The Maids Edition: Keeping those maids under control!

We can all vouch for what women are like. We can get out of control, we can be dramatic and we can be highly opinionated. Yes that's right, we can be class A Bitches (Sorry).

When it comes to your Bridesmaids it is important that all is well across the group. Depending on who you have chosen and how well you get on with them individually and they in turn with the rest of the group you may need some bonding sessions and also ground rules.

You know by now that where possible I like to share my experience and also now my personal journey through my Bride Eyes. This is something whereby, despite it being the best time of your life, add in the stress of all you have to do in general for work, home etc plus then all the wedding commitments. To be blunt, you could really do without having Bridesmaid drama.

From my own experience I have to say my Bridesmaids were amazing. However, things come up in day to day life that mean unfortunately your wedding is not the world to them. It is of course to you. My Sister and Mum lived and breathed every day for a whole year my wedding. It was all we talked about. I sometimes got a bit cross when they didn't come back to me on certain things - a bit Bridezilla I know!

So what do you do?

I would say where possible and if appropriate get everyone together for coffee and cake or cocktails and nibbles. This allows one night dedicated to getting things sorted. Mine came from different walks in my life so they really didn't know each other and they are playing a huge part in the biggest day of your life - they need to all feel equal and important.

Give the "Head of Bridesmaids" the task of planning your hen party or bridal shower - they will all be involved and step up to the plate. She can delegate out allowing you to focus on other things.

Set up Wedding Dates with them so you can spend quality time together. Its not practical to get everyone together all the time and I am sure they would love it.

I would try to find a balance between remembering that the wedding isn't their every thought but also that they do have a job to do. The do have a commitment to you, one you expect them to uphold. Make sure that between you, realistic tasks are taken on by that person - this will in turn prevent any upset from either side.

Overall I am sure all will be wonderful!

Do you have any advice to add? I would love to hear from you; email blissweddings@outlook.com

Love Katie x

The Maids Edition: Choosing the right dresses for your Bridesmaids

Choosing your Bridesmaid dresses is no mean feat. There are a few things that you need to bear in mind when making your shortlist. The easiest thing to do is to take it step by step as I see it. So here we go.

Firstly we need to start with some questions - grab a pen and paper and make some notes as you go. Draw a table and make columns for each Bridesmaid and fill in the answers. Beware : Honesty required.

Age
Hair Colour
Skin Tone
Body Shape
Height (Petite, Regular, Tall)

You could give consideration to what colour they like wearing or what really suits them.

Lastly - are they particularly self conscious about a particular part of their body. This could be anything from their arms to a birth mark. You should know them well enough to be able to answer this.

The trick is not to give them what they want BUT to try and find a colour, cut and style which can be tailored to suit them all.

For my Wedding I had 2 blonde, 3 brunette and a red head. 2 were younger so they had different dresses to the adults. I chose floor length because I have never been a Bridesmaid and I always wanted to walk down the aisle and swish my dress and then scoop it up when outside (I didn't say I wasn't weird!). One of my bridesmaids had a baby a couple of years ago and she felt self conscious about her tummy, one was big busted so she wanted her dress to flatter her and not draw too much attention. I chose dresses from Monsoon and at first I took my Chief Bridesmaid (my sister) and my mum along. She loved it and it was the go ahead I needed. I showed the others the dresses online and then went with them to the store to try them on. I really wanted to make sure they liked them and whilst I would go with the majority, I didn't want to upset them.



What would I recommend?

I would certainly recommend you taking your chief bridesmaid / maid of honour with you to show her the shortlist of dresses. Be it high street or from a boutique you can adjust dresses accordingly but you need another opinion. You should also delicately go through the list you create above.

I would go in with as much time as possible. It could well be that the dresses are only available part of the year (high street moreso) and once they have all tried on get them ordered / bought! I very nearly lost out with mine.

You should look after the dresses for safe keeping - it could well be they would like to loose a few pounds for your wedding so they should keep trying it on so they feel comfortable.

A couple of months before encourage them to start underwear shopping - this can take longer than you think. Take the dress with you so you can double check it is the right purchase.

If in doubt make them get the bigger size! Accept nothing less. Its better for it to fit there and then than for them to promise they will fit into on the day. You can always get it taken in.


Lastly, remember that you don't have to get them to all wear the same dress. There are many companies which do the same colours with different necklines, straps, lengths so whatever you do - do NOT panic.


I would love to hear your thoughts on this - please get in touch blissweddings@outlook.com

Love Katie x

The Maids Edition Part 1 : Choosing your Bridesmaids

I am not sure about you but when I was little I used to dream about my wedding day. When I got older me and my friends used to make pinky promises that we would all stay friends forever and be each others Bridesmaids.



When you grow up and realise that per Bridesmaid there is an overwhelming cost with honouring each and every one of those promises.

What I am going to do is tackle each of the things which I feel you need to consider when choosing your bridesmaids but before I do that I am going to terrify you with what comes with each Bridesmaid

Dresses
Shoes, bag, hair accessories, jewellery
Bouquet
On the day hair and make-up
Thank you gift

Just having the one now are we? I'm kidding.


I personally had my sister as Chief Bridesmaid, 2 friends, 2 younger bridesmaids (15 and 11) and a flower girl (3). So yes I can speak from experience and say that it is one expensive affair with 6 in total. But its not even just the cost.

Here are my brood:

You need to ensure the people that you chose are for the right reasons - don't ask someone because you were their Bridesmaid or because of those pinky promises.

Consider the relationships you have with your shortlisted Bridesmaids - who could you totally depend on and who do you really believe deserve the honour.

Think about those on your partners side - it would be a nice touch to include them too.

Think about your overall guest list - you don't want a football team when you have a small guest list.

Do you have an adorable little girl that could be your flower girl?


Do you have your list now? The important thing to remember is to stick to your guns once you have made your decision. From the moment you get married there will be quite a few people lined up ready with their acceptance speech and their shocked faces. But you can't have them all and if you asked everyone their role wouldn't be as important to you.

Until next time

Love Katie x