I keep seeing posts that the MOH and BM's just have to show up and are not required to do anything else. I have no idea when this happened, but I have to say that it makes me think that nowadays, you invite the girls that will look good in the dresses since they are there only as decorations!!! In the "olden days" BM's and MOH's were an intregal part of the planning process. They also were put to work on the Day of the Wedding- helping the Bride get dressed, keeping her calm, making her laugh. It was usually a very fun time, planning with your friends and having them with you to pick out your gown, trying on BM's dresses, discussing the decorations. Most of the girls on The Knot seem to think that these types of things are below them. What ever happened to friends helping out and making the Bride and Groom's day fun. It is not as if BM's are being treated as the help as so many of you seem to think.
If BM's are not required to "do" anything but show up and put on the dress, I think that you could replace them with a flower arrangement and save all this angst!!
Re: MOH BM's This is just my opinion.
Nobody's saying that bridesmaids should do nothing BUT show up in the dress. They're saying that that's all they HAVE to do. That's in response to people who come here whining that their friend is a bad bridesmaid because she skipped the bachelorette party in order to take her final exam, or she didn't come to the third bridal gown fitting because she was tired from work, and things like that.
It is perfectly acceptable if your friends WANT to do these things, but what kind of friend are you if you DEMAND that they do these things?
There are lots of ways to support a friend and they all don't fall into the "go ga ga over her wedding" category.
Also - I was trying to finish my Ph.D. when I was sister's MOH. I simply didn't have the time or money to do much of anything for her. To say that means that I was horrible MOH makes me quite angry. I adore my sister and love her husband. I cried most of her wedding day because I was so happy for her.
If you lower your expectations to "just buy a dress and come to the wedding" then you won't be dissappointed over BMs missing things (because life does continue for the rest of us) and you will be thrilled wiith anything above and beyond that they do.
Seriously, think beyond being the BRIDE for a moment and remember that we all have lives. Things don't just stop because someone is getting married.
EDIT: there are minor typos in there. Sorry...
The bottom line is that brides today have to understand that BMs have tons of demands on their time, and that they can't be as involved as you might like them to be. But if you pick the right people as your BMs, they will still make your day special even if they didn't make to the bachelorette party or come to the cake tasting.
Women have careers, and lives. Of my six bridesmaids, two live in Maryland, and one each in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia and Canada.
They are good enough friends to do things for me, like throw showers and travel for a bachelorette party. But if they couldn't, I would understand that their lives, and their work and family commitments, take precedence for them over my wedding. That's how it should be.
I'd rather have a shower thrown by friends who want to do it, instead of someone who's doing it just out of obligation, or because they know I'll throw a fit if they don't.
ETA: And I certainly didn't pick my bridesmaids based on who will best accessorize my wedding. I don't even know how you jumped from not placing unrealistic demands on bridesmaids to treating them as decor. Give me a fuucking break.
[QUOTE]ETA: And I certainly didn't pick my bridesmaids based on who will best accessorize my wedding. I don't even know how you jumped from not placing unrealistic demands on bridesmaids to treating them as decor. Posted by hlq2011[/QUOTE]
I was really confused by this, too.
Because I just want my bridesmaid to show up in the correct dress, they are now floral arrangements?
No. They are my closest friends and I couldn't imagine getting married without them by my side. I realized, as their friends, that they have a lot to do and only asked one thing of them. The rest is just fluff, but their presence at my wedding is priceless.
[QUOTE]I have no idea when this happened, but I have to say that it makes me think that nowadays, you invite the girls that will look good in the dresses since they are there only as decorations!!!
Most of the girls on The Knot seem to think that these types of things are below them. What ever happened to friends helping out and making the Bride and Groom's day fun.
Posted by dparisi[/QUOTE]
Meanwhile, the latter part makes it sound like you're only interested in choosing people who'll be willing to do stuff for you and help you plan.
See how stupid it is to jump to ridiculous conclusions?
[QUOTE]I keep seeing posts that the MOH and BM's just have to show up and are not required to do anything else. I have no idea when this happened, but I have to say that it makes me think that nowadays, you invite the girls that will look good in the dresses since they are there only as decorations!!! In the "olden days" BM's and MOH's were an intregal part of the planning process. They also were put to work on the Day of the Wedding- helping the Bride get dressed, keeping her calm, making her laugh. It was usually a very fun time, planning with your friends and having them with you to pick out your gown, trying on BM's dresses, discussing the decorations. Most of the girls on The Knot seem to think that these types of things are below them. What ever happened to friends helping out and making the Bride and Groom's day fun. It is not as if BM's are being treated as the help as so many of you seem to think. If BM's are not required to "do" anything but show up and put on the dress, I think that you could replace them with a flower arrangement and save all this angst!!
Posted by dparisi[/QUOTE]
I was kinda getting the feeling that I was overworking my BM's but after reading this whole thread I realize that the reason I asked these girls is because they are my closest friends and they want to help. I haven't demanded anything of them but they have offered to help me with planning, looking for reception halls, DJs, attend bridal shows, etc. I guess every bride has a different relationship with her BMs. And my BMs: 1 lives in TX, 2 are nurses, 3 are teachers and 1 is in nursing school and all but MOH live in NY...(we are in NJ)..they are all busy but have contributed by talking to me, giving advice, and actually going with me to all the different planning stages. I don't demand this but I am happy they want to and can be so involved and helpful!
Wow! My BMs are my closest friends and family and I certainly chose them to be more than just decorations, but I also don't expect them to put their lives on hold for my wedding. Of course they'll help me dress, keep me calm and make me laugh on my wedding day, but not because they are my BMs, because they are my friends and that's what friends do for each other. I'm sure I'll ask them for help on the wedding day - I mean, who else but your best friends will hold your wedding dress while you have to go to the bathroom - but again, it's because they're my friends. I do NOT expect them to travel across the country and spend hundreds of dollars for showers and parties. I do NOT expect them to do their hair, makeup, nails and nails according to what I like and I do NOT expect them to hold my hand every time I make a wedding decision. Yes, I'm getting married but guess what: one of my BMs is having a BABY, two have new jobs, one has a new boyfriend, one is starting her last year of college and one's son is starting kindergarden and all of these events are just as important to them as my wedding is to me! Okay, that's my rant about why BMs are not "the help."
And no, she wasn't just a decoration. She is my best friend and it was an honor to have her standing up there with me.
I agree with you 110%!!!
My SIL, 2 cousins and 2 best friends were my bms/moh. They were not chosen for their looks, but because I loved them. They were not asked to do anything other than buy a dress and wear a pair of white shoes of their choice to my wedding. Since they lived out of state, they came in the night before the wedding and slept at my place. I didn't want them to have to pay for hotel rooms. They did their own hair, nails, makeup, however they wished.
They didn't help plan my wedding. My parents did that, since they were paying. I didn't need any 'emotional support' because I was very happy to be marrying my sweety. They didn't plan any showers. My family took care of that because they didn't expect the bms to put money into a party for me, when they were already buying a dress and some were taking a day off work.
My MOH offered to help address wedding invitations. I accepted her offer. It never occurred to me to send them to a calligrapher. One of the bms found a great deal on hats to match the bm dresses. She bought them, without consulting me. The other bms and I were delightfully surprised.
Other than that, they posed for a few formal pictures, danced and had a good time at the wedding. And that was perfectly acceptable.
[QUOTE]I was married 30 + years ago. Does that qualify as "olden days?" My SIL, 2 cousins and 2 best friends were my bms/moh. They were not chosen for their looks, but because I loved them. They were not asked to do anything other than buy a dress and wear a pair of white shoes of their choice to my wedding. Since they lived out of state, they came in the night before the wedding and slept at my place. I didn't want them to have to pay for hotel rooms. They did their own hair, nails, makeup, however they wished. They didn't help plan my wedding. My parents did that, since they were paying. I didn't need any 'emotional support' because I was very happy to be marrying my sweety. They didn't plan any showers. My family took care of that because they didn't expect the bms to put money into a party for me, when they were already buying a dress and some were taking a day off work. My MOH offered to help address wedding invitations. I accepted her offer. It never occurred to me to send them to a calligrapher. One of the bms found a great deal on hats to match the bm dresses. She bought them, without consulting me. The other bms and I were delightfully surprised. Other than that, they posed for a few formal pictures, danced and had a good time at the wedding. And that was perfectly acceptable.
Posted by MairePoppy[/QUOTE]
Maire, your experience sounds almost exactly like mine which was (almost) 33 years ago. And just to add to your excellent post: we had nary a single moment of "drama" during the planning time. I'm guessing that you could likely say the same thing.
OP: The whole "Wedding Party" didn't become an issue until the vast wedding industrial complex sprouted up. It's only since they found ways to separate people from their cash, and that people bought into that concept, that the issue of a WP doing "stuff" has come up.
[QUOTE]Dparisi - I agree with you 110%!!!
Posted by ajweden84[/QUOTE]
Really? You agree with her dramatic rant that was full of far-fetched assumptions and blanket statements?
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: MOH BM's This is just my opinion. : Really? You agree with her dramatic rant that was full of far-fetched assumptions and blanket statements?
Posted by LessThanZero[/QUOTE]
This same charmer has forbidden her MOH from bringing her one-month-old newborn to her wedding too. Something tells me she's all about the briiiiiiiiide doing whatever she waaaaaants because it's her daaaaaaaaaaay!
[QUOTE]I If BM's are not required to "do" anything but show up and put on the dress, I think that you could replace them with a flower arrangement and save all this angst!!
Posted by dparisi[/QUOTE]
I think you will note that those of us who do not make crazy demands upon our beloved WP members do not have angst. It is actually those people who are making crazy demands that have angst. Just sayin.
[QUOTE]I do remember reading somewhere that one should very carefully consider whether they have the time and money to commit to being in a wedding party. I understand it to be rude to think you just get the dress and show up, and that if you are not able to help the bride with any other wedding details, it would probably be best to decline.
Posted by lindsay5432[/QUOTE]
So I better kick out my very close cousin because she is full time college student who will have an internship this summer so she will not have a lot of time and cash to spend on my wedding. See what we are getting at here?
[QUOTE]I do remember reading somewhere that one should very carefully consider whether they have the time and money to commit to being in a wedding party. I understand it to be rude to think you just get the dress and show up, and that if you are not able to help the bride with any other wedding details, it would probably be best to decline.
Posted by lindsay5432[/QUOTE]
The time for what? If you're free on the wedding day, great! That's all the time committment needed. All of you saying bridesmaids need to help the bride and all this crap must be totally against OOT BM's, then. So hopefully all of your closest friends live in the same city as you. How dare my BM over in England (I really do have one in England) not come in every week to help me do my invites or attend my showers, right? What a bitch. I should have picked somebody closer location-wise so she could wait on me hand and foot.
I feel like they weren't read because just saying "you go, girl! I agree with you!" isn't really critical or analytical discussion. I also directly addressed the "well if you can't help, then you definitely decline" thought process. Thanks for drawing the conclusion that if I couldn't help my sister with her wedding (because I was getting a Ph.D.) then I should definitely have never been her MOH or included in the wedding.
I had never thought that BMs were suppose to help plan, or throw a shower. Where I come from Aunts or sisters throw a shower. The MOH usually plans the Bachorlette party along with some of the brides other closer friends, but that's it. I have however read some posts where people are very harsh on the OP and I actually would think just like you.
But then I do think about it and I realize that I never did anything but buy a dress and show up all 4 times I was a BM. Of course I would listen to the bride complain and stress out and would offer help. I'd go to as many showers as I could but that was it.
But I agree most of the time people post that the BM is only responsible to buy a dress and show up on people who are complaining about their BM not being at their beckon call and dare I say have not stopped their lives because the bride is getting married.
My MOH threw me a shower (I didn't expect that). One BM did my hair, and my SIL my other BM helped me with my dress. They also kept me calm as my wedding was delayed because my in-laws car broke down and they were bringing my dad to the church because the plan was I drove my truck and he was going to ride to the church with my in-laws and then he would drive my truck back home for me afterward.
I am not sure I could have handled the delay without their help. It wasn't that I was worried about getting married I was worried the delay would ruin everything.
That is how I see my role as BM. I help my friend in anyway that I can. I have really gone over and above. I made her invitations, decorating the favors, and making the fans. She never asked me for any of this. I offered. Her sister is also a BM. She isn't able to help in any way. Her boyfriend got really ill right after the planning started and her focus has been on him. (He was on a ventilator for over a month.) Her MOH is helping to call places, check on things because the bride is in Indiana and the wedding is Oregon. The MOH and one BM live in Oregon. So the MOH is helping bridge the gap. The last BM is not helping in anyway at this time either. She does not live near the bride, or the wedding. My friend picked her because they are cousin and were great friends growing up and she always wanted her as a BM. That is the way I think it should be. A BM or MOH should help in any way that they can and if they can't that is fine as well.
The bride says she picked us for our looks but i know she is not being serious. The 3 of us I know we are plain janes. We are not ugly but she has prettier friends.
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: MOH BM's This is just my opinion. : I semi-agree with both sides. Obviously, I don't expect my out of town bridesmaids to be available for anything. However, on this board, people are often given the "all they have to do is show up with the dress" line when the bridesmaids are being really inconsiderate - not as a bridesmaid, but as a friend. One example would be a bride who was hurt that her MOH didn't show up to look at dresses after they made plans and never called. She was told "Just tell her what dress to order as long as she does, she's fine." Which in some ways is true, but at the same time, if friends blow me off and don't even text to let me know they're safe, it would bother me. Not because it's "my wedding" and "my day" but because I would be concerned and possibly annoyed whether it was dress shopping or movie night. One other example that comes to mind is a bride who had never seen the bridesmaid dresses since they ordered without trying them on, and she asked her sister/bridesmaid to take a picture and send a text just so she could see it. The bridesmaid said "maybe" and never did. The bride was told she should just trust her bridesmaids to know if the dress fits. But really, even if it were something NWR, who wouldn't do a 5 second favor for one of their closest friends? I think there are some brides who are so over the top with demands on their wedding party that the knee jerk reaction is for people to say the bride is demanding too much when it's not necessarily the case.
Posted by djhar[/QUOTE]
I totally agree with you that those are crappy things. However - they are FRIEND problems not BRIDESMAID problems. Equating being a bad friend with being a bad bridesmaid is just wrong.
A lot of the drama that crops up around here is because the FRIEND is behaving badly. The choice becomes: 1. make is a big fight over how a bridesmaid is supposed to act (debatable) or 2. Take a deep breath and say "well, as long as they get the dress and show up, it's okay."
Throwing away a friendship, which could very well happen if the bride tosses her from the wedding or something equally dramatic, over some honorary role is silly. The idea is to get a bride, who may be nearing the edge, to see that in the long run, it's a ceremony and a dress. It's a short period of time and unfair to base the future of the friendship over their ability to be the bride's idea of a perfect bridesmaid. It's such a dangerous line.
I feel that I give the advice on the TK that the BMs just need to buy a dress and show up because, by definition that is the miniumum requirement for a BM or MOH. I love my WP because they are my dearest friends that have shaped my life with their friendship. So some of them are interested in doing things, others are not. My sister has told me about her shortage of money and her concern for taking limited time off of work. The point is it doesn't bother me because i love her.
So, many brides come her wanting to kick their friends or sisters out of their WP beacuse they "aren't doing enough to help me." To which we bring out the "BM requirements". Your BMs aren't REQUIRED to do extra things for you. Often times they will offer, and yes we all want them to be excited and do extra things, just life doesn;t always work out that way. It doesn't make them less of a WP member or less of a friend.
My friends have asked if I need any help because they are my friends, not because they feel obligated to do my bidding. I haven't actually needed any help yet because I believe in keeping things simple and not agonizing over every single detail. As long as I have all the people I love together and they are happy and comfortable, it's going to be an awesome day!