Bride's Maid, meet Bride's Butler.

"Nice to meet you."

The Bride's Butler has dealt with a few Bridesmaids in the past year since we started the business. So far, almost all of our experiences with Bridesmaids have been good ones.

When you're asked to be a Bridesmaid (BM), or Maid/Matron of Honour (MOH) for your friend's, relative's or sister's wedding - it is an honour, and one that if you accept, the responsibilities shouldn't be taken lightly. As my best friend has said before, "being in a wedding party doesn't mean that it's all fun and games, it's not an excuse just to party - it's hard work" - and she's right. Although there will be plenty of partying and fun had during the planning process and leading up to the wedding day, there is a lot of work to be had.

Do you know some of your responsibilities as a Bridesmaid?

Sure you do... help the bride find her dress - offer advice and opinion on favours, flowers, colours, etc - help with the Bridal Shower, Stag & Doe and Bachelorette Party - and of course support her on her wedding day.

As a Bride, do you know what you can do to make the role of a Bridesmaid a pleasant one?

Respect Their Responsibilities
Be respectful to their lives outside of your wedding, and try to keep a good balance of duties between Bridesmaids - you don't want one thinking they are pulling more weight than the other. The only one with a bigger 'to do' list might be your MOH.

Dress Them Well
Consider each of their body types, skin tone, hair colour and personality. If they are all different, maybe have the same colour but in different dress styles. You want them to be comfortable and feeling confident in their dress. And realistically, they probably will not ever wear the dress again.

Mind Their Budgets
Be mindful as to how much time and money a Bridesmaid will spend on your wedding. The dress, hair, make-up, shoes, purse, the parties, the gifts - you name it, there is a price tag attached.

Give & Receive Graciously
Remember your manners. Be sure to thank your BM's and MOH for their hard work and dedication over the past 12-14mths. Whatever they do for you is out of the kindness of their heart, so don't complain if your Bridal Shower theme/decor wasn't exactly as you planned or hoped for - it was a gift from your BM's, and they should be thanked for it. This is usually second nature for most people to be gracious...let's hope.

Be A Good Friend
Just remember the first bit of advice in this blog - 'remember that they have their own lives'. Even though it's your wedding "year", be sure to talk about their lives, problems and successes too. You can only talk about your wedding so much.

*Source: The Knot.com