8 Small Bridesmaid Duties That Make a Huge Difference

Planning & Advice

Duties, duties, duties. It’s not just the chief bridesmaid, all bridesmaids have something essential to do. But… there are some bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference, and you may not necessarily find them on any checklist. See our list below, and hopefully you’ll instantly know exactly which one of your girls will be ideal for each. We present: small bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference.

Make-up, hair, teeth check

Every bride gets a taste of what fame is like: all that attention, the pressure to look flawless, and a photographer following her around all day long! Celebs have PAs to make sure they look flawless… and brides have bridesmaids! In the whirlwind of the wedding day, it’s easy to forget to glance in the mirror. One of the bridesmaids should be on make-up, hair, teeth check duty, and if she’s one of those super helpful superstars, she should keep an eye on the whole bridal party. A tiny thing, but it saves much embarrassment, and many hours of photo retouching. Important!

bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference

Above image from Carol & Eric’s real wedding by DKPHOTO

Lace up the dress

Many wedding gowns look deceptively easy-flowing, but they are actually marvels of fashion engineering. At the bridal dress shop, the experienced assistants with nimble fingers can get the most intricate design laced up in seconds… and then the dress comes home. Come wedding day, there’s nobody around to do all that lacing and bow tie-ing, and the bride might end up feeling quite uncomfortable too. So, one bridesmaid should learn how to properly lace up that dress. Best to ask the bridal shop to show her how it’s done, and then come to at least one fitting to do it again. Big difference!

Bridal entrance helper

All eyes are on the bride when she’s walking down that aisle towards her other half. But oops, what’s this? The wind blew her veil all the way to the left? Her train is caught in her heel? A small child is running towards her with hands covered in chocolate? Step in, helper bridesmaid, and save the day! Not only is this the moment that launches the whole day, but it will also live forever in all photos, professional ones and smartphone ones. The bride should look absolutely flawless and glowing as she glides. Believe us when we say, this tiny job is super super important.

bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference

Above image from Adrienne & Pauric’s real wedding in Portugal

Best man bestie

In many bridal party circles, bridesmaids and groomsmen already know each other. It could be casual, or could be as serious as the best man being in a relationship with one of the bridesmaids (in a TV-perfect world, it’s the chief bridesmaid). Tis also true that many brides fret over what kind of shenanigans the best man has planned for the groom and what he’s going to come out with come speech time! Well, it may be a good idea to explore any links of bridesmaids to best man. A clever and tactful bridesmaid who knows him well could help avert all kinds of embarrassment by acting as a link between the two.

First on the dance floor

We’ve all been to a party where nobody wanted to be the first on the dance floor. Great tunes came and went, but the boogie just wasn’t happening. You don’t want this at your wedding, right? Whether you’re having a first dance or not, it helps to have some helpers in that department. In any bridesmaid group, there’s the one who’d put Taylor Swift’s backing dancers to shame. She’s the one who should be getting the party started! By all means, she doesn’t have to do it alone. Just ask her what song she likes the most, and your next call should be to the DJ.

bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference

Above image from Brenda & Scott’s real wedding by The Fennells

Checklist check-in

The bride has a checklist thiiiiiis long. But even if she’s the most organised person ever, things get overlooked from time to time. How about promoting one bridesmaid to ‘checklist angel’ role? Ideally, this bridesmaid should be as organised as the bride (or better!) Once in a while, the two get together to go over what’s been done and what needs to be done. Trust us, a fresh pair of eyes and a non-stressed-out approach will help any bride a great deal. You won’t know this is true until you have a meltdown over a totally minor detail, and in a moment of clarity you’ll realise you’d never react like this in real life. That’s what the checklist angel is for.

Anti-drama queen

In every group of bridesmaids, there’s usually one really level-headed. Nothing fazes her, she’s a natural problem-solver, and she can put out any fiery argument. This is the person to count on when any bridesmaid disaster strikes. And strike it most likely will! If it does, the bride should let the bridesmaids sort it out amongst themselves with the help of the cool and calm one. Fewer problems guaranteed. This one is last on our list, but in reality, this is one of the bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference throughout the entire wedding planning journey, not just on the wedding day itself. 

bridesmaid duties that make a huge difference

Above image from Samantha & Barry’s real wedding by Kevin Morris Photography

Main image from Denise & David’s real wedding by Denlo Photography