Bridal Party Welcome Letter

I would completely skip this, especially for a bridal party proposal. They haven't even accepted or declined the role that you're asking of them, they don't need an itinerary for the next year. The entire letter reminds me of an email that I got from my orientation leader when I started college.

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They all already basically know they are involved already and have been asking details. My MOH has already planned the party and we are looking at dates and FMIL already came forward to host a Bridal shower. We are all in aviation so dates and timelines are very important to us as we have to plan our lives much further ahead than normal career's need to do so.

I agree with Caytlyn. It’s fine to tell them the date of the wedding and rehearsal so they can take the time off. But I would skip the letter completely. As it gets closer to the time to order bridal party outfits, you can discuss with everyone then. The hosts of the bachelorette party and bridal shower will discuss the date with your bridal party and then send out invites. If they can’t make those things, then they can’t make them.

I’m less than 3 weeks out and am just now drafting a quick email to the bridal party. It’s just including when/where for the rehearsal, when/where for getting ready the day of the wedding, and when/where for an optional brunch the next morning.

I agree with PPs - I would skip this entirely - especially since you will not be the ones planning the bachelorette or bridal shower. As far as dress selection goes, if you aren't requiring them all to have the same dress, then you pick the color and fabric, tell them length, and let them pick. For shoes, I would just ask what they think and go with the majority, *if* you want them to have choice there.

After wedding brunch is optional, so you can just mention it in passing.

So, the only real information they need right now is the stuff for the wedding and rehearsal.

If you're set on sending/giving the letter, you have made "means" in "by no means" possessive, and it should not be. (just a head's up).

I agree with others it takes the sparkle out of the wedding.

I thought It was a nice gesture/head’s up but if y’all think it’s too aggressive then I’ll skip it. I’m just trying to think ahead for them with planning things around events and finances.

This is a lot I think, especially as it's the initial asking and things can change quite a bit in the next year. I appreciate you thinking ahead for them, but I think that can come over time

Thanks ladies for your thoughts!! This is why I put it out here because I knew y’all would be honest with me. 🥰

Hmmm personally I think it’s super helpful to have everything organized and that your party has a heads up on what to expect. For someone like me (I suffer anxiety) having it on paper upfront is so helpful. Maybe after they all officially say yes you can do a lunch with everyone and hand it out then? Or after they officially say yes you can hand it separately?

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I don't think it's a lot because I plan for everything. I start to plan my children's birthday parties 6-8 months in advance. My brothers, sisters, parents and I all live in different states so we plan well in advance to make sure we can make whatever we're doing work for everyone's schedule. I can see how it would be too much for a lot of people, but as you stated you all work in aviation so you have to plan ahead. I wouldn't put that in the bridesmaids box though. I would maybe send that out in an email or text after everyone has received their boxes and the excitement from that has worn off. Maybe a month later. Especially since they already know the wedding date and I'm sure they know they need to take the day off for the rehearsal dinner

I completely love this idea, even in the proposal boxes. I have already asked my bridal party but intend on giving them official proposal boxes so your idea is perfect for me. If you don't mind, I would like to use your idea. Just because some of the bridal party are out-of-towners and I would prefer they already have an idea of the timeline. Go with it.

I think a lot of people will think that this is very extra. Definitely skip considering you don't even have dates for most of the "events" yet. I get the idea behind it but I think some people may find it aggressive. I would hang back and once you have actual dates and details just text the group.

I like it! Be firm and strict on what you want. Being organized is super important when dealing with other people/personalities.

I think I’ll send it out once the dates are firm so everyone knows what I expect and plan for and it’s all on one page. A few of my BP are not local and I want to ensure everyone gets all the information they need to know so they can make plans in their own lives. We cannot make plans with short notice due to the nature of our careers. To be honest, the majority of my party spend their time off traveling the Globe. Giving them this letter with dates in advance will be helpful to them so they can make plans.

I think waiting to send it out until you have dates is a good idea. You know your friends and their work schedules and if you think this will help them plan better in terms of asking for time off work than do it. However, as of now, just giving them the season in which it will happen is not really aiding in them working out their work schedules and your events. I think that it will see less aggressive when you have dates. I also think that maybe you and your FH should have two separate letters. At the end of the day, the girls don't care about what the guys are wearing and the guys don't care about the girls dresses or the bachelorette party. I think it would come off softer if you addressed your bridesmaids only in the letter and he wrote one addressing his groomsmen!

View Quoted Comment I think the dates are helpful for planning, but that you don’t need to say much more than that. My
reaction reading the letter is that it sounds like a business letter from a boss to employees. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that these things you’re talking about are mostly parties— they’re supposed to be fun!

I'm super impressed with how organized you are and if I were a bridesmaid, I'd love this sort of thing! That said, you know your crowd best, if you think this will help them that's great; we've definitely needed a few little emails along the way as there are many in our wedding party that have never been part of a wedding (our siblings) and as such, they needed to know travel dates and when to arrive, airports, etc. but that's something we provided recently with about 4 months to go 'til wedding day. I imagine you'll get questions between now and your date next year but if this is helpful for people in your wedding to know what's happening and when ahead of time, that's great!

Love this!!

Just used your email as a template for my girls! I don't know why people are hating...I have been a bridesmaid/MOH many times and I have always LOVED receiving this much information from the bride because I'm a planner and type A. Thank you for posting this!

Just used your email as a template for my girls! I don't know why people are hating...I have been a bridesmaid/MOH many times and I have always LOVED receiving this much information from the bride because I'm a planner and type A. Thank you for posting this!