Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays?

lani016

I recently got engaged, and my maid of honor-to-be lives about an hour away from the wedding site and wants to meet the other bridesmaids who are in the area.  We are all  going to meet for lunch so everyone can get acquainted.  This is not a formal bridal luncheon, but as the bride, should I still pay for lunch for all of the bridesmaids or should we each pay separately?

Thanks for any tips!

ootmother2

It would be a nice move if you paid.  If that's not possible, perhaps you coud make a brunch/lunchdrinks at your place.

I don't the the bridal party should pay for the meet & greet which is nice but not a necessity

quotequeen

If you organized the event and invited everybody, they will probably be expecting that you are hosting it.  But the way you worded the invitation is important.

For example, did you say "join us if you want" or did you indicate that you expected everybody to be there?

lani016

This was a very informal get-together, so no formal invites were sent out.  I spoke to all of the girls on the phone and told them of the situation...that I wanted them to meet my maid of honor and would they be able to meet for lunch.  If they are able to come, then great, and if not, that's fine, too (I know we'll all be together in the future, so they'll meet eventually).

kliberti

I would definately say you pay-  if you can't afford to pay to take everyone out- then cook for them at home!  You can do some really affordable, yummie and adorable hor'dourves and snacks- maybe along the same theme as your wedding?

MommyMarta08

Split. They don't have to come. 

JadziaDax

If I was a bridesmaid, I would expect to pay for my own lunch and wouldn't have a problem paying.
At the same time, I would have absolutely no interest in meeting the other bridesmaids. I would just do it to make my friend happy. This lunch idea doesn't sound very necessary in the first place- sorry if i'm coming across as rude.

eastunder1

I attended this exact same senerio for a wedding I'm in next year.  I'm the OOT one and don't know most of the other women, so the bride arranged for us all to have lunch one day.  I thought it was somewhat silly to begin with, but it never once crossed my mind that the bride should pay. 

M&R7111

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_informal-bridesmaid-meet-greetwho-pays?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a5d61ab2-8ee1-46d1-92c9-a17b439925fbPost:04431d5f-ccd4-41b6-af64-447cbe1aacf5">Re: Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays?</a>:
[QUOTE]If I was a bridesmaid, I would expect to pay for my own lunch and wouldn't have a problem paying. At the same time, I would have absolutely no interest in meeting the other bridesmaids. I would just do it to make my friend happy<strong>. This lunch idea doesn't sound very necessary in the first place-</strong> sorry if i'm coming across as rude.
Posted by JadziaDax[/QUOTE]

Most of my bridesmaids don't know each other.  I was thinking of having them over to my place for lunch to meet each other.  I would like to introduce my friends to family that have not met yet since they will all be standing up together at my wedding one day.  I would hope they would all be interested in meeting each other.

JadziaDax

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_informal-bridesmaid-meet-greetwho-pays?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:a5d61ab2-8ee1-46d1-92c9-a17b439925fbPost:6f0d9981-77af-4ba7-abce-f01e7c469a62">Re: Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays? : Most of my bridesmaids don't know each other.  I was thinking of having them over to my place for lunch to meet each other.  I would like to introduce my friends to family that have not met yet since they will all be standing up together at my wedding one day.  I would hope they would all be interested in meeting each other.
Posted by M&R7111[/QUOTE]

Our bridesmaids are our closest friends so of course they will do things to make us happy. I wouldn't assume though that anyone would be interested in meeting a bunch of strangers just because they will be standing next to each other at a wedding.

M&R7111

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_informal-bridesmaid-meet-greetwho-pays?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:a5d61ab2-8ee1-46d1-92c9-a17b439925fbPost:3f114029-e63b-4f51-b0ef-7c973e14a04b">Re: Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Informal bridesmaid Meet and Greet...who pays? : Our bridesmaids are our closest friends so of course they will do things to make us happy. I wouldn't assume though that anyone would be interested in meeting a bunch of strangers just because they will be standing next to each other at a wedding.
Posted by JadziaDax[/QUOTE]

I'm only having family in my party - FI's cousin, and my cousin and SIL.  I figured the families would want to meet.

kimp67

I would say you pay since you're arranging it.  We're having something similar, except it's going to be a bbq at our home with the entire wedding party. 

Calypso1977

isnt the bachelorette party/rehearsal dinner the time taht the WP meets everyone?  having this extra meet and greet seems unnecessary.  they dont have to like each other or even be friends in order to put on a dress and be in pictures.

if its important to you that they meet in addition to the other usual events, id just have everyoen over for cocktails and apps at your house.

starla827

If I were in a WP and I was invited to meet up with the bride and some bridesmaids for lunch, I would totally expect to pay for it myself as long as it wasn't a mandatory formal thing.  If I asked my friend if she would be interested in going to the movies with me, should I pay just because I was the one to ask?

And although it's not necessary for the bridesmaids to know/get along with each other, it is nice.  For my sister's wedding, I wound up spending a lot of time with her other bridesmaids because we jointly hosted the bridal shower and bachelorette party (weekend get-away), so if I didn't know them before I would have liked to be introduced to them all early on.