What exactly is a Bridesmaids’ Luncheon? A Bridesmaids luncheon, or a Bridal Luncheon, is a great opportunity for a gathering of your bridesmaids and flower girls, have some girl time and thank them for being a huge part of your wedding day! It is certainly not mandatory but I love any excuse to have a luncheon with my bff’s, don’t you? Make this a daytime celebration usually taking place the day before the wedding or morning of your wedding so anyone who is traveling has the opportunity to join you. If you have purchased or prepared gifts for your bridesmaids, this is a perfect time to present them to the girls. Whether it is a breakfast, brunch, lunch or tea, keep it really simple, low key and girls only… no boys allowed.
Where can your luncheon take place? Keep your luncheon or tea very simple but very feminine. A little breakfast at home the morning of your wedding while you and the girls are doing your hair and make would be lovely or even at the spa having mani/pedi day with some bubbles can work great! The day before the wedding at a restaurant in a little private room so you can all be together at one table is perfect as well, just make it fun and light hearted.
Who should host a Bridal Luncheon or Tea? This is usually hosted by the Bride or the Mother of the bride. If the schedule is already too full to plan another event then it is typical for family friends to put this together for you. I have a lot of brides who have family friends or friends of Mother of the Bride who offer to help with some type of task and you may not know quite what to tell them. THIS is a perfect opportunity for them to help you out!
Who do you invite to a Bridesmaids Luncheon? You would invite all the girls who are in the bridal party including bridesmaids, Jr Bridesmaids, Flower Girls (and their mother’s if they are very young), readers, program attendants, etc. I have also had wedding parties to include a grooms woman and she would be invited as well. Include Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom and Grandmothers and Aunts as well. Any lady who you feel is really special to you and played an important role in the planning process leading up to this day should be invited to celebrate with you but this can get out of hand too so keep it as intimate as possible.
What happens during the Bridesmaids Luncheon? The bridesmaids luncheon is mainly for the bride to thank her maids and other participants for their support and assistance during the planning process. The bride will typically give each girl a gift (what to give the girls will be another blog post all together because there are some really awesome ideas out there!). There are no structured activities that need to be planned. It’s just a simple breakfast, tea, brunch or lunch with giggles and laughs and lots of love. There are some traditions in the South where all the girls will gather around a charm cake. This is a cake with several ribbons of different colors with charms tied to the ends of each ribbon. There are colored ribbons for married girls and colored ribbons for unmarried girls and of course the bride will pull the white ribbon. Each girl pulls the ribbon to find out their fortune. The bride or other hostess will read what each charm means to each girl. One girls may get a boat which means they will soon have a travel adventure, another girl (single) may pull a ring meaning she will soon find her true love. The bride will pull a bride meaning she will be married!
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Bringing all of your very favorite people together at one table and making them feel special all at the same time brings all the feels that can give you goose bumps even on the warmest day of the year!
All the pretty and pink vibes were pulled together and photographed by these amazing wedding pros! You all make me look so good and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to work alongside all of you! Click the link, Los Angeles Wedding Planner to learn more about bridal trends and traditions for Los Angeles weddings and beyond!
Blessings!
Anita – Owner – Ak Brides xoxo~
Photography | Kelli and Daniel Taylor Photography
Planning and Design | AK Brides
Vintage China, glassware, flatware, etc | Tea and Old Roses
Linens/Rentals | Decor 2 Adore
Stationery and Calligraphy | Allison Banks Designs
Floral Design | Lillie Janes
Charm Cake | Sweet Magnolia
Gifts | Tea and Time | Brombergs
Venue | Private Home and Bridge Street Gallery and Loft