When a girl is named a Junior Bridesmaid, there’s often confusion about what her role will be, and what she needs to do to prepare. Does she wear a dress to match the bridesmaids’ dresses? Does she help to plan the shower? What does she do during the ceremony?

For the junior attendant who is ‘stuck’ between the well-known roles of flowergirl and bridesmaid, we’ve collected the newest details on this evolving role in bridal parties:

Who Can Be a Junior Bridesmaid?

• The Junior Bridesmaid can be any girl from ages 7 to 14 – too old to be a flowergirl and too young to be a bridesmaid. This honor attendant is ‘set apart’ from the other categories in several stylistic ways.

• Any girl who is special to the bride and groom, such as a sister, cousin, niece, family friend’s daughter, goddaughter, or the daughter of the couple themselves.

Wardrobe Details

• The Junior Bridesmaid will be taken to the dress shop, or shown a dress online, by the bride. Some brides ask the Junior Bridesmaid’s (or her parents’) advice on the dress she’d like to wear, but the final decision is the bride’s.

• The Junior Bridesmaid’s dress must suit the formality and style of the wedding, just like everyone else’s wardrobe rules.

• The Junior Bridesmaid can wear a dress in the same color and style as the bridesmaids’ dresses only if the chosen style for the bridesmaids’ dresses is more modest. No high leg slits or plunging necklines. Strapless dresses for the bridesmaid are a bit too sophisticated for the Junior Bridesmaid, so the Junior Bridesmaid’s matching dress will usually have shoulder straps added (Special note: many bridesmaids choose to have the same straps added to their dresses for added support. So the look will coordinate.) The Junior Bridesmaid’s parents are responsible for paying for the dress in the vast majority of cases.

• The Junior Bridesmaid might be asked to wear a differently-styled or differently-colored dress to coordinate with the bridesmaids, not match them exactly. If the flowergirls are wearing white dresses with pink sashes, and the bridesmaids are wearing darker pink gowns, the Junior Bridesmaid might be asked to wear a lighter pink dress with a sash to match the darker pink of the bridesmaids’ dresses.

• Junior Bridesmaids are not asked to wear high-heeled shoes. They can wear lower-heeled shoes, flats, even ballet slippers to match the flowergirls if the look works with their gowns.

• Junior Bridesmaids are responsible for getting the correct color of stockings, and asking the bride for approval on any jewelry that is not given to her by the bride for wearing on the Big Day.

• The Junior Bridesmaid will often be given a smaller-sized bouquet to match the bridesmaids’ bouquet design, or a separate style that coordinates with the dress. It’s not the Junior Bridesmaid’s responsibility to pay for the bouquet.

Planning Showers and Parties

• The Junior Bridesmaid is considered a part of the bridal party, so she may participate in helping to plan the shower. She can attend planning meetings if she wishes, and her parents can support her choices in what she can help contribute. For example, the Junior Bridesmaid might volunteer to make the placecards or party favors. Junior Bridesmaids also love to help prepare the food or desserts, so they might volunteer to bake, or to attend a group cooking session with the other bridesmaids.

• The Junior Bridesmaid should attend the main shower given by the bridesmaids, and may attend additional showers given by others if she is invited.

• At the party, the Junior Bridesmaid can help set up and decorate, help with the games, and assist guests with special needs (such as getting a piece of cake for Grandma). She’s also part of the cleanup team.

• The Junior Bridesmaid can suggest shower games to play, making the game cards, and selecting and wrapping prizes.

• The Junior Bridesmaid may be asked to join in on a group gift given to the bride (and groom, at co-ed showers and parties), or she may give the guest(s) of honor a separate gift in tandem with her parents.

Attendance Required

• Junior Bridesmaids are not invited to racy bachelorette’s parties, but they may be invited to the tamer pre-party that parents, grandparents, aunts and other conservative guests are invited to.

• If the bachelorette party is of the newer variety, such as a spa day or group trip to a ballpark or concert, she may be invited.

• She will attend the ceremony rehearsal, where she will learn her place in the bridal processional, as well as her responsibilities during the ceremony.

• She will attend the rehearsal dinner.

On the Big Day

• The Junior Bridesmaid will arrive on time at the appointed location – the bride’s home for a bridal brunch, or at the salon for hair and makeup.

• She will be dressed and ready on time for pre-wedding photos and pose for her portraits and group portraits

• The Junior Bridesmaid’s roles during the ceremony are:

     o Wait with the bridesmaids and bride for the processional, OR hand out programs to guests
     o She does not seat guests along with the ushers
     o Walk in the processional, and stand where appointed during the ceremony     
     o She may be asked to perform a reading or musical piece during the ceremony
     o If she is the daughter of the bride and/or groom, she may take family vows along with the couple
     o She participates in the recessional as instructed
     o She stands in the receiving line, if there will be one, as instructed by the bride and groom or
        wedding coordinator
     o She may help to hand out the bubbles, confetti, rose-petals, and other send-off items for the
        couple’s departure

• After the ceremony, she joins the bridal party for post-ceremony photos

• She may join the bridal party and bride and groom for a pre-reception private cocktail party, or join the group in mingling at the guest cocktail party

• She is introduced into the reception.

• She may be asked to dance the first, bridal party dance and can do so with her father if there is no Junior Groomsman she is paired with.

• She may participate in the bride’s bouquet toss if she wishes.

• She stays for the duration of the reception, and her parents may take her home after the wedding cake is cut by the bride and groom.

After the wedding, she should send a thank you note to the bride and groom for including her in their Big Day.

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