Babble. Babble. Babble.

As I’ve correctly predicted, I got somehow emotional last February 14. Screw Valentine’s Day, my being a hopeless romantic side has kicked in again. I guess until I have a special someone come one Valentine’s Day, I’ll always be like that on that day.

But then, I’m emotional as always, no doubt about that. I may be okay outside, smiling and laughing and stuff, but there are thousand things running in my mind, clashing one another. Thoughts that I want to write down, but whenever I am ready to write or type away, they suddenly are gone. Screw those thoughts that walk out on me. And because of that, I change my blog name from “Memories Worth Sharing” to “Me and My Babbling Mind”. As I was pondering on this, I figured that “Memories Worth Sharing” isn’t applicable to my journals anymore as I mostly rant or talk about basically anything. Go through my previous posts and you’ll see that it’s more or less confirmed that it’s a better name for my blog, right? Haha.

So, anyway, back to reality. The school year is coming to its end faster than I thought. There’s only about a month left and still a lot of stuff to study. Come summer, I still think I’m going to take summer classes just to keep up with the subjects I haven’t taken back in my first course.

Onto another topic, my elder sister has decided to marry her boyfriend of few years when he proposed to her late last year. I had no knowledge of this until Dad told me the following morning after Achi told him about it. I know I had this mixed emotions as I had told a friend about it and I guess I have already accepted this some time early this year as I don’t feel any grudge about it anymore. They are to be married one Saturday of June this year (I actually don’t pay attention so I don’t know when exactly is the wedding date), and gown measurements were already taken about 2-3 weeks ago. I would be very happy not to take any part on the wedding since I do not want to wear gown (hahaha), but she gave me a role, the bridesmaid. Uh, I actually have no any idea what’s that really suppose to be.

Anyway, I have researched on what is the role and stuff of a bridesmaid, and http://www.bridesmaid101.com gave me answers. Haha. First of all, what is a bridesmaid?

A Bridesmaid is usually a close friend or sister who takes more of an active part in the wedding experience. Many times there are multiple bridesmaids that the bride chooses. In history, the bridesmaid would protect the bride against evil by wearing similar clothing to the bride's attire. This would confuse any "evil spirit" as to who the bride was. Being a bridesmaid has some important and fun tasks such as helping with the Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party. Your support for the bride as well as being a great listener will help keep your friend focused and relaxed while having a great time.

What in the world is a duty of a bridesmaid? Again, they have the answer!

As a Bridesmaid you have a strong supportive role you must play during the entire wedding experience. Although the Maid of Honor may be there for the bride, your friend will also need your comfort and opinions as well (in most cases). Below, bridesmaid101 lists some of the top Bridesmaid's duties:

Pre-Wedding

◘       If the bride asks about helping her with ideas on where to have the wedding, help her with scouting around and going to the different places. It may be a great idea to drive so she can focus on each location.

◘       If you have great penmanship it is always nice to volunteer to address at least some the invitations if the bride agrees. Many times a bride may outsource her invitations but if they need to be addressed by the family, your help will be key in reducing the load of tasks to complete.

◘       Your friend may need help in ordering and choosing decorations and favors, your opinions may be helpful in making decisions for narrowing down choices and making sure the decorations are in on time for the wedding, shower and bachelorette parties.

◘       It is a major treat to go with the bride when she is shopping for her wedding dress. She may even invite you to be involved in picking out the Bridesmaid Dresses. It is very important to help make sure the dresses are ordered and arrive in enough time for alterations!

◘       Make sure to pick up your bridesmaid dress in a "reasonable" amount of time in case of additional fittings. Underneath your bridesmaid dress you might consider bridal lingerie to compliment the beauty of the dress.

◘       Many times the groom does not want to go to register with his bride-to-be. You can be very supportive by going with your friend to register for her wedding gifts as well as letting other guests know where the bride and groom are registered. This is a very fun experience so take part in the choosing if she needs help.

◘       Help the bride in the seating arrangement. This can be a very difficult process with the more people coming to the wedding. Many times it makes it easier to draw out the tables and move people around until you have a close to perfect fit. Note: It is very helpful to bring this drawing to the wedding just in case there are any mix-ups, you will save the day!

◘       Help Plan the Bridal Shower with the Maid of Honor as well as the Bachelorette Party!

◘       Be a good communicator with information. Many times information prior to a wedding does not reach everyone. Friends will appreciate confirming plans of each shower and party as well as wedding day information.

◘       Attend and help out during the rehearsal dinner. Many times the bride, groom and their families are pre-occupied and forget about things which is where you can save the day by being supportive.

Wedding Day

◘       Assist the bride in getting into her dress and makeup

◘       Ask if the bride needs anything (food, water, etc) all the way up till the time she is walking down the aisle. She will really appreciate it!

◘       Assist the other bridesmaids on where to go and timing, especially if they show up late.

◘       Help make sure the bride has privacy if she needs some quiet time before the ceremony.

◘       Be the witness in the signing of the marriage license which is an honor!

◘       Assist the guests to their seats and be social prior to the wedding. The guests love to see the bridesmaids and groomsmen out and about.

◘       Take some deep breaths and walk slowly when you walk down the aisle since it is common to speed up. If a groomsman walks down the aisle with you, make him refrain from talking or fooling around.

◘       Always look for the unexpected since it is common for the most uncommon things to happen (i.e., something falling down at the altar). If you are close enough, fix what needs to be fixing so the bride, groom and their families can focus on the ceremony.

◘       If you are single, make sure to mingle and have a great time at the party! It is mandatory to catch the bridal bouquet :)

◘       If you are with your partner, make sure to dance and socialize since it means a lot to the bride and groom (when they have time to sit down) to see their friends having and creating a good time for themselves and the other guests.

◘       Last, but not least, provide moral support and be a great listener throughout the process since it is a very wonderful and "positively" stressful time for your friend. You can really make the difference!

◘       Make sure to take lots of pictures at the reception, wedding procession and afterwards. Many forget to take pictures and the bride and groom will appreciate them!

What do you know! There may be expanses as well! Wah.

Many bridesmaids have asked what are their obligations to pay for things during the pre wedding and wedding process. Below we have listed the traditional bridesmaid responsibilities to help you prepare for how much the wedding process will be. Again, these are only traditional expenses as some are covered by the bride and her family if she has the money and wants to chip in:

1- Bridesmaid Dress.2- Bridesmaid shoes.3- Jewelry to accent the dress.

4- Bridesmaid Hair for the wedding day.

5- Help cover to pay for the bride's hair on her big day.

6- Wedding shower gift.

7- The bachelorette party planning (invitations, venue, airfare, food and drink for you).

8- The bachelorette party supplies and entertainment.

9- Gift for bride and groom on wedding day.

10- If traveling, any and all travel expenses including gas, parking fees, airfare and accommodations.

These are the main expenses that a bridesmaid may incur for the wedding. If you plan ahead, you can save money in this soft economy as weddings can be expensive. Just make sure to have a great time and to communicate to the bride if you have some issues paying for all of the expenses. Many times, another bridesmaid or wedding party member will chip in as the important thing is that you attend the bachelorette party, bridal shower and wedding for a memorable time!

Okay. So after reading all these, I have concluded that bridesmaid have a big role. But. I am not doing anything. There’s another bridesmaid anyway. Heh. And, Achi has a lot of connection from work that she has already contracted for her big day such as the venue, the gowns, floral stuff, etc. The thing that I think I could not do for this one is to communicate with other people. Let’s face it, I AM ONE SHY PERSON WHO DOESN’T HAVE THE COURAGE TO TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE FIRST. THEREFORE, I AM NOT AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR!! One thing I sure can do is to take lots of pictures! Hahaha!

Okay, this is one lengthy post. Forgive me. But see, I told you, I babble. Too many topics in one post.

Toodles!