Bride Shares The 'Transparency Letter' She Gave To Her Bridesmaids So They Would Know What To Expect From Her Wedding Planning
She wants her bridesmaids to have a say in the wedding.
TikTok A bride is being praised for a genius idea that she used for her bridesmaids so they would always be kept in the loop when it came to the wedding planning.
These days, being a bridesmaid is a costly obligation, with some women being forced to pay thousands of dollars for a dress, makeup, and hair, all to please the bride on her big day.
In a TikTok video, Lisa Cortes shared a letter she sent out to all of the bridesmaids in her wedding party, detailing all of the information and costs they needed to be aware of.
Cortes shared the 'transparency letter' she gave to her bridesmaids so they knew what to expect from her wedding planning.
At the start of Cortes' video, she stitched another TikTok video where a woman was complaining about how costly it is for her to be a bridesmaid.
"When you agree to be a bridesmaid without realizing it'll cost three whole paychecks and every second of your PTO for the year," the text read in the video Cortes' stitched.
Cortes acknowledged that she was "glad" someone pointed out the high cost of being a bridesmaid and shared the tip she used to "be more transparent" with the women in her bridal party.
"Before I got engaged, I was a bridesmaid before and I wasn't fully aware of all the costs and expectations associated with being a bridesmaid," Cortes, who was married in May 2022, explained.
While Cortes admitted that she felt "insecure" at first with the idea of creating a transparency letter, she's ultimately glad that she did.
"In the letter, I outlined time commitments," she continued. "So I told them if they lived over an hour away, they didn't have to worry about making it to the bridal shower or to go wedding dress shopping with me."
Cortes also made sure to specify what would be expected of her bridesmaids when it came to paying for things.
She told the women in her bridal party that she would "pay for their hair [and] makeup," but that they would be "responsible for the cost of the bridesmaid dress."
However, Cortes explained that they would have the freedom of choosing what style of dress they wanted, but that the color was non-negotiable.
"Most importantly, I told them they could say no to being a bridesmaid. That we would still be friends and they could keep all the gifts within the bridesmaid proposal box," she concluded.
In a follow-up video, Cortes shared the exact letter she gave to her bridesmaids.
After being asked to show viewers what exactly was in the transparency letter she had sent to everyone in her bridal party, Cortes followed through with the request.
Cortes explained that the purpose of her last TikTok was to "normalize the concept of brides being transparent about what they expect from a bridal party."
She then showed the exact letter that was sent to her bridesmaids, which was full of every detail they needed to know.
Some of the things in the letter included were the average cost of the bridesmaid dresses, which was $200, the location of the bachelorette party, and all the costs of flying to the location.
Cortes also made sure to include "frequently asked bridesmaid questions," which ranged from whether or not they needed to "sit at the head table" to who else would be in the bridal party.
"People are just different. Brides want different things, bridesmaids expect different things," Cortes said.
"This is why I think a transparency letter is a good idea, that way everyone is on the same page."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.