Observations on what works and what doesn’t

As a previous bridesmaid: I would recommend not having family members and members of the wedding party responsible for helping with set up if at all possible. Especially the bridesmaid responsible for doing the bride's hair and makeup. Stress is inevitably higher for everyone, and things are more likely to be forgotten and the ceremony is more likely to start late.


As a previous guest: if you have a buffet, wait longer than you think you need to before dismissing the next table. I would much rather sit at my table with my drink than stand in line for food, but that could be just me. Photobooths, even informal ones with props and a sign that says what hashtag to use, are amazing ways for your guests to kill blocks of time. If you don't have food at cocktail hour, at least put out some bowls of Chex mix or some sort of cheese or veggie tray - guests will typically appreciate anything, especially if the bar is already open.

What backfires: a huge wedding party, especially on the bride side. Girls and women tend to create way more drama,horror stories for nothing than guys! I've seen this both as a bridesmaid and as a groomswoman .
And when the bride or bride+groom make their attendants work during the big day instead of letting them enjoy the day.
And finally when the attendants are not seated with their spouse/fiancé(e)/ boy(girl)friend at the reception, even though couples may argue it's only during dinner but they forget that the WP members can't be with their SO from the morning untill the ceremony is over.What works well? Food stations in lieu of a tradional buffet because with stations you don't wait as long as you do for a buffet.

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I agree! Have other friends set up or hire someone!

I was a bridesmaid in a wedding last week that didn’t have great results in many areas. What stood out most was the bride hired one makeup artist and one hairdresser for 7 women. It ran at least 3 hours overtime into formal picture time pre-ceremony because there were not enough stylists to make it go quickly. Some ladies only ended up getting half of what was originally agreed on. Eyeshadow only instead of full face.

As a guest, I loved how the couple had a cocktail hour before the ceremony. People were happy, well fed and on time! I did not like how long the processional was or the number or speeches.