Your Guide to Getting Ready with a Coed Bridal Party

Read advice on navigating the morning of your wedding with coed attendants.

As gender norms have relaxed over the years, more wedding parties are blurring the lines and embracing roles like bridesmen, groomsmaids, or simply having gender-neutral wedding attendants.

By Emily Lasnier

bride-in-ines-di-santo-wedding-dress-bridesmaids-in-blush-burgundy-oxblood-dresses-bridesman
Photo: Erika Delgado Photography

As gender norms have relaxed over the years, more wedding parties are blurring the lines and embracing roles like bridesmen, groomsmaids, or simply having gender-neutral wedding attendants. As much as you may be ready to embrace a co-ed bridal party, the logistics can be trickier when it comes to getting ready the morning of the big day. A bride and her bridesmaids usually have to start hair and makeup long before a groom and his groomsmen begin getting dressed, which can leave a man of honor sitting around bored and a best woman with nobody to bond with during the getting-ready process. The fact that photographers and videographers tend to capture these moments makes it even tougher, as you don’t want anyone to be excluded. This is far from a one-size-fits-all situation, so think of the below tips as general guidelines to help you and your loved ones figure out what’s right for your nuptials. 

bride with bridesmaids in blush and burgundy and bridesman in suit with bouquet

Photo by Erika Delgado

- Think of each individual. Your brother might feel differently than your male college roommate. Some brideswomen will prefer to get professional hair and makeup with the other gals, and others would rather be on their own. Rather than forcing anything for the sake of pictures, make sure everyone is comfortable where they are getting ready.

- Be welcoming to the other side. If the attendants do want to get ready with people of their own gender rather than the person they are closer to, be kind and welcoming in your bridal suite. 

- Consider a joint space. Renting a home or having a penthouse at a hotel will allow for everyone to mingle and get ready together – although that may be more challenging to avoid seeing each other before the “first look” or ceremony.

- Don’t forget getting-ready outfits. Bridesmen might not be as comfortable in little silk robes. Consider getting pajama pants or flannel shirts for everyone to wear in the bridal suite.

- Have a clear timeline. It’s very important that everyone knows the morning schedule in the case of a more blended getting-ready process. A woman of honor will still want pictures with the groom, so she should probably have her hair and makeup done earlier than bridesmaids, and so on.  

For more wedding planning ideas, learn more about mixed-gender bridal parties and discover alternatives for getting-ready robes.

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