Not having a say in their dress

Brides, to be fair, mainly pay for the bridesmaid dresses so traditionally they have the final say on what dress they will hand over their hard earned cash for. And, let’s face it, they will a) want the bridesmaid dresses to match the colour scheme of the wedding and b) they won’t want to be upstaged by their girls so the bride does retain a lot of control over the dress choice. However, all bridesmaids would appreciate a say in the dress they have to wear for 16 or more hours on your wedding day. They want it to flatter their figure, hug them in the right places, hide the bits they don’t like and ensure it’s extremely comfortable to withstand the long wedding day. Please also remember some colours wash people out so if can, choose various coloured dresses to flatter your wedding party’s skin tone. 

Not being allowed a plus one

Yes, you are trying to keep your numbers down but come on, you choose your bridesmaids because you have a special kind of relationship with them so don’t you think it would be nice if they could bring a plus one. Yes, they might not have a romantic partner at the time of your big day but it would go down really well if you gave them the courtesy of having the option of bringing a friend, family member or potential love interest. And, who knows, they may not ever take you up on the offer, but don’t have them flying solo on your special day of love.

Too much responsibility

 It’s important to have a chat with your bridesmaids at the beginning of your journey together to see what they can actually do for you in terms of organising your hen, the lead up to the wedding, attend appointments and all that fabulous stuff. No doubt, some bridesmaids have full time jobs, kids, other halves, family commitments so please be respectful of the aforementioned. Even a casual chat will determine what kind of commitment they can give you over the next year or so. Don’t just dump a huge amount of responsibility on them and fall out with them if they don’t pull through. 

Not paying for wedding related expenses

It’s tradition in Ireland to pay for your bridesmaids’ dress, accessories, hair and make-up on the wedding day, although not everyone does this. But if you expect your bridesmaids to have their hair cut in a certain style, have their nails a certain colour or insist they wear fake tan then it’s probably an idea of offer to pay for these wedding associated costs also. They may very well be getting these done anyway but if it sounds like a demand from the wedding couple then it might be nice to offer to pay for it.

Don’t plan to set them up

We may be wrong on this one, but if your bridesmaid is single don’t assume that they would be the perfect match for your cousin Liam who is home from Australia for the wedding. They may be happily single or be in the early stages of a relationship with someone they met on Tinder but haven’t disclosed this to you yet. However, if they do keep asking are there any singletons attending your big day then you can follow their lead and ensure Liam asks for a dance!