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What do I do about being a bridesmaid?

99 replies

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 11:24

So this is a long one, and I am going to try to cut it down. I am 48 and have been asked to be the Maid of Honour for my friend of 30 years. She has always been single and has been to all our weddings, births, birthdays etc. She is a lovely person, but has had some significant childhood trauma, coupled with drinking, which means she falls out with people a lot and says some really awful things. I personally have never really been subject to this as I have managed to dodge it. Anyway, three of us and various younger girls have been asked to be bridesmaids. She is really excited and we're all so happy she has finally found her person and is settling down, as I know she has always craved this stability. Her fiancé is a great guy, and we all really like him.

2 weeks ago, we had it all booked that we would do the bridesmaids' dresses, trying on at her house (she does not want to go to a shop). So we all shared ideas for dresses, and she gave them a yay/nay. Based on this, I went ahead and ordered various sizes of the same dresses for us all to try on. I also threw in a wildcard, as I liked the look of this. Fully transparent and she saw this in the messages. Anyway, the other bridesmaid and I have a chat group separate to plan the hen/stag stuff, etc. We agreed on the other chat to order all the dresses and to take the stress away from the bride to be as she has so much other stuff going on. We are paying for the dresses. So that night we ordered about £1000 worth of dresses between us all, and made sure we rearranged all the kids' activities, etc to ensure we are all free on the day that she wants to have the dresses tried on. We then messaged her like- Surprise, we have sorted this all out and are looking forward to the dress trying on. There was one particular dress she really liked, and one of the other brides made called the online company, and they shared the return period (only 14 days) and the order times, etc. So we shared with her that we will order that particular dress later in the week, which gives us enough time for it to arrive, try on, and return if it is not suitable. These were the 4 dresses she liked in various sizes. It was not any other dresses, aside from the one wild card, which I thought would be fun.

And she went absolutely mental at us, claiming that we are trying to take over the organisation of her wedding. How dare we do this, who do we think we are. Fuck this shit, etc., and she cancelled the dresses tying on. Even the next morning she demanded a list of the dresses we ordered, and it was the exact same list we had sent her anyway. This has really upset me and I feel emotionally drained.

It was really bad and shocking. I was absolutely flabbergasted. Knowing how she is, we sent some messages and said no one is trying to take over your wedding organisation, etc. But she didn't apologise and is still telling me she deserves an apology for us doing this. I am beyond fed up with the situation. I feel like I don't want to be a bridesmaid or Maid of Honour anymore.

I just don't know what to do.

OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 22/01/2026 11:29

You do know what to do. If it’s like this about dresses you can only begin to imagine the horrors that await with hen dos and mad drama on the day. Step back, waaaay back, resign from being MOH and if she kicks off don’t go at all.

thaisweetchill · 22/01/2026 11:35

If you are paying for your dress you should have a say in what you’re paying for. If she was paying I would understand. However she does seem to have flown off the handle.

I assume you’ve explained everything to her and hopefully she is just stressed but give her a day and if she is still so angry at you all I would tell her you won’t be spoken to like this and if she is setting the tone for the lead up to the wedding then you will consider your role in the wedding.

HelpMeUnpickThis · 22/01/2026 11:37

Hmmm. I think ordering all the dresses was an overstep. If some has been wanting to be married for a long time or dreaming of a wedding for a long time, perhaps there are certain bits they are particularly excited about. Perhaps the dresses were like that for her?

I was no bridezilla but I would have found your actions intrusive.

She shouldn't have shouted at you though.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 11:40

HelpMeUnpickThis · 22/01/2026 11:37

Hmmm. I think ordering all the dresses was an overstep. If some has been wanting to be married for a long time or dreaming of a wedding for a long time, perhaps there are certain bits they are particularly excited about. Perhaps the dresses were like that for her?

I was no bridezilla but I would have found your actions intrusive.

She shouldn't have shouted at you though.

Yes, I understand this, and we sent messages to her on the day after she went crazy. Saying we have ordered the dresses she wanted- were paying anyway. She was never going to order the dresses. This was already agreed.

But she was very rude her messages. It's literally made me feel sick, and I just cannot get over what she said.

OP posts:
JokerOfTwo · 22/01/2026 11:41

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 11:24

So this is a long one, and I am going to try to cut it down. I am 48 and have been asked to be the Maid of Honour for my friend of 30 years. She has always been single and has been to all our weddings, births, birthdays etc. She is a lovely person, but has had some significant childhood trauma, coupled with drinking, which means she falls out with people a lot and says some really awful things. I personally have never really been subject to this as I have managed to dodge it. Anyway, three of us and various younger girls have been asked to be bridesmaids. She is really excited and we're all so happy she has finally found her person and is settling down, as I know she has always craved this stability. Her fiancé is a great guy, and we all really like him.

2 weeks ago, we had it all booked that we would do the bridesmaids' dresses, trying on at her house (she does not want to go to a shop). So we all shared ideas for dresses, and she gave them a yay/nay. Based on this, I went ahead and ordered various sizes of the same dresses for us all to try on. I also threw in a wildcard, as I liked the look of this. Fully transparent and she saw this in the messages. Anyway, the other bridesmaid and I have a chat group separate to plan the hen/stag stuff, etc. We agreed on the other chat to order all the dresses and to take the stress away from the bride to be as she has so much other stuff going on. We are paying for the dresses. So that night we ordered about £1000 worth of dresses between us all, and made sure we rearranged all the kids' activities, etc to ensure we are all free on the day that she wants to have the dresses tried on. We then messaged her like- Surprise, we have sorted this all out and are looking forward to the dress trying on. There was one particular dress she really liked, and one of the other brides made called the online company, and they shared the return period (only 14 days) and the order times, etc. So we shared with her that we will order that particular dress later in the week, which gives us enough time for it to arrive, try on, and return if it is not suitable. These were the 4 dresses she liked in various sizes. It was not any other dresses, aside from the one wild card, which I thought would be fun.

And she went absolutely mental at us, claiming that we are trying to take over the organisation of her wedding. How dare we do this, who do we think we are. Fuck this shit, etc., and she cancelled the dresses tying on. Even the next morning she demanded a list of the dresses we ordered, and it was the exact same list we had sent her anyway. This has really upset me and I feel emotionally drained.

It was really bad and shocking. I was absolutely flabbergasted. Knowing how she is, we sent some messages and said no one is trying to take over your wedding organisation, etc. But she didn't apologise and is still telling me she deserves an apology for us doing this. I am beyond fed up with the situation. I feel like I don't want to be a bridesmaid or Maid of Honour anymore.

I just don't know what to do.

Return the dresses/cancel the orders - send her proof of doing this & politely say…

”After giving this some thought, I don’t feel that being your maid of honour is the best fit for either of us. I think we have different expectations of what the role involves. My intention was to support you and help reduce stress, and I realise now that this may not be what you’re looking for. I truly want what’s best for you during this time”.

She will be like this throughout the wedding planning.

Mischance · 22/01/2026 11:42

Was she sober at the time?

Wakemeupinapril · 22/01/2026 11:43

Send the dresses back and get your money back and leave everything to her.. Absolutely everything...
Be less available.. And be washing your hair the day of the wedding..
Nobody needs a friend like her.

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 11:43

Mischance · 22/01/2026 11:42

Was she sober at the time?

I have no idea.

OP posts:
FerrisWheelsandLilacs · 22/01/2026 11:44

Cancel/return the order, say you’re sorry as you wouldn’t have done this if you’d known it would upset her so much.

Then don’t do anything else unless under direct instruction from her. Including arranging the hen do.

If she has an issue with this, step back from being a bridesmaid. I think you’ll ruin the friendship if you do that, so I’m suggesting this alternative on the basis you want to stay friends with her. If you don’t, are back now.

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 11:45

I just feel so rubbish about this. To say we were looking forward to getting together at her house, with all the younger bridesmaids, trying on the dresses, and just spending time together was an understatement. We were all so excited. We arranged food etc. It's all so disappointing.

OP posts:
Dancingdance · 22/01/2026 11:46

HelpMeUnpickThis · 22/01/2026 11:37

Hmmm. I think ordering all the dresses was an overstep. If some has been wanting to be married for a long time or dreaming of a wedding for a long time, perhaps there are certain bits they are particularly excited about. Perhaps the dresses were like that for her?

I was no bridezilla but I would have found your actions intrusive.

She shouldn't have shouted at you though.

Bride should have zero say in the dresses unless she is paying. Bride is a CF.

Bluesclues1 · 22/01/2026 11:53

Why would you order the dresses? It should be on the bride to do these things - did she ask you to do this or did you just do it? When I was planning my wedding, I just asked the girls to meet me at the shop one afternoon and choose something they liked (I did pay though as I think making your bridesmaids pay for dress/hair/make up is a complete piss take).

Livpool · 22/01/2026 12:03

Withdraw from being maid of honour - it will only get worse. And she is being a CF considering you are all paying for your own dresses

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 12:03

Bluesclues1 · 22/01/2026 11:53

Why would you order the dresses? It should be on the bride to do these things - did she ask you to do this or did you just do it? When I was planning my wedding, I just asked the girls to meet me at the shop one afternoon and choose something they liked (I did pay though as I think making your bridesmaids pay for dress/hair/make up is a complete piss take).

We suggested multiple times to go to a shop. But the bride didn't want to. It was agreed that we would order the dresses.

OP posts:
donthaveaname · 22/01/2026 12:07

What did the bride actually want to happen with the dresses?

did she want to just have you all try on different styles and then SHE would decide which was best? Because that seems reasonable to me

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 12:11

donthaveaname · 22/01/2026 12:07

What did the bride actually want to happen with the dresses?

did she want to just have you all try on different styles and then SHE would decide which was best? Because that seems reasonable to me

Yes, she chose the dresses. We ordered the same dresses she wanted in various sizes to see which would fit best. Every single dress we ordered was what she wanted us to. Aside from the one dress, I told her I was ordering as a wild card. No intention to have that as her bridesmaid dress. She went crazy, saying she hates it. Why would we order that one....

This included the order for all the little bridesmaids' dresses she wanted in different sizes. It would have been so much easier to go to a shop- there is a massive bridesmaid dress warehouse near us. You don't even need an appointment.

OP posts:
CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 12:12

JokerOfTwo · 22/01/2026 11:41

Return the dresses/cancel the orders - send her proof of doing this & politely say…

”After giving this some thought, I don’t feel that being your maid of honour is the best fit for either of us. I think we have different expectations of what the role involves. My intention was to support you and help reduce stress, and I realise now that this may not be what you’re looking for. I truly want what’s best for you during this time”.

She will be like this throughout the wedding planning.

I think this is a good idea.

OP posts:
JokerOfTwo · 22/01/2026 12:12

Bluesclues1 · 22/01/2026 11:53

Why would you order the dresses? It should be on the bride to do these things - did she ask you to do this or did you just do it? When I was planning my wedding, I just asked the girls to meet me at the shop one afternoon and choose something they liked (I did pay though as I think making your bridesmaids pay for dress/hair/make up is a complete piss take).

I’ve been a bridesmaid several times, half of those times the bride ordered the dresses or we met at a bridal shop, the other times we all ordered our own as we where dotted all over the UK and meeting up to look a dresses/wasn’t doable, so ordering your own isn’t that odd - however the brides’ always reimbursed us and knew the plan prior to ordering.

SumTingWongwithme · 22/01/2026 12:13

Fuck that shit, I’d walk away and tell her to shove her wedding up her arse. No rational person speaks to friends like this even if she thought you were overstepping. She sounds like a volatile nightmare!

BakeOffRewatch · 22/01/2026 12:21

She is a lovely person, but has had some significant childhood trauma, coupled with drinking, which means she falls out with people a lot and says some really awful things. I personally have never really been subject to this as I have managed to dodge it. Anyway, three of us and various younger girls have been asked to be bridesmaids. She is really excited and we're all so happy she has finally found her person and is settling down, as I know she has always craved this stability.

People with trauma who crave stability, don’t respond well to surprises, or sudden changes. It destabilises them and makes them feel insecure and paranoid. Going off plan makes them extremely uncomfortable. I think that what looks on the face as nice a thing “take the stress off her”, was actually really inconsiderate given how well you know her at a time she is super stressed and probably on a hairline trigger. You’ve known her 30 years and say yourself she is a nice person, no, what she did isn’t nice, it’s seems more like you’re reeling cos it’s the first time you’ve been in the cross hairs, as you know what she’s like. In this instance, I’d apologise and say “I’m so sorry we genuinely meant to make life easier for you and we got it wrong with you in this instance. But if you want me (or us) to carry on as bridesmaids we will do what you plan but you must let us know what you want, we won’t try to mind read again. We love you and wish you all the happiness”. Don’t make her wedding the time you fall out.

I do agree with everyone else that what she did isn’t nice or respectful, but given your friendship of thirty years and how well you know her and how much she needs you right now I would take a different approach. Let her have her happy ending with the wedding.

Escapetothecatshome · 22/01/2026 12:24

It’s awful when you try and do something nice and it’s gets throw back in your face. Or taken completely the wrong way.
Personally I would not be spoken to by a friend in a way that makes me feel sick. I’ve gotten to that stage in life.
Step back, send back the bridesmaids dresses.
Don’t contact her, she needs to apologise to you.
Any messaging her is just accepting that this behaviour is acceptable - it’s not.
Normal people don’t react like that ( they quietly bitch about it but don’t say it your face) !
Space is what you both need.
Sending YOU a big hug xxx

RampantIvy · 22/01/2026 12:28

I agree that sending the dresses back for a refund and doing nothing unless she contacts you is the best way forward.

What do the other bridesmaids say?

Iocanepowder · 22/01/2026 12:36

I would agree with PPs who have suggested taking a step back from being MOH or bridesmaid.

This is on the basis that she seems very rude and ungrateful about you being out of pocket affer ordering lots of different dresses.

My 2 bridesmaids and I all lived in different parts of the country but i still did all the ordering online and paid for everything, and still let them choose what they felt best in.

HundredsandHundreds · 22/01/2026 12:37

RampantIvy · 22/01/2026 12:28

I agree that sending the dresses back for a refund and doing nothing unless she contacts you is the best way forward.

What do the other bridesmaids say?

This. Get your money back and wait till she contacts you with a profound apology.

CurlyTop1980 · 22/01/2026 13:01

One bridesmaid is Ok and has accepted her apology, but she is quite a quiet person and does not really get involved. The other is fuming and upset.

OP posts:
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