The Joys of Planning a Wedding...with Help
Yvonne Rodriguez
Are you running yourself ragged taking care of all the wedding details? Give yourself a break and enlist your bridal party to help out with wedding-planning duties. They’ve been there throughout the good times of your relationship with your fiancé, so why not let them be present during the nitty gritty of the wedding planning?
Chances are, if they’re participating in your wedding, they hold a special place in your heart. “As your bridal party will most likely be honored and excited to take part in your wedding and the planning, keep it all organized and map out what needs to be done and who would be the best person to do it,” says Miami-based event planner Penny Grier of An Event Remembered. Your best bet is to sit down with your husband-to-be and write a list of things that still need to be done and then delegate the tasks to who can do them. The chosen ones can leave their wallets at home, as cash is not what is needed here. What they should bring along is patience and a good pair of walking shoes to visit vendors. Let your friends and family do some of the legwork with or for you. They can save you a lot of time and stress. “Since I live in Atlanta and my wedding will be held in Miami, a couple of my bridesmaids living there have picked the church and found the perfect place to hold my reception,” says bride to-be Tammy Boyd. As long as you direct your delegates well, those important tasks can be done without a hitch.
Assign appropriate tasks to each member of your bridal party
Let personalities and characters be your guide when assigning tasks to your friends and loved-ones. If you know one of your bridesmaids likes to dance, instead of asking her to help you pick out wedding favors, let her scout out the best Bands and DJs on Long Island and then present you with a list you can choose from. You never know, she may do a better job than expected. If your sister-in-law has taken dozens of floral design classes, she might love the opportunity to help you find the perfect florist for your big day.
Below are some tips and ideas to help you delegate wedding planning tasks to your bridal party:
Maid of Honor
Your maid of honor usually hosts your bridal shower and/or bachelorette party. But why let her party-planning skills stop there? Why not ask her to help you organize the seating for the reception? She knows you pretty well, so she should be able to assist you in making sure everyone is comfortable in his or her assigned spots. She may even suggest great ideas like having the flower girls escort your guests to their assigned tables. The maid of honor can also help schedule trips for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to get measured for their tuxedos and dresses.
Best Man
Your groom’s best man is usually his best friend, brother, or other person he admires and trusts, let him know that as your future husband’s confidant he is special to you, too. Don’t let making the wedding speech be the best man’s only time to shine. Encourage him to accompany your fiancé on wedding-related errands - persuade him by saying it’ll give them some extra male-bonding time before the big day. Maybe let him flaunt his organizing talents by directing the photographer and videographer to the important guests they should be sure to photograph or film during the well-wishing, dances, and bouquet toss. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if he checked in on the Band or DJ for you, as well.
Bridesmaids
These are your girls. They’re willing to pay for their bridesmaid dresses and plan your destination bachelorette party without a blink of an eye - and they’re always up for a girls’ get-together. Buy a few bottles of wine, break out the Fondue set, and arrange a fun Friday night filled with wedding-planning duty. This wouldn’t be a bad time to taste-test the cake you plan to order, as well. You can catch up on gossip while making those all-important to-do lists or sorting through linen samples. They’ll appreciate the effort you made to show how appreciative you are for their help and support.
Groomsmen
Boy oh boy! You have to love those groomsmen. They’ve tried to pressure your hubby-to-be into playing their college football fighting song at the wedding reception. But you can’t help loving their child-like energy and enthusiasm. Assign them effortless duties you know they won’t mind doing. For example, ask them to pick up out-of-town guests at the airport, or shuttle guests to and from the ceremony and to the reception.
“The bridal party’s most important job is to give support,” says Grier. Not only can they help you get your wedding tasks and duties done, they will be there to listen to your concerns and fears. You’ve chosen them to stand up at the altar with you for a reason. You know that they are the right people to help you celebrate the new wonderful life you are about to begin.
Married girlfriends are gems because they can also offer advice and ideas on where you should buy your cake, which photographer is great, which band you should hire, etc. (And you never know, all those meetings to discuss pre-wedding tasks may help get the relationship ball rolling between one of the single groomsmen and your single maid of honor.)
Including your bridal party in the wedding planning can create fun and unforgettable memories you all will reminisce over for years to come.