Brides used to be attended by the women of her family. When a bride doesn't have family members to dote on her for the wedding, she can appoint a bridal attendant. The duties of a personal attendant will vary from wedding to wedding and from bride to bride. The personal attendant to the bride will have to handle duties as personal as helping her in the bathroom, to carrying emergency items the bride might need.

The personal attendant for the wedding needs to attend all parties to which she is invited, and help the bride by writing down the names of gift givers to assist in writing thank-you notes. She may need to plan or throw one of these parties herself. The attendant will also need to communicate closely with the bride to be fully informed about the wedding plans.

The bridal attendant should attend the final fitting of the wedding dress and learn how to get the bride into and out of the dress and how to bustle the dress if necessary. The bridal attendant will transport the wedding attire to wedding location making sure the bride has all items and accessories she needs. The attendant must make sure everything arrives safely and in perfect condition.

The bride may need the bridal attendant to help her get into her dress. Wedding dresses are not easy to get into, especially if the dress has a long train. The attendant will need to adjust the dress between the wedding and the reception if the train needs to be bustled or removed. She needs to make sure the bride looks good for the entire event, not just at the beginning of the day.

The wedding attendant needs to keep a sewing kit to make repairs to the dress. She needs to carry the bride's make-up kit for touch-ups. She needs to carry any medication the bride might need, as well as deodorant and perfume.

The wedding attendant needs to be available to the bride for last minute planning and issues. She needs to be familiar with all of the wedding plans so she can be a go-between for minor issues to give the frazzled bride-to-be some relief. She must also be able to help with unexpected issues that may arise.

The bridal attendant needs to restrict access to the bride. The bride will need privacy and alone time and the attendant must be able to turn people away, and to know who to give access to the bride.

The bride may need the attendant to deliver messages, to hand out gifts and pick up last minute items. The bridal attendant should have ready transportation should such a need arise.

The bride's attendants must help with clean up in the bride's absence. She must make sure that reception items belonging to the bride make it back to her. He must make sure the reception hall is left in the condition that was agreed upon by the bride and the venue. She must check to make sure the bride leaves nothing behind.