From 27 Dresses to Clueless, we’ve rounded up some of the best and worst fictional movie bridesmaids to mark National Bridesmaids Day!
We all love bridesmaids! These wonderful women are an integral part of every wedding, standing beside us on one of the best days of our lives with smiles on their faces.
They are our trusted friends, there to help make the day even more special and support the bride every step of the way. However, not all bridesmaids are created equal!
In recognition of National Bridesmaid Day on 25th March, Fizzbox has compiled a list of the all time best movie bridesmaids…and the worst.
National Bridesmaids Day: The Best and Worst Movie Bridesmaids
BEST: Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda from Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
What is Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) without Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda? At least if we’re talking about Sex and the City, not the reboot And Just Like That! Her three bridesmaids are Carrie’s ride or die besties and by her side throughout this movie, even if the groom isn’t! They also look fabulous in their red, blue and black Zac Posen gowns. These ladies set the gold standard for onscreen friendship.
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Them? Loyalty. Reliability. Putting the bride’s needs first.
Favourite Quote: Carrie: “Year after year, my single girlfriends were my salvation.”
WORST: Annie from Bridesmaids (2011)
This movie is a guide on what not to do if you’re a bridesmaid! Annie (Kristen Wiig) is the ultimate ‘Maid of Dishonour’, derailing most of the bridal events throughout the movie. Without a doubt, the character is going through some difficult times but she’s so threatened by Lillian getting married and her fancy new friend Helen that she can’t stop sabotaging, with hilarious results.
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Don’t make the wedding all about yourself. Choose restaurants carefully to avoid food poisoning!
Favourite Quote: Lillian: “This is such a stone-cold pack of weirdos, and I am so proud.”
BEST: Jane from 27 Dresses (2008)
Jane (Katherine Heigl) is the ultimate bridesmaid. She’s been a bridesmaid a whopping 27 times and even attends two weddings in one night. That’s commitment! But there’s a spanner in the works when she’s asked to be Maid of Honour at her sister’s wedding, who happens to be marrying Jane’s boss- who she’s also in love with! And don’t forget about Kevin, a cynical journalist who’s writing an exposé on Jane’s wedding obsession.
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Being super organised. Wearing every bridesmaid’s dress with pride, even the hideous ones!
Favourite Quote: Kevin: “Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind.”
WORST: Jules from My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
This one’s an absolute classic! Jules (Julia Roberts) is asked to be Maid of Honour but there’s a slight problem; she’s in love with the groom who happens to be her longtime best friend. Get ready to an epic level of scheming, a toe-curling karaoke session and an amazing soundtrack as Jules tries to sabotage the wedding and steal the groom.
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Don’t try to steal the groom!
Favourite Quote: Jules: “I’ve got exactly four days to break up a wedding, steal the bride’s fella, and I haven’t one clue how to do it.”
BEST: Cher from Clueless (1995)
Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is a bridesmaid sent from heaven in Clueless, not only looking gorgeous in a bubblegum pink mini but also setting up the bride and groom in the first place. Cher initially encouraged her two teachers’ romance to improve her grades but became genuinely invested in their romance (“old people can be so sweet!”). Special mention for how much her and Dionne rock the 90s bridesmaid look.
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? You can help love blossom. That life is full of opportunities to improve yourself.
Favourite Quote: Cher: “She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us.”
WORST: Becky from Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
Ok, this one really is bad. Becky (Isla Fisher) is asked to be a bridesmaid by her best friend, Suze. But Becky has a serious shopping addiction that’s ruining her life. She even sells her bridesmaid dress and then later chooses to buy back another dress instead of that one. Shocking! She eventually gets the dress back but giving away something so important to the bride at any point is a big no no!
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Look after your bridesmaid dress. Guard it with your life!
Favourite Quote: Becky: “They said I was a valued customer. Now they send me hate mail.”
BEST: Alice from Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)
Who could forget when everyone’s immortal couple got married on screen? Whether you were a fan of Twilight or not, you can’t deny the pop culture impact of this franchise. Bella and Edward’s wedding was planned by bridesmaid supreme and Edward’s sister, Alice. She organised everything including the ethereal decor, the guestlist and even the dress. What a champ!
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Arranging wedding elements that the bride and groom will love.
Favourite Quote: Alice: “Weddings. They bring everyone together.”
WORST: Alice from Rough Night (2017)
We’ve saved the worst for last! Killing a male stripper and trying to dispose of his body has to be one of the worst things a bridesmaid can do, right? And that’s exactly what Alice (Jillian Bell) does with the help of the other bad bridesmaids. Bride-to-be, Jess (Scarlet Johansson) is running for public office so what could possibly go wrong?
What Can Bridesmaids Learn From Her? Be very gentle with male strippers! Try to avoid doing anything to hurt the bride’s reputation.
Favourite Quote: Jess: “I thought that I was making people’s lives better but I forgot about the people that make my life better, and that’s you guys.”
To mark National Bridesmaids Day, Butlers in the Buff and Hen Heaven, two of the UK’s biggest hen party providers, have joined forces in speaking to real life bridesmaids to discover the stresses and strife that come with the job and will be providing some top tips on being a great bridesmaid.
As the end of March grows nearer, this research shows that the 25th March has proven to be the busiest day of the year for booking hen parties – a day when bridesmaids freak out that the hen is almost upon them, and they haven’t booked the things they should have.
The research also found these facts and figures:
- The average woman, between 25 and 35 years old, will go on 8 hen parties in her life.
- The average age of getting married has increased to 30 years old for a woman and 32 years old for a man.
- The role of a bridesmaid originated centuries ago when friends of the bride would dress the same as the bride in order to confuse evil spirits who were ready to snatch the bride away from her intended.
- The phrase ‘often a bridesmaid, but never a bride‘ originated from a mouthwash advertisement from 1924.
- The universally known bridesmaid curse, ‘thrice a bridesmaid, never a bride‘ can be broken by being a bridesmaid seven times.
Talking about her experience, real life bridesmaid, Arianwen Morris from Oxford says: “Being a bridesmaid is a huge commitment. It takes up a huge amount of your time and also a sizeable chunk of your finances.
“You will spend hour upon hour organising the hen party, answering guests’ queries, shopping for gifts and decorations, planning hen party games and travelling to and from meet-ups. My top tip would be to think of the bride’s tastes at all times.
“If I had a magic wand, I’d use it to ensure that people invited to the hen respond to my emails within 20 minutes with a straightforward and final answer whenever I ask about their availability and preferences for the event.”
Hen Heaven aim to be that ‘magic wand’ and take all the stress out of booking accommodation, activities, and even helping with budgeting. Members of the group can pay their part individually direct to Hen Heaven which takes the strain off the bridesmaid when it comes to chasing money from friends.
At the actual hen party the bridesmaids should be able to sit back and relax whilst watching all their hard work pay off, but this often isn’t the case as they have to run around making sure everyone is looked after. Butlers in the Buff offer a solution by having a Butler in the Buff or two to take the strain by serving drinks and hosting party games.
With the two joining forces, they hope to ensure a Happy National Bridesmaids Day. And Wedding Ideas do too! Check out our bridesmaids section, we can guarantee happy bridesmaids.
Read More:
- Bridesmaid Hairstyles for 2023: Your Ultimate Guide
- The Best Bridesmaid Dress Trends and Ideas for 2023
- The Best Little Gifts For Proposing to Your Bridesmaids & Groomsmen
Want more information and inspiration from Britain’s biggest bridal brand? Just hit ‘Like’ on our Wedding Ideas Facebook page, and ‘Follow’ on our @wimagazine Twitter account and you’re all set.
