A Simple, Effective Guide to Honorary Bridesmaids

Honorary bridesmaids are an old tradition that carries a deep and meaningful gesture. You might consider naming an honorary bridesmaid to your bridal party for several reasons. Perhaps your wedding party is already getting larger than you need it to be to support you on your special wedding day.

Alternatively, you may have friends or family who, although unable to perform all of the duties of a maid of honor or regular bridesmaid, you still want to include as a way to honor them. Honorary bridesmaids are a perfect way to include someone in your wedding ceremony without burdening them with all the responsibilities of being a regular bridesmaid or maid of honor.

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Honorary Bridesmaid vs Bridesmaid

Here are the advantages of having honorary bridesmaids:

Naming someone as an honorary bridesmaid is a genuine and meaningful gesture that will be remembered forever.

It’s a way to include more of your community if you have many loved ones working to find an appropriate place on your wedding day.

It will always be a part of the history of your wedding that you included someone in this significant way.

Choosing an honorary bridesmaid role can be a great way to include your closest friends and family members who may not fit the typical bridesmaid mold.

This can include school friends or even relatives who cannot perform all the duties of a regular bridesmaid. An honorary bridesmaid can be a helpful backup if you need extra assistance with small tasks leading up to the wedding day.

Plus, it’s a meaningful way to show appreciation to someone special. Consider giving them a thoughtful bridesmaid gift or a gift card to show gratitude.

Be sure to include their name in the wedding program, and work with your wedding planner to include them in wedding details such as the bridal shower or reception. Remember, an honorary bridesmaid is just as important as the official bridal party and will be a cherished part of your wedding memories.

If you need help beyond what the bridesmaids can perform, this is a great way to have a backup ready that won’t mind assisting with small tasks because they are already included in the wedding celebration.

Reasons Not to Have Honorary Bridesmaids

You want to balance out the wedding party with the groomsmen. If you want to have as many bridesmaids as you like, do what you need to feel supported. Just make sure that what is important to you is front and center. In other words, in another article, we stated that there are creative ways to include a large group of bridesmaids if there are no groomsmen.

Another Reason

Another reason you should not have honorary bridesmaids is that you don’t want to deal with the work it takes to have them. That is a good reason, but in the long run, you will appreciate having everyone as a bridesmaid that you want to have. It’s worth the short-term work that it takes, and yes, it will be work, but after it’s all said and done, you don’t want to regret not asking someone just because it would be a little more work.

Cost

Cost is another reason not to assign honorary bridesmaids. You should share as much of the cost as appropriate with your wedding party; for example, the cost of a tux or bridesmaids’ dresses should be with the wedding party. But at the same time, you do have to watch costs; in this case, however, the individual costs of your wedding party should be taken care of individually unless otherwise stated during wedding planning.

Things to Remember

Honorary bridesmaids are an important addition to any wedding. They are special to the bride but may not have the time or resources to commit to traditional bridesmaid duties. Unlike traditional bridesmaids, honorary bridesmaids do not have specific roles or responsibilities to fulfill.

Regarding the wedding dress, honorary bridesmaids do not have to wear the same dress as the other bridesmaids. Instead, they can choose a dress similar in style or color to the bridesmaid dresses.

Honorary bridesmaids can enjoy themselves at the wedding reception and mingle with other guests. They do not have to participate in traditional duties such as helping with decorations or serving food. However, they are still a part of the bridal party and should be recognized.

It’s important to remember that the role of an honorary bridesmaid varies from wedding to wedding. Some brides may choose to involve their honorary bridesmaids in certain aspects of the wedding planning, while others may not. Ultimately, the decision is up to the bride and what she feels is best for her special day.

Invite your honorary bridesmaids just like you would your other bridesmaids. Make them feel special by realizing that being an honorary bridesmaid is being a bridesmaid in your wedding. Be sure to print their names in your invitations to them with the words honorary bridesmaid and in your ceremony program, website, and anywhere else names are printed.

Also, don’t forget to mention their names sometime during the reception. Regarding wedding events, it’s optional to invite your honorary bridesmaids to all of your events, but your wedding shower would be a good place to invite them. It would not be necessary to invite them to your bachelorette party, or as we call it, bridesmaids’ day, nor to your rehearsal dinner unless you will have them in a visible and active role during the wedding, which you don’t have to.

If you are looking for dresses or attire for your bridesmaids, be sure to check out our partner, ColorBridesmaids.

author avatar
Aaron Smith
Hi, my name is Aaron! I’m glad to be the founder of Wedistry, a collection of tools and tips to prepare couples for their wedding day. I am currently the manager of the Wedistry Blog and Wedistry for Wedding Parties on the App Store. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you find this content helpful during your wedding planning process.

About Our Content Creators

Aaron is a wedding officiant with 12 years of experience. After being a guest in weddings and a member of wedding parties numerous times, he was inspired to create ways to better support couples through wedding planning tools.

Aaron is an ordained minister and holds an M. Div. from the University of Chicago.

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One response to “A Simple, Effective Guide to Honorary Bridesmaids”

  1. moretha Avatar

    This is one of the reasons I’m a bridesmaid at Victory North Savannah (https://www.victorynorthsavannah.com/weddings) for my sister’s wedding. To guarantee that all of the bridesmaid’s duties are fulfilled.

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