Bridesmaids after the Wedding

Well I'm not sure what duties any bridesmaids have at the reception, except to eat drink be merry and dance? The only thing a bridesmaid NEEDS to do to be a bridesmaid is show up on time, in the agreed upon dress, stand beside you in the ceremony, and then of course be around for pics. After pics are done they are guests

For your friend demanding you stay thats definitely not a requirement. You don't have to attend any of the pre or post wedding activities. You only have to show up in your dress on time. If you can't or don't wish to just tell her you will sorry to miss her send off but its not a possibility

No definitely not. You ask your closest friends and families to stand beside you because you cannot imagine it any other way. Not for aesthetics or pictures or to do stuff for you. But some brides get caught up in all the other stuff and forget these people still should want to be your friend when its over lol. I would just tell her you are sorry to miss her send off, and you will be there into sunday morning, but due to other commitments for you and your FH you will not be able to stay through monday and you hope she has a good time on her honeymoon

Uhh, once that reception wraps you are free to do whatever you want! You shouldn't be forced to stay for a honeymoon send off at all.

My bridesmaids and H's groomsmen were free to go find their SOs and enjoy cocktail hour and the reception pretty much as soon as the ceremony was over. We got all our wedding party pictures out of the way before the ceremony so they didn't have to stick around for those either. We needed my MOH and his BM for about 10 minutes after the ceremony to sign our marriage license. And my MOH bustled my dress. After that, they were also free to go and enjoy themselves.

I think that's a little crazy. I wouldn't stay until Monday either!

I wouldn't stay for a honeymoon send off. Monday's are the busiest day for me at work, and I try to not take them off whenever possible. It seems like a lot to ask people to pay for another night at the hotel and miss a day of work. I have never heard of a honeymoon send off, do you just wave as they get in a car for the airport?

I don't think anyone in the wedding party has to answer to the bride at any point leading up to/on the day of/after the wedding.

You're not required to do ANYTHING other than wear the requested attire and be there on time. Pre and post wedding festivities are completely optional. That's crazy.

Once pictures are over, they are on their own. They don't have to do any duties at the reception, and they don't have to clean up your venue. That's the work of hired, paid help. Not your friends and family. Nobody has to spend days after the wedding with you either.

Your friend is being ridiculous. For us - all of our events, other than the rehearsal and wedding are optional. We would obviously love for everyone to be at all our showers, and parties but we get that their lives do not revolve around us and our wedding.

Yeah, no. I wouldn't stay, especially if it meant I had to take more time off. Your bridal party is there to support you, once you say "I do" and take some pictures they are free to live their life. I didn't ask any of my bridal party to help set up on Friday and I didn't ask for anything else other than for them to spend the day with us and stand at the alter to support us. We have BM and GM traveling from OOS to come to our wedding so they're not required to come to the rehearsal if they can't make it and we aren't doing a day after brunch so they can leave the next day if they need/want to without feeling guilty about missing something.