A bridesmaid luncheon was not a possibility back when I was planning my own wedding, for one ‘maid was in Florida and the other in Nevada. Of course, considering that the bridesmaid luncheon is traditionally held to honor the contribution of one’s attendants, I would have been off the hook, anyhow. Not that one should base the decisions one makes when choosing bridesmaids on how much work one can squeeze out of them, but typically it’s considered polite for bridesmaids to express at the very least a passing interest in the wedding. But anyway.
The bridesmaid luncheon… I’m very curious to know how many of y’all have hosted one as a bride or will host one, and whether you’ve attended one as a bridesmaid.
I have been a bridesmaid the average number of times, and I was honored each time a bride picked me when it came time to choose bridesmaids. So much so that I never noticed that none of them treated me to a fancy midday meal prior to the wedding! No, really. Up until a few years ago, I’d never even heard of a bridesmaid luncheon, and recent reading has led me to believe that the bridesmaid luncheon may be a regional tradition. Particularly the bridesmaid luncheon that involves a color palette, a theme, a venue other than one’s home or the local Mexican restaurant where they give out free sombreros, and more than one table’s worth of ‘maids.
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I had a bridesmaids’ luncheon right before my rehearsal. I had 4 bridesmaids and invited my soon to be sister-in-law and the moms, as well. We didn’t have a catered lunch, but I took everyone to a nice local French bistro where we ate quiche and had pastries for dessert. It was informal, but just right for our little group of 8.
I haven’t been to one, nor have I planned one or had one planned for me! In fact, up until just this moment, I didn’t realize it was an anticipated event.
I do like the sound of Alaina’s bridesmaid luncheon, though 🙂
I think I have been to two bridesmaid luncheons after being a BM 9 times. One of them, I was just in the house party. Both were so classy and fun! I’m from Texas if that helps.
Just to add–one was at Nordstrom’s little restaurant and another was at a bed and breakfast in the dining area. Both served brunchy food and cake.
I’ve been a bridesmaid three times and a bride once. I’ve also been intimately involved with the planning of another four weddings. Not one of them involved a bridesmaid luncheon. All of them were in California.
I’ve heard of bridesmaids luncheons, but no, I’ve never experienced one. I’d seen it mentioned as an optional extra, but with two bridesmaids on the opposite coast of the country, one who lived an hour away and was twelve, and two who had busy careers… it just didn’t fit our lives when I was figuring out what traditions to shed in order to save money.
I’ve attended one luncheon as a bridesmaid. I was held at a tea house and we ate things like mini chicken salad sandwiches and petit fours. I think it was thrown by the bride’s aunts.
I do think it’s polite to at least provide some sort of food the day of, even if it’s just sandwiches on a platter, since the wedding party is generally tagging along helping out.