If you are a bridesmaid or maid of honor for the first time, you may be confused about how best to plan a bachelorette party. How do you tailor the party to suit the bride-to-be? Do you have to go out? Do you need to stay in? Should the party be naughty or nice?

There are a few key points to remember to plan a successful bachelorette party. First, determine, based on your knowledge of the bride or an actual conversation with her, what level of wild and crazy adventure she wants from her bachelorette party. Some girls love a last night out on the town with harmless attention from guys, lots of drinks, and dancing. Other girls prefer a night in with their closest friends, talking about guys, watching movies, and having a few margaritas. Either way, once you have determined whether you are planning an out on the town or an in the home party, you can begin to choose a theme for your event. If the bachelorette wants a low key home party, you might think about themes like “little girl slumber party,” or “80s fest!” If you have a set of girls who want to go out to a club, you may want a theme of a color – so you can all wear the color and get party favors in that hue. Everything you bring with you to the club can match, like all the girls in pink except the bride who wears white with pink accents.

Next, think about party favors and decorations. You want to match the theme of your bachelorette party, and also the tone. For a tamer party, focus on girly touches and party favors like nail polish and hair accessories. For a wilder party, decorate with penis balloons and make a cake shaped like a penis. This is not for the faint of heart, but for a wild bunch of ladies, it can be a real riot.

Another consideration is the date of your party. It is recommended to keep the bachelorette party well in advance of the wedding. Gone are the days of a bachelor and bachelorette party the night before the wedding, because you don’t want a jittery bride or a hungover bride the next day! Think of planning the bachelorette party for about a month before the wedding date, but remember that you must carefully schedule with the other bridesmaids and the bride herself, and getting schedules to match can be tricky. Try to start your preparation as early as possible.

Finally, make sure you have a good guest list. You should of course invite all the other bridesmaids, honor attendants, and sisters of the bride. You may also want to consider some of the bride’s other friends who aren’t in the wedding party. Often great girls are close enough to the bride to want to celebrate with her but aren’t necessarily in the wedding. Don’t forget to include these special people! You are best served if you consult with the bride about the guest list for her bachelorette party.

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A successful wedding is mostly dependent on how well each person plays his or her part in the ceremony. It is much like a sports team whose main goal is to score points. One big player, the maid of honor, is at the center of everything in a wedding ceremony and could even extend beyond the reception.

Consequently, it is essential that you choose the maid of honor that is not only closest to your heart but is also somebody whom you know you can trust enough to facilitate the smooth flow of the wedding. Before you decide on a certain person, try to match her with the following responsibilities for a maid of honor:

1. Before the wedding, the maid of honor can assist you with organizing and mailing out your wedding invitations. This is usually a tedious and delicate process that needs counterchecking.

2. While it is not strictly considered a duty but more of an intimate bonding, the maid of honor should be with you when you start selecting your wedding dress. The designer’s opinion matters a lot but you will know you’ve got the right dress if your maid of honor approves of your choice.

3. One of the most exciting duties of the maid of honor is to plan and organize the bridal shower and bachelorette party. Since these two occasions are meant to be a tribute to the bride, it should be the maid of honor who should ensure that it will be a memorable experience for you.

4. On the wedding day, the maid of honor has to be the mediator between the bride and the rest of the people in the ceremony. This means that the maid of honor should relay your messages so you don’t have to be the one going back and forth in your wedding gown.

5. Once again, the maid of honor is the executive assistant during the wedding ceremonies. For instance, the wedding dress with it’s flowing train can be a lot to handle and the maid of honor will be right there to straighten the gown and arrange your train. She will also hold your bouquet at certain times during the ceremony.

6. Arranging a marriage is a huge undertaking and your maid of honor should be there to give you emotional support and encouragement. All these activities can be stressful and you need someone to be your “rock”.

7. Another important role for the maid of honor is to be there for the signing of the marriage license. She will be a primary witness that indeed the marriage is binding and legal.

8. At the reception, the maid of honor is usually expected to give a toast and will often invite other guests to give their dedication to the bride and the groom.

9. She also makes sure that the program during the reception is going smoothly from the presentation to the dances. If she encounters any issues, she points them out to the caterer, photographer, parents of the bride, etc., or handles them herself.

10. Finally, the maid of honor helps out the bride after the reception by bringing home any gifts brought to the reception and wrapping up any loose ends.

The maid of honor has many important duties in your wedding, so choose someone who is not only special to you but can handle these duties.

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Deciding On The Wedding Party Members

When you are making the checklist for your wedding planning, it is important to decide on the composition of your wedding party. You need to plan out who will be your maid of honor or the matron (if married) of honor. The best man for the groom would also have to be finalized well in advance. The maid of honor and the best man are the two key figures in any wedding. You can make your choice from your relatives and friends.

Choosing The Wedding Party Members

The next step is to decide the number of bridesmaids that you would like to have. There is no hard and fast rule regarding this aspect, the traditional number of bridesmaids is four. You might even do away completely with the need for any bridesmaids if the wedding is a small, informal affair and manage with just the maid of honor.

There are many other members of the wedding party that have to be chosen such as ushers, junior members, flower girl, and ring bearer. The most important aspect that must be a part of the wedding planning is that each one of these designated members should be informed personally and requested to become a member of the wedding party. They’ll be thrilled to be your companions in this happy event.

Finding The Right Wedding Ring

Wedding rings are an important part of any wedding planning. You have to decide whether you want to have a double ring ceremony or simply a single wedding band to be given to the bride. You will also have to decide the type of the rings and the metal with which it is made. You could even opt for rings with diamonds embedded in them.

Ensuring Photographic Memories

You’d certainly like to have photographic memories of your wedding, both in the form of photo albums and in videos, so that you and your family members can view them with nostalgia. Obviously, you’d like good photographs that capture the important moments of the wedding. You should make inquiries from your friends and relatives about the selection of the photographer and then visit some of them and see samples of their previous works.

You should get complete information regarding prices, sizes of photographs, albums, the number of photographs and whatever else you’d like to know. The availability of the photographer on the particular days is also an important consideration. You will have to tread very carefully regarding signing up the photographer, as this is a costly aspect of the wedding, and you must take into consideration the amount allocated in the budget for your wedding planning.

You can easily pass on all your wedding planning worries to a professional wedding planner, who will do an excellent job, but this will mean extra expense. If you can’t afford it, you can do some research on the Internet and accomplish the task on your own. All that you’ll need is a sustained and systematic effort.