We’ve all heard about those scary Bridezilla stories where the bride-to-be is demanding an out-of-this-world request. But today, we won’t be talking about how not to be a bridezilla, instead, we’re here to serve some wholesome content that we think most bridesmaids would really appreciate.

Have you been a bridesmaid before? Or do you remember the first time of being a bridesmaid? You are so excited and happy to be your BFF’s bridesmaids until you realize it costs you 3 paychecks and all PTOs for the year.

A TikTok user, Lisa Marie Torres shared her experience and the letter she wrote to her bridesmaids which is known as a Transparent Letter to inform her friends what are her expectations before they said yes to be a bridesmaid.

What is in the Letter:

Financial Expectation:

-Bachelorette party

In this section, mention the destination, date, time of your bachelorette party! If you are planning an overseas party, do a rough estimate on the budget that each bridesmaid may need to pay for their airfare + hotel cost.

-Bridesmaids dress +alternation

Be specific about the color you would like your bridesmaids to purchase and also the color of the accessories like necklaces or shoes. Also, mention what kind of dress style you are preferring! Usually, for the purchase of bridesmaids' dress + alteration, a rough estimate would be around $200 which is a price that most people would be comfortable paying. If you are a bride who would like to alleviate some financial costs off from your bridesmaids? Try to go for bridesmaids' dresses that are in dusty rose or dusty blue colors. The best is that our starting price is from $69 and you can also have the option to go for a FREE complimentary custom size too! If you calculate that, you can definitely save quite a lot of bucks for your bridal squad.

 -Bridal shower:

For your bridesmaids that may live more than an hour away, it might be difficult for them to squeeze some time for the bridal shower. Instead of making it a requirement, making the bridal shower not mandatory can help save some headaches.

Outfit Requirement:

-Color of the dress

Just like what we mentioned previously, neutral colors are the easiest for your bridesmaids to source if they prefer getting a 2nd hand dress to save some $$$. However, if you are a bride wanting to have a more colorful mix and match the theme, Afarose has got you covered with bridesmaids' dresses that are available in 50+color and 200+styles. Psst, we think you might fall in love with our new colors: Salmon Pink, Summer Sunset, and Eucalyptus.

-Color of the shoes

Neutrals are easy to pair and your bridesmaids may already have one lying on their shoe rack!

-Hair & makeup

Pay for your squad’s hair and makeup! Think of it as a token of appreciation by pampering and glamming them all up for your big day.

Time Commitment:

-Dress shopping

Make your dress shopping ‘encourage’ but not mandatory! Remember some of your bridesmaids may live afar, so keep that in mind. Also, the more people you bring to your bridal appointment you more likely you may get distracted with all the opinions coming after you.

-Bridal shower

A bridal shower should be something coming from your pocket and shouldn’t be mandatory as well. We understand that gathering everybody together feels more complete, but have you forget that it’s not like back in high school/university where your friends can easily commit to plans (and also have more time).

-Rehearsal dinner

This is mandatory for sure. The rehearsal dinner keeps your bridesmaids on track with how the agenda of the wedding will be and will know how to assist you at times needed without going panicking.

-Wedding day

YES, THIS HAS TO BE MANDATORY!!!

-Bachelorette Trip

This is your ‘grand’ get-together trip that you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. So, you guessed right, this is mandatory.  

Things That the Bride Will Cover:

-Rehearsal dinner & stay

The rehearsal dinner is the key to tomorrow’s event! Your bridesmaids will be there super focused and concentrated on things they need to know. So yes, you’ll cover the rehearsal dinner and stay.  

-Hair & makeup artist

For our brides, ask the make-up artist in advance if he/she can accommodate with servicing your group of bridesmaids. Not to mention, there are usually group rates that are tailored for this too.

Q&A Section:

-All the what-if questions

Include Q&A such as: Will you expect me to make any appearance change? // What if I don’t want to be a bridesmaid, but still want to be part of the wedding?

What do you think about this Transparency Letter? We honestly think this is very considerate and thoughtful to do for your bridesmaids! At the end of the day, if you were a bridesmaid will you be happy if your friend’s wedding may cost you 3 paycheck and all PTOs for the year?