ideas for non-bridesmaids?

Besides a reader you can ask your friends to pass out the programs or make sure that people sign the guestbook. You can have a person in charge of the gifts. Any little task will make them feel important. Also, you can ask a close friend to be your "go-to girl", kind of like a gopher, anything you need they can get it for you.

What I'm planning on doing the night before the wedding is having my old college friends stay the night with me and my bridesmaids, that way they can feel like they are a special part of it. Plus, they are coming in from out of state so I don't want them to feel left out.

A very important task that you can designate to close friends is the "Day of Coordination". If you did not hire out, that can be task that they can take on together, making sure everything is running smoothly. Being your "Day of Coordinators" is a role that is almost more important than bridesmaids and should surely be recognized.

Well, if they are local, you can ask them along to things like dress fittings, or if you are a DIY gal, then ask a couple for their help putting together your programs, or what not. It will make them feel good to feel included, just make sure they don't feel taken advantage of, of course.

As far as the day of.. Hmm.. I don't know your flower budget, but you could get little corsages or pins for them that make them look more special than the rest of the audience, even if you can't think of a job for them.

They could help set things up, pass out programs, be greeters, things like that. I think the most important thing is give them a big hug and tell them how glad you are that they came!

I'm considering having an honorary bridesmaids row. They'll all wear a certain color and walk in with my mom and sit on the row behind her. My fiance said that it was tthe bridesmaid rejects roww but I'm having a hard time narrowing down my list

If you're doing out of town guest bags, which can be time consuming to put together (tying bows, decorating the bags with stickers, stuffing them with your items), you could invite your frineds over for a night of putting together your out of town guest bags with you, that way it's less time consuming for you and you can make a night of it with wine and snacks and have people to keep you company too.

I love the idea of Honorary Bridesmaids. I wouldn't necessarily think of it as it being Reject Bridesmaid Row. I am having the same dilema and want to include all of my friends from college, very close family friends, and all of my girlie cousins (a lot of them) without them feeling left out of not being a bridesmaid. I might have to ask them, if they are attending if they will be an Honorary Bridesmaid and let them sit with their significant other instead of reserving rows for them during the ceremony and asking them to wear one of the other colors in our color scheme that we aren't having the bridal party already wear. I can suggest that to my hubby too for those friends that he doesn't ask to be a groomsmen or usher. I think it's a fabulous idea.

Ok I love the changes made to the honorary bridesmaids idea. This could actually work because I too have numerous individuals that I want to include but can't and this would make it possible.

Another few things came to mind, if you're using personalized labels on anything such as water bottles, candy bars, bubbles, etc. those are also time consuming. You can ask your non-bridesmaid friends to help you put together all of the little stuff for your Wedding too and when they see it at the Ceremony/Reception they'll realize they helped you put them together. If your Reception isn't where your Ceremony is, you can ask some friends or family members you want to include to help you collect and transport those items and set them up for you at your Reception site if there is time, while you and your bridal party are taking pictures after your ceremony. I had a cousin ask a few of us to help her do that for her Wedding. If you do the Honorary Bridesmaids, you can ask them by writing them a nice note and on the front write will you be my Honorary Bridesmaid? And in the inside nicely let them know how special they are to you and you didn't want to leave them out.

Let them know that you would be honored to have them as an Honorary Bridesmaid. They'll still feel special and won't feel like another invited guest. That way they won't feel excluded and know that you want them to have some part of an honorary role in your Wedding Day!

Another thought is and someone else pointed this out to me, however I am having children in my Vow Renewal, if you are wearing a train and not involving a lot of children in your wedding, you can ask some of your friends or family members to help by carrying your train for you. That way you won't trip over it (which is why I'm not keeping my train on my dress, the train is detachable) which I have seen my sister do at her own wedding.

I'm sorry I'm posting so many times on your question, if any of them sing or play an instrument, you can ask them to sing in your ceremony or play a song on an acoustic guitar, violin, harp (etc.) and save yourself some money on hiring someone to play for you. I'm considering asking a few cousins who play guitar or violin to play our Ceremony music for us. It will make the ceremony even more meaningful too for you.