Quiz: How Should A Bride Treat Her Bridesmaids?

lmost every bride will have at least a few women in her wedding party, and some will have as many as ten or twelve bridesmaids. Every bride has bridesmaids, but not every bride has the same reputation amongst her bridal party. Some are called bridezilla behind their backs, while other brides are known as being gracious. Take this quiz to find out if you know how you should treat your bridesmaids.

1. The main purpose of bridesmaids is:
a. to lend support to the bride and to help her celebrate a joyous occasion in her life
b. to run errands, throw parties, and generally be at the bride s beck and call for a year
c. who knows?

2. True or false: bridesmaids are obligated to throw the bride a bridal shower and a bachelorette party.

3.The bride should show her appreciation for her attendants in the following way:
a. by asking as little of them as possible
b. giving them thoughtful bridesmaid gifts, such as jewelry or engraved silver items
c. bridesmaid gifts? The honor of being in my wedding is all the gift any bridesmaid needs!

4. Who should select the bridesmaid dresses?
a. the bride and her mother
b. the bridesmaids
c. the bride, but with input from at least one of her bridesmaids, often the maid of honor

5. Which of the following statements is the most true:
a. bridesmaids should be selected based on their friendship with the bridesmaid
b. it is fine to pick bridesmaids based on their appearance; after all, they are going to be in the wedding pictures
c. bridesmaids should be your best friends, but it is okay to suggest that they lose weight or fix their hair before the wedding

6. If one of my former bridesmaids asked me to be in her wedding, I would be:
a. delighted! I can t wait to help my friend as much as she helped me with my wedding.
b. irritated; why should I spend all that time and money being in a wedding?
c. terrified! Did she invite me just to get revenge for the way I acted when she was my bridesmaid?

Answers:

1. a. Bridesmaid should be there to help the bride with minor wedding planning as their schedules allow, but their main purpose is just to be there in friendship for the bride on her wedding day. Far too many brides forget that bridesmaids are not their indentured servants!

2. False. Bridesmaids are under no obligation to throw any parties for the bride. It is true that bridesmaids will often get together to plan a shower, but they certainly do not have to, and the bride should never tell them to give her a party.

3. b. Show your bridesmaids how much you appreciate them with thoughtful bridesmaid gifts! Items with lasting value like jewelry or picture frames tend to be among the most popular gift ideas. Although it is kind to ask little of your attendants, it is not enough of a gift. And no, being in your wedding is not such a high honor that a proper present becomes unnecessary.

4. c.Although allowing your bridesmaids total freedom to pick their dresses is nice in theory, the bride will probably want to have some input into the bridesmaid attire as well. Since too many cooks spoil the soup, it is usually most productive to ask one or two bridesmaids to help pick out the dress rather than trying to get the entire bridal party to choose one together.

5. a. Bridesmaids should be picked based purely on your affection for them (well, family ties might play a role, too). The appearance of the woman should never be a factor in whether she is deemed worthy to be in your bridal party. And no, it is not fair for a bride to ask someone to be in her wedding, and then put all sorts of demands on her friend to “improve” herself before the wedding day.

6. a. Of course you should be happy to get to return the favor when a former bridesmaid comes to you! After all, she is probably relying on the experience of a friend who is already married to help her figure out how to plan her wedding. It is not so nice to be irritated by a friend s attempt to honor your friendship by inviting you to be in her wedding. For those who chose c, if you were such a bridezilla that you fear retribution, well...turnabout is fair play!