Your Bridesmaids and Maid of honor
Planning your Wedding Bridesmaids and your Maid of Honor
Sometimes picking the bridesmaids just falls into place but deciding on your chief bridesmaid (your Maid of Honor) can be horrendous. The Maid of Honor is a very special position in a wedding party. 
By selecting someone to be your maid of honor you are essentially announcing to everyone that this is your closest female friend and that she means a lot to you. The problem arises when you have more than one very close female friend. Although there is no rule carved in stone saying that there can only be one maid of honor in your wedding party there is only one woman who can stand directly next to you during the ceremony. If you are really stuck you could to get your closest friends together and have them draw straws for the coveted position. At least that way no-one feels they were overlooked!
How many people do you want standing up there?
There are some couples who choose so many people for their wedding party that the ceremony seems crowded and a little chaotic so it is not a case of always saying the more the merrier on the day. Unless you and your fiancé have a large group of very close friends, it is better to limit the wedding party to three or four couples at the most. Weddings can be a very emotional time and the potential for various emotional upheavals could be increased exponentially as more people are involved.
Don’t force a horrid dress on your bridesmaids.
You will no doubt have heard so many horror stores about bridesmaids being forced to wear really horrendous wedding gowns. Don’t be the bride who forced your close friends to wear something which is neither their style nor complimentary to their figures.
There is nothing that says all the bridesmaids need to wear the same dress, but if this is your desire then you need to take care to ensure they all have dresses which they not only like but also look attractive on them as well. If your vision is for your bridesmaids to all slither down the aisle in a tight, form-fitting dress then you may need to rethink the idea if one of your bridesmaids is larger than the rest and liable to feel really self-conscious in such a dress.
Along the same note, you don’t want to force your bridesmaids to purchase dresses with plunging necklines if this will mean they will all be madly stuffing their bras before walking down the aisle. Take your bridesmaids’ tastes and wants into consideration.
How about calling all the bridesmaids together and either spend the afternoon at a bridal shop trying on various bridesmaid dresses or comb through pictures in magazines. This is the best way to get an idea for what your bridesmaids would like to wear and to see how closely their desires match those of your ideal dress for them.
You may find that the bridesmaids sway you from your original dress preference, but that is fine as long as it is still acceptable to you and they get the chance to wear a dress that they truly like. Who knows, maybe they will someday actually wear it again instead of tossing it into the closet to collect dust along with all the other bridesmaid dresses they have.
Bridesmaids and your wedding shower
Grooms aren’t the only ones who get parties before the wedding. If you are unfamiliar with the idea of a bachelorette or hen party then think of it as a variation of a wedding shower blended with the classical bachelor stag party. You will probably have a wedding shower where you receive various packages of lingerie and receive marriage advice from older female relatives.
When it comes to your wedding attendants, though, they may want to throw you one last hurrah before you tie the knot. It may be as simple as a dinner out for the girls, or perhaps you and your friends will pile into a limo and spend the night dancing and whooping it up.
There are many bachelorette party kits which are sold in stores, so don’t be surprised if your maid of honor pulls out props for the night…one bride-to-be describes her bachelorette party as being much more fun. She wore a toy veil throughout the night and was given a shirt to wear which listed tasks to accomplish before the night was over: sing a song at karaoke, take a picture with a handsome man, and dance the chicken dance even if no one else was doing it.
However you should also have some thoughts about getting away for a special weekend where you can really let go and enjoy yourself as a group. I have known a few people who have used this company for a hen party weekend and everyone enjoyed themselves doing things they had never imagined themselves doing. The company will arrange everything for you in advance all your and your friends have to do is turn up and enjoy yourself.
Try to make your pre-wedding party something you will always remember, but don’t have this wild party the night before your wedding. You want to be refreshed the morning of your wedding and staying up all hours of the night doing the chicken dance will certainly tire you out.
Remember however you are preparing to make a public commitment to your man in a few weeks. That commitment needs to be honoured prior to the ceremony as well as afterwards so don’t do anything that could embarrass you afterwards if one of your party friends lets it out of the bag at the wedding reception.
You should get gifts for your attendants.
To thank your attendants for standing with you at your wedding you should get them some special gifts. Some traditional gifts include engraved champagne flutes, monogrammed compact mirrors, or small fancy frames.
You might also consider something different which may be a little more functional. If you know what sort of scented lotions your attendants like then perhaps you can get some large gift baskets for them complete with the scented lotion, soaps, and sprays. Monogrammed compact mirrors are an elegant gift, but a decorative basket full to the brim with your bridesmaids’ favorite scents is a gift which can be used.
You could also consider recognizing them by making them into a real Lady an ancient traditional title given to people owning parts of Scotland. The title certificate comes ready for framing with a fifty page book about the land they own.
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