How to Ask Bridesmaids

I think the first most important thing about asking someone to be your bridesmaid is to do it in person. If someone lives far away this may not be possible, but anyone living close by will appreciate this personal touch. The second really important thing is to ask someone in private. First, this makes it a more special occasion between you and the other person. Second, there is always the possibility that someone will have to decline and it will be much easier for the other person to decline in private.

One of the nicest ways you can ask someone to be your bridesmaid is with bridesmaid cards. Cards are a very personal, yet inexpensive way to ask someone to be part of your special day.


Kathy Henis Greeting Cards

offers a wide selection of bridesmaid cards including graphics, illustrations and photographs. The perfect card is right at your fingertips. There are many great things about these bridesmaid cards including:

* Cards can be sent directly to your bridesmaids for the cost of a stamp. This option is nice for any out of town bridesmaids.
* You even have the option to personalize the inside of the card when placing your order.
* Cards are just $2.79 each with quantity discounts starting at 25 cards.
* These cards are an environmentally friendly option because they are only printed when customers place an order.
* Cards are available for all wedding party members including junior bridesmaid, maid of honor, matron of honor, flower girl, hostess, groomsmen, junior groomsmen, best man, ring bearer, usher and bridesman cards.

Now that you have those wonderful bridesmaids, how do you find the perfect dress or dresses? This is one of the hardest parts. Everyone is going to be a different size and some colors will not look good on some people and everyone is going to have to pay for their own dress--whether they like it or not. So how do you make everyone happy? My advice is before you even look at dresses decide what is really important to you:

1. Do you want a particular color -- If your heart is set on a particular color and let's say Susie looks terrible in it, are you open to varying shades of the same color?
2. Do you want a certain style -- Will everyone look good in this style or can you live with the same color dresses in a different style?
3. Do you want to pick the dresses yourself or do you want the help of your bridesmaids?
4. What price range is reasonable -- remember to consider how much you think your bridesmaids really can afford. Keep in mind all the other expenses they will incur for your wedding when making this decision.

If you can answer these basic questions, you will be off to a good start and when the chaos sets in you have some basic guidelines to come back to.

Now that you have the dress, what about the shoes? It is your wedding, but here is one area where it is fairly easy to be flexible. It is nice to allow bridesmaids to pick their own shoes, as this will allow them to use the shoes for other purposes later on. You could select the heel height and color and then let your bridesmaids pick their own. Trust me they will be grateful for this option.

Ever been a bridesmaid and wondered exactly what you should be doing for the bride? Ever been a bridesmaid that got annoyed by the bride asking you to do one thing and then another and then another? Make a list for each bridesmaid of what you would like them to do (I am not talking about giving you a shower), but things like what you would like each of them to do on the wedding day. Then you can relax and know that everything is being taken care of and your bridesmaids can feel good about knowing what you would like them to do. Be sure to title the list something like "Things That I Would Love For You (Bridesmaid's Name) to Do" and at the bottom be sure to put something like "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

It is looking back on my wedding now that I can truly appreciate the time, the money, the effort my bridesmaids put into my wedding. They gave so much of themselves. Be sure to thank your bridesmaids in a nice way for everything they did. Whether it be with
bridesmaid thank you cards and a gift or some other nice gesture, a "thank you" says it all.