As a faithful sister of Rho Sigma Gamma, you are a prime candidate to be asked to serve as a bridesmaid. While being asked to help a close friend with her wedding is indeed an honor, it is one which entails a fair amount of responsibility. But, by employing the tools you’ve gained through your RSG training along with this philosophy, the bride will tell everyone how she could never have done it without you.

Let’s begin by analyzing the word "bridesmaid." There’s the bride, someone that is not you, who is getting married. The bride has asked you to help her plan and execute the day she has dreamed of since she was four years old. Although the bride may ask for your opinion, it really doesn’t matter. The bride is going to do what the bride wants to do. Your job is to understand her vision and help her carry it forward. Then, we have the word "maid" – that’s you. The bride has certain expectations of you. You may be expected to host a shower and bachelorette party. She may need you to help keep her mother calm or prevent the flower girls from running amok through the church. The bride may even need your assistance for something as simple as going to the restroom once the crinoline slip is on and the cathedral length train attached. Put a smile on your face and do it. She’s asked you to help, so help her. The bulk of the work will fall in the days just preceding the wedding through the reception, so it’s not like indentured servitude for life.

You do yourself and your bride a service by staying organized. This means holding on to pertinent details the bride has provided to you and following her instructions. If you call the bride an hour before the rehearsal to get directions to the church, she’ll most likely be annoyed with you, and it’s really bad to annoy the bride. If the bride has not yet provided you with pertinent details, ask her if you can help distribute that information to the rest of the bridal party. Remember, you’re the maid.

A strong sense of humor goes a long way. If you anticipate some tense moments, be prepared with some silly jokes (Morgan and Brooksie are fond of dumb blonde jokes). Break the tension by blurting out, "who wants to hear a joke?" and then read a couple. It may feel unnatural, but a few good laughs will help everyone refocus and remember the most important fact…

A wedding is not an elaborate party; it’s one day of a journey that will take the lifetime and love of two people to complete. Will a detail gone awry be remembered when the couple celebrates their first, fifth, tenth or twentieth wedding anniversary together? Probably not. And when you think about being a part of something this special, you’ll wonder why you even hesitated before you agreed to be her bridesmaid.