Her only required duty is to participate in the wedding ceremony.

The activities of the principal bridesmaid may be as many or as varied as she allows the bride to impose upon her. In modern-day weddings, some brides opt to choose a long-time male friend or brother as their head attendant, using the title 'best man' or 'man of honor'. In North America, a wedding party might include several bridesmaids, but the 'maid of honor' is the title and position held by the bride's chief attendant, typically her closest friend or sister. The influence of American English has led to the chief bridesmaid sometimes being called the maid of honour. However, when the attendant is married, or is a mature woman, the term 'matron of honour' is often used.

The term 'bridesmaid' is normally used for all bridal attendants in the UK. In the United Kingdom, the term ' maid of honour' originally referred to the female attendant of a queen. The maid of honor can be distinguished by her dress, which differs somewhat from that of the other bridesmaids, as well as by her position in the traditional place of honor at the immediate right of the principal party. The bride (center) with her maid of honor (third from left) and bridesmaids. In some American weddings, each bridesmaid may be asked to spend US$1,700 or more, with travel to destination weddings and pre-wedding parties usually being the biggest expense. It has become equally customary for women who are invited to serve as bridesmaids to first ask about the amount of time, energy, and money that the bride expects from them before accepting this position, and to decline or resign if this is more than they will be able to give. Since modern bridesmaids, unlike their historical counterparts, can no longer rely on having their clothes and travel expenses paid for by the bride's family, and are sometimes even told they must pay for parties that the bride wants to have before the wedding, it has become customary for the bride to present the bridesmaids with gifts as a sign of gratitude for the support and financial commitment that comes with their roles. The duties and costs of being a bridesmaid are parsed out between a bride and her attendants in a variety of ways. This junior bridesmaid, in North Carolina, US, is dressed in white, just like the bride. In modern English-speaking countries, this role is separate from that of the bridesmaid, and the small child performing it is known as a flower girl. They may carry flowers during the wedding procession and pose with the married couple in bridal photos. In some cultures, such as in Norway, the Netherlands and Victorian Britain, it has been customary for bridesmaids to be small girls rather than grown women. The male equivalent is the groomsman, also known in British English as an usher in the United States, the role of attending to the groom has diverged from that of escorting guests to their seats, and the two positions are no longer synonymous and are often if not usually filled by different persons. Today, the number of bridesmaids in a wedding party is dependent on many variables, including a bride's preferences, the size of her family, and the number of attendants her partner would like to have as well. A large group of bridesmaids provided an opportunity for showing off the family's social status and wealth. Historically, no person of status went out unattended, and the size of the retinue was closely calculated to be appropriate to the family's social status. Often there is more than one bridesmaid: in modern times the bride chooses how many to ask. In the United States, typically only the maid or matron of honor and the best man are the official witnesses for the wedding license. A junior bridesmaid is a girl who is clearly too young to be married but who is included as an honorary bridesmaid. The principal bridesmaid, if one is designated, may be called the chief bridesmaid, CapitГЎn or maid of honor if she is unmarried, or the matron of honor if she is married.

Traditionally, bridesmaids were chosen from unwed young women of marriageable age. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. For other uses, see Bridesmaid (disambiguation).Д«ridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony.

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