down the aisle and right after she gets to the alter.
• Hold bride’s bouquet while they exchange their vows.
• My favorite part: Sign the marriage license as a witness! (the best man will partake in this event)
• Help direct guests with things such as where the bathrooms are and where to put their gifts.
• Dance with the best man, other groomsmen, and even the groom (especially if  you are a sister to the bride and he is becoming your brother-in-law).
• Toast the couple (doesn’t matter if you or the best man go first – it’s up to the bride and groom).
• Keep the bride looking perfect! If this means packing her lipstick/gloss, fixing her hair, or getting rid of smudges because of earlier tears… it’s your job!
• Help bride change (if she chooses to) to head to the hotel/honeymoon.
• Make sure you grab all of the stuff (clothes/makeup) she is going to leave after the couples grand exit. And have her bag packed and put into the getaway transportation.

 

Reblogged from Two Birds, One Stone