If there is one constant in the arena of wedding planning, it is the uniqueness of every bride, both in her expectations and her opinions.

As the Mother of the Bride, our most important role is to keep our brides realistic with their expectations.  And what they expect from their bridal party is no exception.

But even we Mothers of the Bride have varying opinions on the role of our daughter’s bridesmaids; the girls who she feels are her most valued friends.

A member of the group, The Mother of the Bride – The MOB, on Facebook posted this excellent question:

“Since many of us are in the same age group and are familiar with more weddings than our daughters, what are your thoughts about the responsibilities of the bridal party to the bride? I’ve been a MOH and BM several times, and have planned and pay for the bridal shower and my own dress, shoes, hair, etc. Has anyone done anything or was expected to ‘do’ anything other than be supportive the day of the wedding?

Brides these days keep going on and on about being disappointed about their bridal party members not ‘doing more’ to help them plan their weddings. Didn’t your Moms and sisters do more for and with you than anyone else?”

One FB member responded:

“I honestly think that their responsibility should be to cover their dress, shoes & hair or makeup costs for the day of (the wedding).”

Yet another member of The MOB writes:

“I think bridesmaids and maids of honor should offer to help with errands, making favors, assembling programs/menus, doing any research, making phone calls. I think they should “offer.”

Whoa…this is a hot topic!

In 2009, on average, a bride had 4.3 attendants in her wedding party, each girl spending, again on average, $1,009.00!

Expenses included:

• Bridesmaid dress
• Accessories
• Alterations
• Bachelorette party expenses
• Bridal shower gift
• Hair Service
• Hotel
• Manicure
• Outfit for rehearsal dinner
• Pedicure
• Plane fare
• Rental car
• Shoes
• Wedding gift

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic of Bridal Party Responsibilities.  I look forward to your comments!