Before the big day

The chief bridesmaid’s work starts here!

The bridesmaid plays an important role at the wedding -- the perfect bridesmaid should be supportive without being intrusive, helpful on the day, and always available for a wedding shopping spree! And of course, there's that small matter of the hen party...

The chief bridesmaid in particular has a vital role in all preparations leading up to the day and plays a supporting role to the bride throughout the wedding day itself.

Here’s a guide to what you can expect to have to do during the wedding countdown...

Six months to go

You can expect to be involved in discussions and decisions in the planning stages and to be used as a sounding board for the bride’s ideas right from the start.

Your main duty is to be the bride’s personal assistant: someone who can rely on to chase quotes if required or to calm her down when stress gets the better of her.

An important task for any chief bridesmaid is to be an honest and reliable critic when it comes to choosing the bride’s dress. Make sure she gives you some idea of what she is looking for. Then be constructive about the styles and colours that suit her.

Outfits

Along with helping the bride select her dress, as chief bridesmaid you should be involved in choosing outfits for yourself and other attendants. Ask the bride to tell you the colours and styles she is thinking of, and the ages of her attendants. You should also help with getting the other attendants to fittings on time.

Some brides choose older bridesmaids, others like to ask children. Whichever she chooses, you will need to help make sure they all know what is required of them and what responsibilities they may have.

Four months to go

If the bride is trying out a new beauty or fitness regime before the wedding, your support will be very welcome! If she’s going to aerobics or has taken up jogging, try to go along to keep up morale.

Having a makeover is a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon. Try out some new brands or make-up artists for the big day and see what suits you, or just plain enjoy yourselves doing something girlie.

You might be asked to act as an intermediary if difference of opinion occurs, perhaps between the bride and her parents or parents-in-law. Fingers crossed this won’t be necessary, but disagreements do happen from time to time.

This might be a good time to check with the bride’s other attendants to make sure that they’ve made the necessary arrangements for their outfits, and that they know when the wedding rehearsals are, if asked to attend.

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