Tips & Tricks for Being a Graceful Bridesmaid

As a bridesmaid, you’ll find that most advice is directed at making sure the bride is as comfortable as possible on her wedding day. Take it from us -- you’ll need to make sure you take care of yourself, too! Here are our top tips for staying sane as an Austin bridesmaid.

Be specific when asking what you can help with. For example, instead of asking, “Is there anything I can help with?” ask about specific tasks, ie: “Do you need any help addressing the invitations?” “Do you need someone to go to the fitting with you?” “Would you like help planning the transportation for the big day?” See our checklist of possible bridesmaid duties to ask about.

Break in your shoes before the wedding. We can’t stress this enough! Even if the bride were going for a hipster wedding with sneakers, you’d want to break those babies in. Wear your bridesmaid shoes around Austin so they’ll be ready for dancing on the wedding day. Need somewhere to wear your fancy shoes? Check out this site about Austin wine bars.

Don’t complain about the bridesmaids dresses (at least not to the bride). Weddings are filled with enough drama as is. You’ll only contribute to it if you open your mouth about the very expensive dress you have to purchase. Comfort yourself by knowing that you can sell the dress online later. Check out Preowned Wedding Dresses, which also accepts bridesmaid gowns.

Avoid a bridal meltdown by distracting the bride in the weeks before the wedding. Take her out on the weekends -- perhaps a day trip to Texas Hill Country, a bar crawl, or a visit to one of Austin’s best spas. Most of the planning should be done by now, and you know what they say about idle hands...