With all of the hustle and bustle that comes with being a bride, itâs easy to forget things here and there. Maybe you totally forgot to buy stamps for your save-the-dates or completely failed to remember to book those hotel rooms for your guests. Either way, thereâs one important thing NOT to forget during the wedding planning process - your bridesmaids! Asking your girls to be a part of the wedding doesnât just have to include them standing by your side at the alter or smiling pretty for pictures. In fact, there are plenty of great excuses to hang out with your bridesmaids while still checking things off of your wedding planning checklist! From bonding activities to assigning cute job titles, learn some fun ways to get your 'maids involved in your wedding plans! Photo by Tandem Tree Why your bridesmaids should be included in the wedding plans. One of the biggest reasons that brides donât ask their girls for help is because they feel like theyâre being a burden. In reality, your friends want to help. Theyâre practically begging you, but you just arenât hearing it! Whether they just want to be kept updated on the wedding plans or actually get their hands dirty on some DIY projects, the level of inclusion can totally vary from girl to girl. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and not every girl is going to be so eager to lend a helping hand. However, most âmaids will be more than willing to help out. In fact, itâs part of the whole experience! Being a bridesmaid can be a title and a job - one that comes with tasks and responsibilities. If this seems like some daunting, new idea to you, let me break it down a little further for you, ladies. You asked them to be a BRIDESMAID. Brides. Maid. The word literally means that they are the maid of the bride! You shouldnât feel bad about asking them to help out with things here and there, because more often than not, theyâll be ecstatic to participate. Keep in mind, these are you friends that weâre talking about - not your slaves. Of course you can ask for their help, but asking too much of them will only cause a strain in your relationship. So rather than making the tasks seem like work, put a fun spin on the project to make it more of a bonding experience! If youâre struggling for ideas on how to include them in the wedding plans, Iâve gathered the following ideas that you and your girls will love. 8 Productive Bonding Activities: Dishing about wedding details at weekday happy hours and Sunday brunches isnât the only way to get your girls together for some pre-wedding bonding time. In fact, they probably would love to be a little more hands-on during the planning process. With these 8 ideas, your next get-together will be fun and productive! An Invitation Stuffing Soiree Thereâs not much worse than having to stuff and address 250 wedding invitations between you and your fiancĂŠ. Instead, gather your girls together, pour some champagne, and create an invitation assembly line that will not only be faster, but way more fun! Between all of the giggling and gossiping, you wonât even notice all of the paper cuts youâve accumulated. And ladies, for the love of beautiful wedding invitations, I beg you not to spill that champagne! A Signature Cocktail Tasting Party If this doesnât sound like the most exciting wedding planning experience then I donât know what does! Weâre all familiar with the trend of couples serving the bride and groomâs signature cocktails at the wedding reception, right? Why not take the tasks of taste-testing drinks and hanging with your besties and turn it into an evening of pure fun...and drinking. It might even be a good idea to get the entire wedding party in on this type of event. You can either assign different people to bring various ingredients or have each person bring their favorite cocktail to sample. Dress/Accessory Shopping This one is kind of a given, but seeing as itâs probably the most important bonding activity, it still should be included on this list. Going shopping with your girls to pick out their dresses or shoes is serious fun! After youâve gone through the stress of trying on dress after dress, you get to lay back and watch your âmaids pick out the dress of their dreams! âŚor at least the one theyâll tolerate for that day. Also, consider bringing the bridal salon into your bedroom! With the At Home Try-On program, bridal parties can order a limited number of samples to try on in the comfort of their home. Gather your girls, blast some music, and have fun trying on dresses in a fun, stress-free environment. A PJ Playlist Party Think good music, good friends, and a rockinâ good time! Grab your girls and have them help you create the wedding reception playlist of your dreams. (I also think PJâs and champagne would be 100% acceptable in this type of environment!) Youâll spend most of the time giggling and reminiscing over high-school favorites, but between everyoneâs ideas and taste in music, youâll be amazed with how great of a setlist you all come up with! A Craft and Cocktails Brunch DIY wedding favors are a huge trend that can be super affordable, but tirelessly time-consuming. Rather than forcing yourself to come home everyday after work to make 200-some favors of homemade candles, gather your girls for a Sunday afternoon of brunch, cocktails, and crafts! It will be fun, laid-back, and way less stressful than had you tackled the project on your own. An Afternoon of Bouquet Arranging Weâre seeing the trend of girls going to local farmers markets, craft stores, or flower shops and creating their own stunning, unique bouquets. Now, unless they are fake flowers, this isnât a project to do months in advance. Get your girls together the night before the wedding and enjoy yourselves while you create some gorgeous floral arrangements. A Pre-Registry Get-Together Right before you hit the endless aisles of Target, invite your friends over for an evening of collaging. I know it sounds super old school, but I think you'll be pretty thrilled with the end result! Grab a bunch of magazines, print off images from Pinterest, and have each of your girls come up with an awesome list of items that are totally worth registering for. You'll be amazed at all of the things they think of that totally would have slipped your mind. If your comfortable with the idea, rather than dragging your guy to Macyâs and arguing over every single plate and linen set in the store, grab one (or more!) of you girls, preferably who have somewhat similar style as you, and do what you do best - shop! This might not seem like âthe normâ, but how many times have you heard a man complain about having to go register for the wedding? If you could see me, Iâm raising my hand like a hundred times! A Thrift Shopping Affair Vintage and rustic-chic weddings are popping up all over the place lately. If youâre doing an array of painted vases, tableware, and/or decor, take your girls for a fun day of thrift shopping to help you scope out some great finds for your big day! Don't forget to include a delicious lunch and some lattes in there. Photo by Bryan Striegler  Including your out-of-town âmaids. It can be extremely hard for brides when one of their best friends is out-of-town during the engagement. To avoid them feeling excluded from all the pre-wedding activities, make sure to create easy communication amongst the whole group of âmaids. Luckily, social media makes this whole communication gap a heck of a lot easier and is a great way to get your out-of-towner in on the fun! Creating a Facebook group is a quick and easy way to better the communication amongst your girls. You can use this group to post ideas, event details, questions, pictures, or just about anything you feel may be necessary. An easy way for your out-of-state bridesmaids to participate in the planning is to have all of your girls pin ideas onto a shared Pinterest board. Give them a general idea of your plans for the big day (venue, colors, theme, etc.) and they can pin ideas, inspiration, and anything related to your vision. Also, donât forget the power of your camera phone. Skype, FaceTime, or send pictures to your out-of-town friend(s) whenever possible! Theyâll love being able to see the action taking place in real-time. Assign fun titles to your bridesmaids. Not all girls are going to be the best at helping you with every task. More than likely, you already know what areas your girls thrive in and should plan their responsibilities accordingly. For example, if one of your friends is more shy and laid-back, sheâs probably not the one to put in charge of ensuring that the other girls hit their deadlines on time. To liven up the whole âbridesmaidâ title and to relieve some pressure from the Maid of Honor, Iâve come up with some fun nicknames to give your girls that can help break up their different duties. âThe Enforcerâ - This is the girl who knows how to get s*$# done! Sheâs not afraid to lay down the hammer and keep the rest of your girls on track. Besides, the bride shouldnât constantly have to feel stressed wondering if her bridesmaids have ordered their dresses by the deadline - that can be The Enforcerâs job, now. âThe Party Starterâ - This is your go-to girl(s) for fun! While this is mainly going to be a day-of-wedding task to keep people on the dance floor, she can be in charge of keeping the bridal party upbeat and excited throughout the whole planning process. âThe Organizerâ - Sheâs the party planner, the type-A, the girl whoâs constantly making lists and itineraries to the point of annoyance. Put her in charge of planning the events such as the bridal shower and bachelorette party. Obviously, all of the other girls should have input and a hand in it as well, but The Organizer can be in charge of tracking RSVPâs, calling caterers and venues, and handling the heavier logistics of the events. She also would be great at keeping track of all the gifts given to the bride at the various parties. âThe Stylistâ - We all have that one friend who we go to for advice on anything style-related. Pick her. She can help you scope out accessories for the other girls such as shoes and jewelry and pick out possible hairstyles that would look good with your dress. Also, keep her by your side on the wedding day (especially during pictures!) to help with any makeup touch-ups, obnoxious fly-aways, or wardrobe mishaps. âThe Supporterâ - Sometimes, as the bride, you just need a really good vent session. Dedicate one of your girls, who you know to be a great listener, to sit and endure your wedding horror stories, problems, complaints, etc. Most likely, if she hasnât seen your ugly cry by now, she will soon. A quick note for the brides. At this point, hopefully you have some good ideas of how you can include your bridesmaids in the next few steps of planning. But brides, donât forget that this day is about you! You can include others as little or as much as you are comfortable with and you shouldnât feel pressured otherwise. As much as you should be considerate of the feelings of your friends, they should be just as considerate (if not more!) of your own. Ultimately, nothing should get in the way of your happiness because guess what, girl - YOUâRE GETTING MARRIED! Share your thoughts. Brides: How do you plan to include your 'maids? Do you have any other ideas on fun ways to make them a part of the planning process or do you prefer to do the work yourself? Bridesmaids: How were you included in the wedding that you were in? Do you wish you could have been included more or less during the brideâs engagement? Leave your comments below! Weâd love to hear your opinion on the matter.
$99 Bridesmaid Dress Sale! Ends 12/26
$99 Bridesmaid Dress Sale! Ends 12/26