Move over Middleton - Gok Wan named UK's top bridesmaid
Pippa Middleton has been pipped to the post by Gok Wan at the top of a nationwide poll* to find Britain’s favourite wish list bridesmaid.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Angelina Jolie was voted the least likely celebrity to be chosen as maid of honour in the survey commissioned by Confetti.co.uk, the UK’s number one wedding website.
The research launches Confetti’s Ultimate Bridesmaid campaign, which aims to find the UK’s most experienced bridesmaid and share their wealth of knowledge with both those about to take on the role and brides gripped by wedding fever, from advice on etiquette, accommodating Bridezilla demands and style tips.
Today’s bridesmaid can expect to be tasked with counselling the bride, organising a lavish hen party and finding the perfect wedding dress in addition to arranging flowers and arranging their own shoes, which nearly a quarter of brides expected their bridesmaid to pay for themselves.
With a quarter of bridesmaids spending between 21 and 30 hours on preparing for the role, it is arguably one of Britain’s worst paid jobs, with the average bridesmaid (40 per cent) receiving a thank you gift of just £20 in value!
Stealing the bride’s thunder on the big day was found to be the ultimate bridesmaid faux pas by a third of respondents, while nearly a quarter (23 per cent) were primarily concerned with their bridesmaid starting a fight!
Reliable and supportive personalities are favoured by 70 per cent of brides while only one in ten were keen to hear the honest truth from their bridesmaids!
The survey closely follows the release of Bridesmaids, which hit UK cinemas this week taking a refreshing look at the role of chief bridesmaids and the tricky reality of friendships under pressure.
Confetti.co.uk Editor, Belinda Hanks, said: “We’re looking for the champion of bridesmaids. Our ultimate bridesmaid campaign aims to find someone who epitomises today’s modern bridesmaid: stylish, organised, practical, fun and someone who can offer essential advice and words of support to the thousands of brides-to-be in our forums.”
For many bridesmaids it’s a real honour to be play such a key part in a bride’s big day. However, it’s also a role that also means accommodating the (sometimes pressured) demands of brides-to-be throughout her wedding journey.
“And yes it can be controversial! Our research found that as many as one in five brides wanted their bridesmaid to be single and child-free. And the majority of brides (38 per cent) preferred their bridesmaid to be on the younger side. i.e., 19-25 years old.”
Are you The Ultimate Bridesmaid?
Nominate yourself, your sister, best friend or the person you believe best deserves the crown of Confetti’s Ultimate Bridesmaid by visiting confetti.co.uk/ultimatebridesmaid and for a chance to win a luxury photoshoot experience courtesy of For Your Eyes Only Portraits worth £599.
*Research carried out with 1,000 consumers by Your Say Pays on behalf of Confetti in June 2011.
The Fabulous Photo Shoot worth £599 is available at any one of five exclusively female For Your Eyes Only studios across the UK. 10 runners up will also receive a free Mid Week Mini Photo shoots worth £99. Terms and Conditions apply. See the website for full details.
