First Meeting

Oh good lord.

You don't need to have a meeting. If you want to inform the wedding party about something, send them a group text as things come up.

A meeting? For what? They're not your employees.

Meet to go dress shopping together, but leave it at that. Wedding planning does not require an event committee.

O.O

Don't plan a meeting. How about a meet and greet with your BP where you are all relaxed, have a few drinks, and have a good time? No agenda. No meeting. Just hang out with your friends and family.

If there is something important they need to know, you can just text them.

I agree @LC, i've already started a group we've been communicating i feel that's sufficient

Why is there a meeting?? Are they getting paid? Is it a job? I personally wouldn’t attend any meeting 11 mos from a wedding if I were a BM..l probably wouldn’t even discuss dresses until March of next year.

You chose your BP extremely early. If something happens between now and then you’re stuck with your BP, you can’t fire or demote them.

We have a group text going but that's about it.

Their "first meeting" will be the rehearsal & dinner

Relax everyone, im only asking because one of my bridesmaids asked, i think group text is enough...Lol thank you

I would also be careful about how many messages you are sending out about your wedding. I know as a bridesmaid I have gotten super annoyed with a bride that was texting us weekly about her wedding.

I haven’t even asked my WP..I don’t even text my closest friends about the wedding.

I hate group texts. I hate group messages, I remove myself from them all the time.

Just tell your BM you weren't planning on having a physical meeting and that if you have pertinent info to look out for a group text.

Just because she asked doesn't mean you have to do it. Group texts are fine.

I wouldn't even do a group text. Tried it, didn't work out. Individual communication tends to be much easier in terms of response rate

Maybe she hasn't been in a wedding before and just doesn't know what the protocol was. I had BP "meetings" last time I was a BM because it was so much easier than texting when it came to planning a shower and bach party - we all had very different schedules so text responses were all over the place - but the Bride was not a part of these.

Your BM is wrong. You don't need to have any meetings and there's not much to communicate to your BP. They'll just need to know when and where to show up for the wedding.

At some point, you'll want to speak with each BM privately about what they're comfortable spending on a BM dress, but that should not be done in a group setting, and you don't need to do that yet because it's way too early to order BM dresses. Some may be interested in going shopping to pick out a BM dress with you as a group and others may prefer to go in and try on a dress on their own time. None of this requires any kind of big shareholder's meeting, though.

Group emails also work well

This won't be necessary

@rica, we're on the same page...thanks for understanding and to everyone else i believe in giving ppl ample time to save, i think its fair to know an estimate of how much money is involved with being a member of the bridal party...I DO NOT regret planning early everyone is happy for us and lots of people are more excited than me and my FH..Lol...

How much money involved is how much I can afford to spend as a BM, not how much the bride thinks I can afford.

Yeah, no. The only thing your BMs are responsible for financially is their dress and it's your responsibility to ensure a dress is picked that is affordable for each of your BMs.

It is optional for BMs to pay for new shoes, hair, and makeup. If they don't want to, they don't have to. If you require any of those things, then you pay for it.

Hosting showers/bachelorette parties is optional, too. If any of them want to put the time, effort, and money into that, then those individuals will offer to host one, whether it's one BP member, a few BP members, or the whole group of them. It's not an expectation, though, and it's improper to suggest they throw those parties for you, or assign them to host these pre-wedding events. Those events are gifts and up to whoever wants to throw them to decide they are doing them.