[MUST READ]: 19 steps to be a perfect Bridesmaid

If you’ve never been a bridesmaid before but have been invited to be one, you definitely have to read our bridesmaid tips in this post if you want to wow the bride. Read on to find out what the bridesmaid duties and obligations involve, learn about proper bridesmaid etiquette and also see the list of typical expenses you will incur as a bridesmaid.

You will also learn how to be a good bridesmaid without becoming broke (as you know, they say that being a bridesmaid is an expensive business) – there’s a way to save money and still meet your bridesmaid obligations.

The duties of a bridesmaid goes beyond wearing a beautiful bridesmaid dress, carrying a mini-bouquet and posing beside the bride for wedding pictures, as a fine babe. No, the bride didn’t choose you just because you are a fine girl (although, that scored you some points).

The truth is that she chose you because she expects you to help her out with planning her wedding. It’s your duty to find out what and what the bride expects her bridesmaids to do – because most brides either don’t know or won’t tell you how to be a bridesmaid – even though they will spread the story if you fail to deliver.

The Essential Guide to a Bridesmaid Duties and Obligations

To help guide you to being the perfect bridesmaid, follow our 19 real bridesmaid tasks below – they are essentially everything a bride’s attendant should do for a bride.

1. Your Outfit: Buy your bridesmaid dress and shoes – even if the bride is your sister (based on the style, colour and design specified by the bride)
2. Your Makeup: Pay the cost of styling your hair and makeup (See pictures ideas for bride and bridesmaid hairstyles in vogue AND see also the Latest Bridesmaid Dresses seen at Big Nigerian Weddings)
3. Wedding Gift: Buy a wedding gift for the couple (yes o – in addition to the regular bridesmaid expenses you’ll make. It ain’t easy being a bridesmaid). And, if there’s a bridal shower, etiquette demands that a good bridesmaid brings a gift to the bride.
4. Transportation: Transport yourself to the wedding with your own money
5. Hotel Accommodation: If the wedding is out-of-town, you (not the bride) are responsible for paying for your hotel accommodation
6. Show Up: If the bride invites you, join her to shop for her white and traditional wedding outfits (no, you won’t pay the bills here – the bride pays for her outfits. Yours is just to escort her and help her choose her aso-oke, aso-ebi and wedding gown etc)
7. Give Your Opinion: Advice the bride on wedding reception look and feel. Again, if the bride asks you, help her decide on the reception decoration, entertainment, wedding souvenirs and so on.
8. Moral Support: he bride’s confidant and provide moral support and a listening ear (to the bride) through the period of wedding planning, up to the wedding day. Most brides feel alone at this time, and some become difficult due to stress, but a good bridesmaid will always help calm the bride down.
9. Plan the Pre-Wedding Parties: Join the other bridesmaids to plan and participate in all the fun pre-wedding parties such as the bridal shower, and/ or bachelorette party. You and the other bridesmaids (not the bride) are expected to pay the cost of putting together the bridal shower and/ or bachelorette party. Oh yes o- that’s the tradition.
10. Be Helpful: Before the wedding day, be really helpful during the wedding planning. Be “the bride’s MAID” by being useful to take part in executing the bride’s wedding planning to-do checklist – that could mean you running errands here and there, following up on the vendors, advising the bride on matters she needs your input, and showing up every once in a while (if you live close to her). [SEE ALSO: Nigerian Traditional Wedding Checklist]
11. Be Really Helpful: On the wedding day, fill in on any needed task the bride asks you to – such as becoming an usher welcoming and directing guests to their chairs, or following up with vendors to make sure they arrive on time, or even to hang around after the reception to ensure that the gifts are all safe, and that the wedding service suppliers clean up okay.
12. Be the Bride’s Personal Assistant: On the wedding day, help collate the wedding gifts on behalf of the bride and her groom. Also, if asked, help send out final payments to vendors.
13. Keep Stuff Safe: Help collect and safe-keep all the cash sprayed at the wedding. If the couple plan to leave for honeymoon right after the wedding, help them keep their personal stuff safe.
14. Package the Souvenirs: Help wrap and pack the wedding souvenirs
15. Prevent Emergency: With the bride and the other bridesmaids, put together the bridal emergency kit
16. Help Bride Dress Up: Assist the bride to get ready and dress up, before the wedding ceremony
17. Attend to Bride: Attend to the bride during the wedding – in case she needs anything.
18. Bride’s Wish is Your Command: Do everything to make sure that the bride is calm and looks like a princess on her big day (isn’t why they call them the “bride’s MAIDS”?
19. Coordinate the Wedding Day: With the other bridesmaids, help the bride coordinate the wedding reception, to ensure that she will have fun to the fullest, being confident that you and the other bridesmaids can handle any ugly unexpected thing that goes wrong during the wedding, behind her.

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