A Maid of Honor's Guide to Effective Communication with Bridesmaids

Communication. It sounds like a pretty simple thing. But in the world of wedding planning, where little things can blow out of proportion in an instant, it’s anything but simple. For the maid of honor, good communication isn’t just necessary, it’s essential. The bride will need you, as the maid of honor, to pass information along to the bridesmaids and take charge sometimes. And you’ll probably have the responsibility of organizing a bridal shower and/or a bachelorette with the bridesmaids. 

In order to maintain good communication with the bridesmaids, it’s important that you take the time to be more than that bossy maid of honor who keeps bugging everyone about money. Seriously, if you are the maid of honor who only calls when she’s looking for money from the bridesmaids, you won’t be making any friends. Worse yet, you’ll probably end up with bridesmaids complaining to the bride and causing her unnecessary stress. That is the last thing you want as the maid of honor. 

Communication can be a tricky thing depending on far apart you and the bridesmaids live, but it’s necessary and important to keep an open dialogue. The bride chose you to be a leader of the bridesmaids and communication is the cornerstone of that role. 

Initial Communication:

Your first communication with the bridesmaids should be something simple – say hello, introduce yourself if you aren’t acquainted, and give your contact information (phone, email, im, etc). Casual communication will break the ice a bit with the bridesmaids, particularly if you’ve never met before. This could also be a good time to learn a little about each of the bridesmaids as well. Find out what they do, their skills, etc because it will come in handy later in the planning process.