Bridesmaid Manuals

Mrs S, PLEASE tell me that the "reasonable" template was sarcasm!

My vision is to gather all bridesmaids and groomsmen together for a meeting... where i can kinda give them info on what to expect and get a feel for whether or not their willing to proceed. What are some things that need to be address and/or talked about? You all have very good feed back and its being used very constructively.

Hehehehehhe

WOW Mrs. S ~ I can't believe some people actually use such a harshly worded contract.

I got to say, I like Maggie's better

Serenity, I believe we've "met", right :-)?

Hayley, how many brides have we seen who were really upset about BMs getting pregnant? well...

So I agree- a contract is insane. I would not sign one if a friend asked me to. Things happen and what happens if God forbid an emergency happens and I can't pull through? Would I get sued for breach of contract?! Now, Anonymous' contract is such a cute idea! Wish I had thought of that! If you are that concerned that one of your girls might flake, then wait a bit to ask them. All you can really do is hope they will remain your friend and be there for you on your wedding day. Some people are not lucky and learn who their real frends are with their weddings. If you are concerned, maybe instead of a contract, when you ask them to be your BMs, tell them you care about them and all that, then go through what you expect of them. Tell them if they dont think they can do that, tell them no problem, you will still celebrate with them at your wedding! Some peopel hate the responsibilty so this might give those flakier friends an out.

LOL, just making sure you hadn't lost your mind!

Zonnett ~ I would just have a BBQ or something. Make it more than just coming over for a meeting to discuss the "requirements." Have something fun going on for the night and just use 10 min to do a Q &A about the vision of the wedding.

Again, I would just ask your girls what they can afford. You all need to decide if they will be purchasing everything, or if you will buy their jewelry or maybe their shoes too.

You need to decide if they will have matching dresses, same color but different dresses by the same designer, same color but different dresses.

Also, if they will have the same shoes or just same color.

What time they will need to show up for pictures the day of.

When the men need to have their measurements in by.

When the women need to have their dresses ordered by.

*** again, a lot of this can just be in the newsletter***

@Zonnett, I don't understand how you're looking at this. Meet with your girls, ask them how much they're comfortable spending on a dress/shoes/jewelry and work with their budget. If they only have so much to spend, let them wear black shoes they already have, that sort of thing. The relationship matters more than what you might want them to do for the wedding.

Groomsmen -- same thing, but have FH talk to them. "You'll have to rent tuxes/buy suits", what can you afford, figure out if you and FH can help if you're going to exceed their budget.

You don't need a contract to let them know these things. I assume you chose them because they love and support you -- anything in writing saying you expect them to get the dress would likely be seen as condescending.

If you haven't picked out the bridal party yet, wait to see who's dependable and go from there.

@Serenity, that happened a long time ago and it's a story unrelated to this thread LOL! But thanks for checking :-)

@Zonnett, seriously, what are your expectations of your wedding party?

Oh Mrs S. you scared me! I was thinking " wow, she usually makes so much sense!?!"

OK. Sarcasm. Phew!

LMAO ladies seriously! Now it would be perfect time for a crazy kitten, but for ONCE I will refrain!