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One of the first things we do after the big question is popped to us is to scream it out to our best friends and sisters who we know are going to start planning at the word ‘go’! Now, you might want to include ALL of your closest girlfriends/sisters/cousins and make a record-breaking bridal party but chances are you won’t be able to get the entire gang in on the celebration the way you had imagined!

However, including your circle of friends and family in different aspects of your big day could be one of the best decisions you make: they will take pride in participating in your wedding and you can cut costs and stress by taking their help tick off the to-dos! Make a mental note of the talents and interests of each member and give them work accordingly; don’t just treat them as hired help!

After all, your wedding is an amazing way to not just celebrate your own love but also your family and friends, for the role they’ve played in your lives. So, here’s how you can have your bridesmaids comfort, console, multitask and spread great joy at your wedding by simply assigning them the following tasks:

#1 Turn Your Outfit Trial Day into a Mini-Bachelorette 

You may eventually just take your mum and sister for the final fitting of your wedding or engagement outfit, but you do not have to leave the girls out of helping you buy the dress or at least suggest options! You could also help each one of them scout ideas online or even visit stores they’ve shortlisted for their own dresses. How about planning an evening together and indulge in a girly wine-and-wedding-talks evening to discuss which dresses might suit you all?

#2 Organising a Hen's Party Not Only a Sister's Duty 

While traditionally it was considered the sister’s duty to organise a fun hen party for her bride-to-be sister, it is now a much larger celebration with even the young family members in tow!

To maintain peace among the large group of friends and cousins who might have different ideas about your choices, give each of them some pointers on what you’d love and hate. You don’t want the sophisticated celebration you had in mind to turn into a pompous affair or vice versa (to be fair!)

If they do not seem to be coming to a conclusion, a good compromise would be to organise a spa day or tea party for your closest friends and family members you want to have along, then have a second night out with just the friends who love to party!

#3 Get Dressed Together!

Invite your tribe to get ready with you- arrange for dressing mirrors and chairs at a fair distance from yours in the same room. You have a perfect recipe for lots of laughter and fun moments! Your photographer could capture it all, without any interference from the outside world. And if it's in your budget, splurging to pay for their makeup services is a great thank-you gift for all the support your bridesmaids are giving you!

#4 Let them Give Fun Speeches

If they’re not around you while you exchange rings or garlands (because who can say no to the chachis and the maasis who want to be in every photo?), consider asking a few of your cousins or childhood friends to read you a speech during the function. Seeing you shed a happy tear or guffaw in joy would make their night and not make them feel even slightly left out!

#5 Spill Some Of Their Talents

If one of your cousins or friends is musically talented, a great thing to do would be to have performed at your engagement or the cocktail night. It’ll be much more sentimental and wouldn’t have any of you stuck to the DJ’s choice of music for the night!

Also, whether it’s about a slideshow of your childhood pictures or a movie montage of your love story with the husband, how about asking your bridal party to put together a small entertainer for one of the events?  They would all have known something about the two of you that the other doesn’t know, so it’s guaranteed to put across wide smiles across! :)

Lastly, choose your bridal tribe very carefully as it is definitely more important to have people around who make you feel calm and happy throughout your wedding than to have people who would look great in photos but don’t necessarily give you the emotional support you need.


5 Things Your Friends & Cousins Can Do Together At Your Wedding

by Tanya Puri

5 Things Your Friends & Cousins Can Do Together At Your Wedding