National Bridesmaid Day

Looking back to 2013, our team combined with Butler in the Buff to create a national day, led by Lynsey. The day would celebrate all the amazing hard work put in by bridesmaids ever year, from arranging a hen weekend to supporting through all the stress of a wedding. Your maid of honour is chosen for a reason, they're there for you, through thick and thin, a significant part of your life. So this day is a chance to say a thank you to the special friend in your life.

When Is National Bridesmaid Day?

The day always falls on March 25th, which in 2026 will be on a Wednesday. It might be a midweek 'hump day', but that shouldn't stop you going out for a few prosecco's with the bridesmaids you've appreciated over the years, whether that's your own wedding or ones you've attended as a bridesmaid yourself.

What Happens On The Day?

Newspapers, TV shows and radio stations get taken over by brides, maids of honour and bridesmaids sharing stories, hilarious anecdotes and tales of messy hen weekends, wild weddings and sweet moments with their best friends. If you have an amazing story that you'd like shared with media or would like to give a shout out to your amazing maid of honour, or potentially an upcoming bride, then do let us know as we can help to elevate this so they're celebrated nationally.

How Should I Ask My Friend To Be A Bridesmaid?

Firstly, forget over the phone or by WhatsApp, it's best to do this in-person, as it's a sweet thing to ask, so you want to celebrate the moment. When you meet, you can simply bring it up, or you could prepare a gift to really highlight the honour it is to ask them.

In regards to timing, it depends how long you have until your wedding, but most people let their bridesmaid know around 6-12 months in advance. Considering you normally start planning the hen weekend at least 6 months in advance, it's more common to let people know they will be a bridesmaid a good year in advance.

Some people also look to create proposal cards for their bridesmaids, which is quite sweet. You can also personalise these so it's around shared moments or funny stories you'll both treasure.

But you should also be prepared for some no's. It could be that they get stage fright, that they're not physically capable or unsure whether they'd be able to for whatever reason. Try not to instantly react, instead be understanding and gracious. You can always bitch about them later!

Do The Bridesmaids Walk Down The Aisle?

While in modern times I'd say 'you can do whatever you want for your wedding', following traditional methods, yes the bridesmaids commonly walk down the aisle. They'll often link arms with a groomsmen. At some weddings, the groomsmen will stay at the front, while it's just the bridesmaids walking down the aisle (along with the flower girl, pageboy and bride).

Once you get to the front, you'll either be standing up, alongside the bride, or at some weddings they'll keep the front row free so you can easily sit down during the ceremony. Either way works fine, but if you do plan on sitting down, make sure people aren't taking the front row, as family often will thinking it's fine to do. You can stick cards on the chairs so people know not to sit down.

Bridesmaids Stats:

Considering we have over 20 years in the hen and stag industry, we have provided some stats below which we feel you might find interesting:

• The average age of a bridesmaid is 28.5, while the average age of a maid of honour is 33
• The average cost of a hen do is now £312. This doesn't include transport costs, therefore abroad hen parties could cost more than this, however with the exceptionally high prices of trains in the UK, it's arguably around equal. 
• The average hen do in the UK is 2 days, while in Europe it's 3 days
• 89% of bridesmaid expect the dress to be bought for them. In contrast, 70% of brides said they'd be happy to buy the bridesmaid dresses.
• The main wedding tradition to drop off over the past decade has been 'catching the bouquet', to see who will get married next. 66% of brides stated that they would not be doing this for their wedding.