If you think picking the perfect centrepiece for your wedding is one of the most difficult choices to make as a bride, think again. With so many female friends, family and close work colleagues, choosing just one to complete the chief bridesmaid duties can be life weaving your way through a minefield. Here are some tips on how to avoid confrontation and make the best choice you possibly can.
It’s all about playing to someone’s strengths. Although it may sound tedious, sitting down with a pen and paper with the possible list of candidates is the most sensible approach. Just because one friend is the life and soul of the party on a night out, doesn’t mean she’ll be on hand when you need her for important wedding decisions. Take your time writing down people’s strengths and weaknesses and how they will complement your plans in the run up to your big day. Then, take things from there.
Accepting the responsibility of chief bridesmaid is a massive undertaking and might not fill everyone with excitement, so once you’ve made your choice, make sure to actually ask the person if they’d like the job before making an assumption that they'll take it.
Don’t be pressured into choosing a family member either. Gone is the tradition of picking someone within the family circle just for the sake of it. With heightened emotions in the run-up to the big day, choose someone who will wipe away the tears, make good decisions, put up with any bridezilla moments and still be there for you after the ‘I dos’ have been said.
To avoid any confusion, clearly state what is expected of the chosen one from the word go. Outlining how much or little wedding involvement you expect her to be involved in is giving her the option to back out if she feels that she may not be up to the job.
Throughout the planning process, remember that it’s your wedding day and not hers, so keep an eye out for decisions and preferences over certain things being pushed upon you.
The job of chief bridesmaid is not worth losing a solid relationship over, so if you feel you made the wrong decision and you think it may come to blows, calmly tell her that your friendship means far more to you so you’ll be choosing someone else for the job. Worried about asking her to step down? Check this out.
- Michelle Storey
Image credits: Navy bridesmaids: Emily Wren Photography | Turquoise bridesmaids: Chelsey Boatwright | Sparkly bridesmaids: Geoff Duncan | Purple bridesmaids: This Modern Romance | Flower crown bridesmaids: Jenny Yoo | Mismatched bridesmaids: Taylor Lord