9 Ways to be the Best Bridesmaid Ever
A few weeks ago we shared a post on how to be the best, Best Man. Since we’ve been talking about bachelorette parties and bridesmaids over the last few weeks, it was the perfect time to reflect on what makes a magnificent maid of honor too. Being asked to be a bridesmaid is a big deal! Your friend is giving you the honor of being part of her inner circle on her wedding day, and with great privilege, comes great responsibility.
No, the bride can’t expect you to be at the end of the phone line for a 3 a.m. floral brainstorming session, dish out $400 for your own dress (that you’ll never wear again), or ask you to cut your hair, tan your skin, or lose or gain weight for her wedding day. But, if you’ve said yes to the job, she should be able to rely on you to lend a hand, show some interest, and throw her one heck of a bachelorette party! Still not sure what’s expected of you as a bridesmaid? We’ve come up with 9 commandments for being your buddy’s best lady in the lead up to her wedding.
1. Be Interested and Talk About Other Things Too
Your friend is no doubt excited about her big day, and chances are she wants to talk about her plans. But with all the chatter of so-called “bridezillas” over the last few years, (we hate that word!) brides have been getting a bad reputation. They often feel talking about their wedding could be selfish or boring, so they’ll refrain from getting lyrical about dress styles and catering options.
Encourage your friend to talk about her wedding, ask questions and be interested. She’ll feel so much better about explaining her inner conflict over stationery fonts. Just as it’s helpful to ask your friend about her wedding, it’s also important to ask about her work/family/new shoes, and to chat about what’s going on with you too. She could be getting hit with lots of wedding questions, and feel like her whole life is revolving around this one day. So from time to time, make sure you talk about anything other than her wedding plans.
2. The Perfect Shopping Buddy
Your role as a wedding dress shopping confidant is a tricky one. You need to strike a balance between being constructive and pulling your best friend off the dress of her dreams. Take a look at her dress board on Pinterest, or ask her about what she has in mind before you go shopping, so you don’t blurt something out, like “Ugh, beading” or “Strapless dresses are so boring” when that’s the style your friend’s heart is set on.
That said, do suggest alternative styles she may not have considered, which you think would look great on her, and if she tries on a dress you don’t like, unless you think she’s in love with it, gently tell her that another one was more flattering/gorgeous/suited to her. But at the end of the day, remember, it’s about her style and taste, not yours.
3. Fall into Line (A Little)
Oh, how we love when brides embrace their girl’s individuality. Brides should really take your style into consideration, but sometimes they’ll be set on a certain (pink chiffon) aesthetic for their day. But even if you get to choose your dress from her palette, maybe you don’t like to wear lilac, blush or taupe. Maybe black is more your style, or perhaps you don’t like to wear dresses at all.
While your bride can’t ask you to wear heels you can’t walk in, or dye your signature pink hair brown, when it comes to the dress, it’s just for one day, so it’s often better not to stress your pal out about it. As long as she doesn’t make you wear something three sizes too small, do your bridesmaid duty and suck it up, put it on, and smile!
4. Spoil Her
Make your friend feel special leading up to her wedding, especially around her engagement and in the final weeks of planning. Make every get together an excuse for bubbly, send her exciting texts when it’s nearing her wedding day, or take her out for a stress-free day of shopping. From getting a facial together to hosting a BBQ for her and her partner, weddings aren’t just one day. It’s a whole exciting time, so show your bride you’re happy for her and want to celebrate every step of the way.
5. Throw Her the Party of Her Dreams
So your idea of a perfect bachelorette party is downing shots, and hitting the dance floor draped in flashing lights, awaiting the arrival of your (fake fireman) stripper. Perhaps the bride in your life wants something a little more low key, like a weekend on a farm, a spa break, or a karaoke slumber party. Think about the elements that would make your friend’s perfect day, night, or weekend, and incorporate them into a personalized party she’ll never forget.
6. Make Yourself Useful
The most helpful thing you can do for your friend is to get jobs ticked off her list, rather than give her one more task of finding something to delegate to you. Don’t just tell your bride to let you know if she needs anything, offer your services for specific tasks or take something off her hands entirely. Tell her you can address and post the invites, assure her you’ll steam her dress on the morning of her wedding, collect the boutonnières from the florist, or look after making up the activity packs for the kids. It’s practical help like that, that’s invaluable in the days leading up to the wedding.
7. Go Team
This kind of goes without saying, but try to get along with the other bridesmaids. You might not know them very well, and you might even find yourselves competing over “best bridesmaid” bragging rights, but the last thing your friend needs on the morning of your wedding is to break up squabbling over who gets to button up her dress for the photographs! Stay in touch throughout the planning (set up a group email or message thread), work together on the bridal shower or hen party, and try to be nice to each other – even when you don’t feel like it.
8. The Little Extras
It’s the little touches that elevates a great bridesmaid to the next level of awesomeness – and those touches don’t have to cost a thing. Make your friend a playlist for the morning of her wedding; create a book for her with words of wisdom, recipes and stories from the women in her life; go with her to a perfumery and concoct a signature scent for her wedding day; or make a survival kit with everything you could need for a wedding day mishap. Your attention to detail will put your friend at ease – how could she be nervous on her wedding day when she knows you’ve got everything covered?
9. To The Bitter End
You might normally be the first one to duck off on a night out, but when you’re a bridesmaid, you’re on the clock as long as your bride is still up. Hit the dance floor if it empties out after a not-so-great song, make sure your mate eats something and has plenty of water, and try not to drink too much yourself. Of course you should relax and enjoy the party, but just remember, your friend might need a hand unhitching those 47 buttons down the back of her dress at the end of the night.
If you follow these steps, you’ll be sure to excel at your new job as the best bridesmaid ever!
New Vendors at Edison Garden Festival
If you’ve been to an Edison Garden Festival, you know to expect plant sellers like Rege Malone, Tropiflora, and Peacock Cottage, all who have been coming to the event since it first started more than 10 years ago. Through the years, we’ve added food vendors and live music to the event and with more than 45 vendors selling plants and garden-related items, the Edison Garden Festival is now the biggest plant sale in Southwest Florida.
This weekend, we have a few new vendors you will want to visit. Searle Brothers Nursery will be bringing rare palms and 80+ varieties of crotons. We’ll host two new orchid growers: Sundance Orchids and Gross Orchids. Nature’s Art and Exploration is coming with staghorn ferns and Bonita Bromeliads will bring their specialty. And there’s plenty of food this year! If you love BBQ, you’re in luck: Jonesez BBQ is here all weekend and Tag’s Whiskey Bent Barbeque is serving on Sunday. Flavour Street is also bringing their food truck, Narrative Coffee Roasters will be onsite brewing fresh coffee and Love Muffins will be selling pastries, and muffins, of course.
Also new this year: a plant pick-up area! As you shop, you can drop off your plants in our designated plant storage area (see map). When you’re ready to leave for the day, drive your car to the designated entrance off Larchmont Ave and we’ll help you load your plants. We recommend bringing your own wagon or cart to help you get your purchases to the pick-up area.
Live orchid arrangement from Sundance Orchids.
Sample of Searle Brothers Nursery plants.
Festival hours are 9 am – 5 pm on Nov 17 and 9 am to 4 pm on Nov 18. Free admission to the festival and free parking. See you there!
Did Thomas Edison Electrify Elections?
Most people know that Thomas Edison was one of the world’s most prolific inventors. His incandescent light bulb has become the universal symbol for a bright idea, and his early work in sound recording and motion pictures helped create the foundation for today’s multi-billion dollar entertainment industries. Many are unaware of Edison’s important work in the field of telegraphy, however, and even fewer realize that his first official United States patent was granted for an “Electrographic Vote-Recorder and Register” based upon his knowledge and research of automatic telegraph equipment.
As we approach the mid-term elections on November 6, some voters will go to the polls to cast their ballot for a specific candidate using an electronic voting machine they may believe is a modern phenomenon– it is not. Inspired by articles in the trade journal, Telegrapher, Edison learned that the New York State legislature and Washington, D.C., city council were considering a machine that could tally and record votes after much political discussion and final deliberation. Funding was provided by Dewitt C. Roberts, fellow telegrapher (and later flour merchant). Edison promptly went to work, applying for his “electronic vote-recorder” patent on October 28, 1868. It was received on June 1, 1869.
Curatorial Registrar Matt Andres explains:
“Edison’s machine would have allowed legislators to pull a switch, thus indicating either an affirmative or negative vote depending on the situation. The electrical current produced by a battery disintegrated the chemical paper placed over the metallic type containing the lawmaker’s last name, which ultimately left an imprint in either the yes or no column. His concept was very much based on the electrochemical recording telegraph technology of the era.”
Dials placed on both sides of the main cylinder counted each “yes” and “no” vote. Edison’s machine was demonstrated before a congressional committee in Washington D.C., but quickly rejected because his vote-recorder would have prevented policymakers from filibustering legislation or persuading others to support their cause after lengthy debates.
“It was too fast and efficient for politicians of the day, and although it was unsuccessful, Edison learned a valuable lesson: one must truly consult the marketplace first before introducing a product,” concluded Matt Andres.
To learn more about the stories behind the inventions of Edison and Ford, attend one of our weekly “Ask the Curator” presentations at the Edison Ford museum.
