Bridal Party Problems

It's definitely normal to have some problems arise in the bridal party, especially if you have bridesmaids that have never done it before or haven't planned a wedding.

Most people don't know/understand how much work it takes to plan a wedding, unless they've been apart of a bridal party or have planned a wedding before. Your bridesmaids may not understand why it's so important to get things done beforehand. If you have one bridesmaid or you MOH who is on the ball, out them in charge of reminding the other bridesmaids to get stuff done.

I'd try talking to them about getting things done: "Hey everyone, I just want to remind everyone to book their hair appointments soon! Hair salons book up fast during wedding season so I want to make sure everyone gets an appointment! If you can, book by the end of the week to guarantee a spot!" Something along those lines may give them a sense of urgency, plus having a deadline is helpful.

I haven't had any complaints with my wedding party. I kept my wedding party small to avoid the drama. I was in a wedding party that had six bridesmaids and I found that there was so many different personalities that it created drama, and when it came to the wedding photos everything was disorganized and ran late.

The only issue that I ran into so far was with bridesmaid dress shopping. One of my bridesmaids is currently pregnant (due before the wedding) and she kept finding dresses that accentuated her baby belly. We ended up finding one everyone liked, but it took longer than expected.

Oh man this sucks to hear! i cant complain at all about my wedding party. But other weddings that ive been apart of wedding party there has been so much drama. i dont get people. there was one girl in my friends wedding party that didnt show up for anything and didnt help out. the bride stopped talking to her after her wedding but she was pissed.

Hey Jamie, welcome to Wedding Wire!


You're not alone. There have been a few other discussions about bridesmaids not being as excited as you had hoped or not helping out when you need it.
I feel like some of it might come from people not being as aware or as worried about bridal timelines as the bride is. People think that they have months and months to decide on something when in reality you need the choices made early because they are like dominoes waiting for the first decision to be made. I would talk with them (in person if possible) and let them know that you're stressed and that them getting these small things done will make you less stressed. Also try giving clear and manageable timelines, like if you need the dresses picked out by the end of February make sure they have a few weeks with a buffer before you need it done and send Google calendar reminders if you need to!

We have been through the ringer with our bridal party, let me tell ya! Our destination wedding is 2 months away, we sent out invitations a year ago, and we still have a bridesmaid and groomsman that haven't booked their trips! It has been stressing me out like crazy! But, I've gotten to a place where I'm just going to accept whatever happens and move on. If your wedding party can't fulfill their obligations, then they will have to miss out on the wonderful opportunity of standing next to you at your wedding. There really is only so much hounding and remaining and chasing that you can do... If they don't have their dress, then they can't participate. Don't be afraid to let them know that that's the case. Just remember, the day is about you and your spouse!