By Dr. Mark Clayson

Bridesmaids are the faithful, caring attendants of the bride at weddings. Usually, they're girls or young women that bear some relational association to the upcoming bride, either a close friend or relative. They attend to the bride before and after a wedding ceremony. They're usually the ones in the movies that buoy the bride, listen to her fears, cheer her on, help her with preparations, and pass on the collective excitement. The maid of honor is the most esteemed bridesmaid, and she plays a principal part. There is no fixed bridesmaid quantity because the decision has historically been left to the bride. The size of the bridesmaid group is sometimes associated, as a reflection, with wealth, success, or, obviously, how popular the bride is.

The term has wrought an idiom in modern times that glumly says, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride." This phrase is set aside for those delegated to a role of prime importance, yet they always fall short of the high honor or central import of an event.

The history of bridesmaids dates back to Roman times when an army of similarly clad bridesmaids would accompany the bride to the new husband's locale or village. In essence, these guards would protect the bride from robbers and bandits. In later times, the Romans made it a law to have 10 witnesses present at a wedding in order to ward off evil, magical spirits that were determined to destroy the marriage's fruitful conception and progress. These attendants, both bridesmaids and ushers, dressed in identical wear to the groom and bride, thus confusing the evil spirits that wished harm on the couple-to-be.

Bridesmaids are customarily given gifts for their efforts and the bride's appreciation of their inherent qualities. After all, they're the ones the bride has chosen to publicly accompany her on the most important day of her new life. Some good gifts are necklaces, earrings, stark white & long gloves, and the wedding day attire itself. Personalized gifts that commemorate the day's special events and the bridesmaids' participation, especially ones that are valuable too, are particularly appealing. They mark a feeling of togetherness and shared experiences. It's much more personal than a gift certificate. If the wedding is at a tropical travel destination, consider a bounteous gift of a day's treatment at the spa. Just make sure that someone is there to take a picture afterward. Have it framed specially and send a copy to all the bridesmaids for their children and their grandchildren. Make an impact with your gift choice that won't be forgotten. Handmade scarves, bracelets, wine glasses, chocolates, bottles of wine, bath salts, body products, scented candles, etc. are all genuinely good too.

Dresses for bridesmaids are a particularly important element, and they come in Bella Satin, Chiffron, Crystal Chiffron, Duchess Satin, Matte Satin, Nu-Georgette, Organdy, Renaissance Satin, and others. They come in royal blue, midnight, mocha, ginger, flame, sage green, forest green, frosty white, rose, ruby, sapphire, sorbet, sugar plum, tangerine, taupe, ruby, perwinkle, and bright pink, plus many more colors.

Mark Clayson is a professional, home business entrepreneur, mentor and speaker. Visit Start Work at Home for more information on starting or developing a home business or his official site to find out more.

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