Last August I was a co-maid of honour in one of my best and oldest friends weddings. Benny was just 3 months old! With wedding season in full swing I thought I'd share my experience, with a few tips along the way, for all you post-partum bridesmaids out there.

Ok we need to break this one down.

The Bachelorette Party

So, I couldn't go to the bachelorette party because it was a destination and Benny was literally just born. I knew I would have to miss out on this so I did my best to be there as much as possible during my pregnancy. I went to the first fitting, we also had a fun day to pick up our bridesmaid dresses and go for lunch.

I made a special gift for my bride in lieu of my bachelorette absence which was a bridal survival kit complete with all kinds of fun things she would need on the day, and a gift for her honeymoon. 

The Rehearsal Dinner 

We decided to bring the baby. Turns out he screamed the whole way there and back and the idea of sitting down for dinner didn't appeal to him either. Luckily, all the girls wanted a piece of him so he was passed around throughout the evening, giving me time to rehearse my speech.

In hindsight we should have tried to leave him at home but he was nursing so often I could barely pump enough milk to leave for him + I was already working on my stockpile for the wedding and I wanted to save every drop! 

The Dress

During my pregnancy I actually did feel great. Shocking I know. However, I was really nervous and obviously self-conscious about wearing the same dress as six other girls on the big day. I had no choice but to embrace it so that's what I did!

Tip! If it's not too late when you're reading this. Size up. Of course you have goals and you should for your post pregnancy body. However, you have to wear the dress one way or another and you can’t build it out. I went a size up from my usual to allow room to be taken in (it wasn’t by the way).

Tip! Think about your boobs. I was exclusively breastfeeding and very naïve about the size of my boobs. On the wedding day all I kept thinking about was that my boobs were huge and out there. I did have an extra stitch put in to hold me in. If I had known better I would have had the seamstress add a piece of material to the cleavage area. The stitch did me zero favours by the way, I feel like it just gave me more boobs!

Tip! Keep your pump handy. If you need to, ask the wedding planner where you can get some privacy.  

ALL THE PUMPING

Anyone who has been in a wedding knows that it’s a long day. I was hyper aware of this and planned accordingly because I wanted to participate in the day as much as possible. 

In the weeks before the wedding I would try to stay up super late or wake up early to pump and put whatever I got right into the freezer. I know I could have supplemented, it was just one day after all, but I didn’t want to. Looking back it was a lot of work but I’m glad I did it. 

Tip! I took the schedule from the wedding planner and added in all of my necessary baby activities. When I would feed, pump etc. I also let the wedding planner know that I would need some time to pump before my speech. 

The Wedding Day! 

On the day, Cory drove me to the venue, I breastfed in the car. Then Cory took Benny to the mall and various places nearby - best husband! I joined the bridal party to get hair and makeup done and hang out with the girls. 

Then Dad came for a final meet up at 2 p.m. before we left for photos. I gave a final feed and then bye bye baby! Cory dropped him off for the night at my parents house. 

We danced the night away! Had a ball! The speech was a hit! Cory and I got home to my parents house around 2 a.m., I pumped (SO EXHAUSTED) and went to bed. Benny decided to sleep through the night because he loves his mama and in the morning we slept in while my parents took care of him.

Maid of Honour Mission Accomplished 

Days later I still had so much milk left over but I was happy that I was over prepared. 

I had the best time! Riding in the limo with the wedding party was like a mini field trip away from my life of being a sleep deprived new mama.  

I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know by commenting below or send me a message on Instagram or Facebook, email me at haley@ketzelbaby.com, I love to hear from you! 

With Love, Haley 

I had the best seat in the house, next to the bride!