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Supportive Bridesmaids

How to Be a Great Bridesmaid

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How to be a Great Bridesmaid

When your friend asks you to be their bridesmaid it is such an honor. It comes with lots of fun, but also some responsibilities. Once you’ve said, “yes” to becoming a bridesmaid your job begins! What does that job entail, you ask? Here is exactly how to be a great bridesmaid.

Be the calm in the storm and a listening ear.

Wedding planning can cause heightened emotions. When brides are overwhelmed, things that may seem small to others may seem tragic to the bride. Sometimes we all just need a listening ear without advice or judgment. Because of that, don’t forget to ask if they need advice or just a listening ear. It’s important to be both supportive and level-headed for your friend. Whether her dream photographer is unavailable, her wedding dress is delayed in shipping, or her veil came in at the wrong length she will be grateful to have an empathetic and problem-solving friend like you. Remember, the key is to be supportive AND level-headed.

Put all important dates and deadlines in your calendar.

Wedding costs can add up quickly and you will be surprised how quickly the year of wedding planning will go! Make sure you mark any deposits needed for dresses, hair/beauty services, or accommodations in your calendar so you are prepared. Don’t make the bride have uncomfortable conversations about overdue deposits. Keep in mind there are many celebratory events throughout the wedding planning process. Engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, and after-wedding brunches are all important events you’ll want to mark in your calendar.

Communicate Early

Take stock of your allotted PTO days at work. We all only have a certain number of days off available each year. Look at how many you have, pronto, and let the bride know if you cannot attend any events. While the bride may be disappointed that you can’t attend every event, she will likely appreciate you telling her far in advance.

Another important thing to communicate is your abilities based on whether you have children or are pregnant. If you’re due around your friend’s wedding date, be clear with her about that. If you have children, it’s also important to communicate what you can/cannot do based on your children’s needs or schedules. Again, the bride may feel disappointed, but it’s best to be clear up-front to prevent any last-minute surprises. Moms & women are known to be excellent multi-taskers, but it is okay if you cannot do everything as long as you communicate early!

Be excited with/for the bride!

Every bride has likely looked forward to their wedding day for a long time. It always feels good to be supported by your friends, so show your friend your mutual excitement for her wedding day. While you may have opinions about how you’d plan your own wedding, allow the bride her turn to choose whatever wedding colors and details she loves. Then, be complimentary and supportive of her choices. Likely, the bride will not make terrible choices, like in the movie 27 Dresses, but be supportive regardless. Don’t forget, no matter the bridesmaid dress, you can likely shorten it and wear it again ;).

On the wedding day, be ready to jump in!

Be on the lookout for any hiccups on the wedding day. One often missed detail is fixing the bride’s train during the ceremony and pictures! Be on the lookout during the ceremony to ensure her train is fluffed and positioned beautifully so her photos turn out well. There’s nothing worse than beautiful ceremony photos, but the train is bunched up, fluff that train!

If anyone tries to begin conflict with the bride (Let’s be real, every family has that one family member.) gently whisk her away with an “important matter.” If her hair doesn’t look like she’d hoped, advocate for her, help her fix it, or talk her off the ledge by putting it in perspective. Be ready to make her wedding day as stress-free as possible.

Being a great bridesmaid is essentially just being a supportive friend.  By following our tips on how to be a great bridesmaid, your friends will be so glad they had you by their side on their wedding day! Now you are ready to be a great bridesmaid! For more wedding planning tips and inspiration, check out more Chicago Wedding Blog posts below. And don’t forget to share this with any bridesmaids you know!

Silky Bridesmaid Dress

Bridesmaid Dress Style Trends

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Bridesmaid Dress Style Trends

You’ve found your wedding dress, so the next step on the agenda is to choose your bridesmaid dresses! The color, fabric, style, & neckline options are so endless. It may be difficult to choose an option that is both now and timeless. Bridesmaids, rejoice, we’ve narrowed down the bridesmaid dress trends you’ll actually want to wear again for years!

Silky Fabrics

This trend is a favorite of ours! Silk-like bridesmaid dresses come in many styles from long to short, and from fitted to flowing. If you are willing to be flexible with dress silhouette, your bridesmaids will be happy to find a style they feel best in for their body type. In this fabric, the cowl neckline is trendy and flattering for all body types.

T-Length/Midi-Length

We’ve seen a resurgence of the t-length dress! One thing to keep in mind is this trend looks best if all your bridesmaids feel comfortable wearing high heels. Wearing a t-length/midi-length dress with flats is not a very flattering line on anyone. This is an excellent option if you’re having a summer or warm destination wedding, but you do not want cocktail-length bridesmaid dresses. Bridesmaids also may feel more comfortable wearing a midi or long-length dress as opposed to a short cocktail dress. Brides, you can bring your vision to fruition while also being considerate of your bridal party’s self-esteem and any body image insecurities.

Strappy Backs

This is another great trend for warm-weather weddings! There are so many different options to choose from. Your bridesmaids will be happy to choose a back and neckline to accommodate their bra necessities or lack thereof. If you are wearing a strappy wedding dress, strappy bridesmaid dresses will be a fun complement to your dress.

Puff Sleeves

This one is definitely only for the fashion-forward who can appreciate this nod to the 1980s and 1990s. If you’re up for it, go ahead and be bold, choose the puff sleeve! They come in all options from long to short, tulle to crepe, and slit to solid. Brides, if you are pro or anti the puff sleeve, it’s best to talk with your bridesmaids to see how they feel about this trend. It can be gorgeous, but not all bridesmaids will feel good wearing a puff sleeve.

Variations of the High/Boat Neckline

Speaking of classics from the 1980s and 1990s, the high/boat neckline has more options than ever before! If you like to have more of an open neckline, you can choose a racerback halter. If you prefer more coverage in your necklines, a wider boat neckline will look and feel amazing. This is one option every body type will find a style they feel comfortable in.

The Square Neckline

We are so glad this trend is hanging around! This neckline is flattering on just about everyone! It gives you the clean lines of a boat neckline with the openness of a v-neckline. The clean lines are flattering and the square brings the eye up to your bridesmaids’ beautiful faces. If you’re looking to be more unique than the classic v-neckline, but still have a more open neckline, this is a perfect choice.

Have you chosen your bridesmaid dresses yet? Did you recently get your wedding photos back and would like to share how you chose your bridesmaid dresses? We’d love to hear! Email credited photos and vendors to hello@chicagoweddingblog.com to potentially be featured on our blog.

Helping Bride Wedding Planning

How To Help The Bride

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How To Help The Bride

Are you a bridesmaid, friend, or family member wondering how to help the bride? That’s very thoughtful of you. That being said, there is a right and wrong way to offer your help to a bride. We will help you navigate the do’s and don’ts of how to help the bride with her wedding planning.

Do’s:

Help her assemble wedding items.

Especially the week of the wedding, a brides to-do list is massive. Help the bride by offering to do tasks she doesn’t need to be present for such as putting together welcome bags. If the bride is putting together her own centerpieces another great way to help is to put them together for her. The more tasks you can take off a bride’s to-do list, the less overwhelmed she’ll be.

Treat her to coffee and/or food.

It’s easy for a bride to get exhausted from wedding planning and organizing as the wedding day approaches. Coffee is a great way to show the bride you care and to help her get her tasks done. The day of the wedding it is very important the bride remembers to eat. Help her out by offering to bring her favorite breakfast so she feels ready for her wedding weekend.

Simply ask, “What can I do to help you?”

Sometimes brides have everything under control, however it’s always helpful to know there are extra sets of hands to help. Some bride’s feel awkward asking for help as they don’t want to bother anyone. Because of this, it makes it easier for them to get their tasks done without having to worry about inconveniencing anyone.

Don’ts:

Ask the bride questions you can easily google yourself.

We’ve established brides have endless tasks as their wedding day approaches. Forget the address to the reception? Phone a friend. Don’t remember what time the ceremony starts? Ask around. Brides have enough ducks to keep in a row without having to answer unnecessary questions.

Give too many opinions when helping the bride.

Brides have dreamed of and planned for their wedding day. If they want the centerpieces off-centered, great! If they want chairs to be stacked upside down, you got it! The name of the game is if you offer help, you’re helping the bride fulfill her vision, not your own.

Offer to help, but then don’t help.

Often wedding tasks have to be done in a timely manner due to a busy schedule. It’s important to not distract from the task at hand. If the bride has asked you to help make sure you’re being productive as opposed to socializing. You always have the option to politely decline if you don’t want to help. Better to say no than add more stress to the bride.



Are you a bride to be? What are ways you would like your loved ones to help, or not help, you? Tell us in the comments below! For more wedding planning inspiration and advice, check out more Chicago Wedding Blog posts below.

bachelorette party

Bachelorette Party

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Technically, it’s the maid or matron of honor’s job to scout out the bachelorette party but there’s no harm in hinting! If you’re bold, sassy and sexy – and hey, you are – why not try something unique and perhaps a little risqué?

There’s a hot work out called Pole, and while the name may be tied to strip clubs, this dancing fantasy is not about taking your clothes off. Pole dancing can be more of a gymnastic art form than stripper girl. It’s a total body work out that also lets women’s inner kittens come out to play.

Dance studios such as Naperville’s Tease Dance and Fitness or Geneva’s Tiger Lily Vertical Fitness offer private parties on the weekends for bachelorette parties. You’ll be instructed in the fine art of pole dancing by a certified pole instructor. Learn how to strut around the pole and do spins like the fairy! It’s a great way to burn those calories off as well as get your sexy on! You can go barefoot or bring heels to show off those legs. The attire is usually general work out style – shorts, tank and a sports bra. Or, you can spice it up with boas, sparkly bras and bride short shorts. There’s no modesty here and no judgment!

If you’re not into dancing around a pole, they also offer “strip tease classes” that give you moves to make your man melt! Again, no clothes come off, and the sultry, sensual moves are taught by professional, certified instructors.

Call each studio for more information on pricing but most studios are reasonable. It’s a lot of fun and a safe, woman empowering environment. Check with the studio about how many girls are able to fit on one dance room. They have candles, large mirrors and teach you stretching before warming up the poles.

Go give it a chance or if you’re the one planning it, give your bride a night they won’t forget!

Wedding Dress Creator

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Click here for the Wedding Dress Creator

If you flip through a wedding magazine, you will notice there are endless styles and options for wedding dresses. You have to find a dress that fits your personal style, wedding theme, and body type. The online wedding dress creator lets you create your dream look from head to toe. It even lets you test out the look with your skin tone and hair color. You can also use the site to play with bridesmaid looks. Here are a few tips for using the wedding dress creator.

Read the neckline guide and the silhouette guide. The guides not only tell you the names of the different styles, but they also offer advice on choosing a style that will work on your body type.

Read “Wedding Color Theory.” It would be nice if choosing your wedding colors was as simple as picking your favorite color, but there are a lot of factors to consider to make sure your wedding colors look as great you imagined.

Involve your bridesmaids. They can offer feedback on your favorite designs and help create bridesmaids looks.

Print out or save your looks. You can take these pictures to the dress store, florist, hair salon, etc.

 

 

 

 

How to Be a Great Maid of Honor

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Being a friend’s Maid of Honor is both flattering and intimidating. On one hand, the bride wants you standing next to her on the biggest day of her life. On the other, you may be nervous about your duties and skills as her #2 in command. Don’t tie yourself up in tulle knots; review the tips below and rise to the occasion.

Be the go-to girl. Mean it when you say, “I’m here for whatever you need.” The wedding planning process is chaotic in the final weeks, so make sure the bride and groom know you are willing to take on any assignment they give you. Don’t sacrifice every moment of your day, but be empathetic to the details swirling around the bride’s head. Be as involved as you can be, and remind your friends you are there for support.

Play tough. Be a contender when it comes to supporting your friend on her wedding day. If two bridesmaids don’t get along, tell them to zip it for the sake of the bride. Tell the caterer your friend can’t discuss tipping the wait staff until after the reception. Bottom line: whatever the circumstance, respect the bride and groom’s day of happiness, and make sure others do too.

Minimize stress. A bride’s wedding marks the happiest day of her life; unfortunately, it can also be the most stressful. Help your friend to keep her cool by:

  • Offering to take care of last-minute details, like picking up her dress from the tailor or calling to confirm the cake delivery time
  • Ensuring out-of-town guests are settled and comfortable. Offer your cell phone number to those in need of directions or other info
  • Keep your eye on the clock and coordinate arrival times with the minister and Best Man.
  • Make sure the bride has enough to eat and drink before the ceremony. Low blood sugar will only worsen edgy nerves.

Make the special moments count. As Maid of Honor, you are obviously an important person in the bride’s life. Make sure she knows how much you mean to her as well. Write a toast that encapsulates your friendship and feelings for her. She will be moved by the gesture and will remember it for the rest of her life.

Bridesmaids 101