Photo: Kevin Kelley Photography
While being surrounded by your best girls on your big day is usually filled with laughter, fun, and happy tears, there are certain things that can definitely rub your bridesmaids the wrong way if not approached delicately. Even though it’s your big day, it’s important to be considerate to the ladies in waiting who have committed the last year to getting you ready for married life. To help you, here real bridesmaids share the major faux pas that brides committed leading up to their big day. Learn from these ladies in waiting so that you don’t annoy your own!
“All seven of us were together when we opened our ‘invites’ to be part of her bridal party. Cute? Not when you factor in that the bride-to-be asked each of us to be Maid of Honor! Do people really do that — like Pick a Lane? Any Lane?” — Candice
“I lived on the other side of the country, but she wanted us to buy our dresses at a local boutique. While I was home on break, we all tried on dresses and found one that looked great on everyone. The store took our measurements, and I thought everything would be fine. Later, the bride changed her mind about the dress and chose another one. All the other bridesmaids got to try it on, and it looked great! They ordered the dress for all of us using the original measurements. Unfortunately, the store mixed up my bust measurement with another skinnier bustier bridesmaid. Nobody noticed the mistake because I wasn’t there to try mine on. So a week before the wedding when I tried on my dress, it was HUGE in the bust and didn’t fit at all in the waist. They hastily hacked it together, cutting out fabric from the bust and putting it in the waist. It was the most unflattering dress I have ever worn, and the front looked patched together because they had to cut and move so much fabric. I still love my friend, but that dress was the worst bridesmaid experience of my life.” — McLean
“I don’t expect much if you’ve asked me to be in your wedding. Chances are, you’re a good friend and I want to be with you on your special day. There was no gift, which was okay. But my friend didn’t even say ‘thank you‘ at the end of the reception. I felt like a minion. A phone call after she got back from the honeymoon would have been nice. Didn’t get that either.” — Sheila
“I had to buy the hideous dress and uncomfortable shoes – okay. And day of, get the mani pedi. But she didn’t even offer to spring for makeup and hair.
My outfit and getting ready totaled more than $1000. That felt like a high price to pay, especially when we weren’t that close.” — Carol
“She changed the date of the Bachelorette party three times — including two days before it was to happen. There was no regard for the schedules or needs of her bridesmaids.” — Ivy
“She turned her bridesmaids into slave labor. The coup de grace was the day of the wedding when my soon to be ex friend discovered the dainty wooden fans she wanted placed on the chairs of the 260 guests had ‘Made in China’ stickers. Guess who had to go down on her knees, going chair to chair, scraping off stickers!” — Ann
“Despite knowing I had recently been heartlessly dumped, she demanded all the bridesmaids – including me – bring a ‘plus one.’ I had to take my brother. I spent the whole night crying – and not tears of happiness for my friend.” — Tami
“She purposely made us wear ugly dresses so there wouldn’t be any competition for belle of the ball.” — Lisa
See More: The 49 Mistakes Bridesmaids Always Make
Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW is a New York City-based marriage therapist and author.