Wedding Etiquette Forum

Bridesmaid or Junior Bridesmaid??

My FI's cousin is in my wedding party.  She will be 16 at the time of the wedding.  Is she considered a bridesmaid or a junior bridesmaid?  I don't know the "rules" on this

Re: Bridesmaid or Junior Bridesmaid??

  • My SIL was a bridesmaid in our wedding.  She was 16.

    Really, there's no reason for the "junior."  They do the same things as a BM.
  • I always just called her a bridesmaid. 
    It was brought up at work the other day, someone asked if she would be a junior bridesmaid, because I called her his "little cousin".

    It just got me thinking. :)
    Thanks.
  • I was a jr. bridesmaid when I was 8 or 9.  At 16, I'd just call her a bridesmaid.  By that age she wants nothing more than to be considered a grown up (probably) so make her day and leave off the "junior". :)
  • In my circle, a "junior" just signifies the girl or boy' age and, therefore, their parent's inclusion, such as picking out the clothes. It also might mean they need rides everywhere and the pre-wedding parties have to either include or exclude them based on the location. Meaning, if the bride wants a bachelorette party at a bar, the junior bridesmaid is excluded or some compromises have to be made. For my friend's wedding she had a junior bridesmaid. They all wanted strapless, including the bride. The girl's mother said it was inappropriate for her 16 year old daughter. Since the mother had final say on what her daughter wears, they just found a dress in the same color for her, but with straps. For the bachelorette party, the bride wanted to go to the bar, so the junior bridesmaid was excluded. For the bridal shower, while the other girls were able to contribute something monetary, she wasnt able to, but helped out at the shower. It's not really a big deal. I think if the girl is bothered by it, then the "junior" could be dropped. I honestly never thought much about it, as I've never been in the "junior" position.
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  • Bridesmaid.  I was my sister's Maid of Honor when I was 17.  If she thought she couldn't honor me in that way because I was still a teenager I would have been very hurt. 
  • @ Fated

    It's worth pointing out that those are largely optional contributions.  Adult bridesmaids are not (or should not be) demoted if they don't financially contribute to the shower.  The point about parents approval for clothes is valid, although I'm not sure it requires a separate title.  My circle doesn't use "junior BM" though, so that could be just habit.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridesmaid-junior-bridesmaid?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:9e9793ba-cca9-4b62-a953-2175bb9e3c93Post:beb27302-7384-40be-9f1f-a70137404c12">Re: Bridesmaid or Junior Bridesmaid??</a>:
    [QUOTE]@ Fated It's worth pointing out that those are largely optional contributions.  Adult bridesmaids are not (or should not be) demoted if they don't financially contribute to the shower.  The point about parents approval for clothes is valid, although I'm not sure it requires a separate title.  My circle doesn't use "junior BM" though, so that could be just habit.
    Posted by RaptorSLH[/QUOTE]
    Oh, of course it isn't mandatory to do so, but it ceases being even an option to help financially if you're, like, 13 years old.
    No one in my circle looks at a "junior" bridesmaid as a demotion or a lesser title, per se. It just signifies that you do have to go through their parents for everything, is all, and make sure you have approval.
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  • My oldest will be 14 when I marry. I just call her brideSmaid.
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  • I'm not a fan of the title *junior bridesmaid.*  I would just call her a bridesmaid.
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