April's tip is from How to be a Bridesmaid, by Amy Elliot with a note on duties:

In the months preceding the wedding, you can expect to have a very active social calendar. There are many ancillary celebrations that surround the wedding itself, and all members of the bridal party are expected to make room in their schedules to attend them. These events might include:

The couple's engagement party
A shower for the bride (optional)
A hen party
A farewell breakfast or brunch the day after the wedding (optional)

Other time commitments you need to account for are bridesmaid dress-shopping (one or two Saturday afternoons, perhaps) and your dress fittings (scheduled at your convenience - count on at least one, if not two).

In addition to fulfilling your duties, you might like to treat the bride to a few extra-helpful gestures and heartwarming surprises that go above and beyond what's normally expected of bridesmaids. Of course, every girl's time commitments and financial situation are different, but if you find that you have extra room in your schedule (and wallet), there's no limit to the ways in which you can be of assistance to the bride. To make her experience all the more special, consider:

Pre-addressing the envelopes of the bride's bridal shower thank-you notes
Creating and maintaining a scrapbook/photo album that chronicles all the moments and events that occur during the run-up to her wedding
Packing an 'emergency kit' to keep on hand throughout the day, especially when the bride's getting dressed. Include items like extra hair pins, an emery board, sticky tape, aspirin, a needle and thread
Placing flowers in the couple's honeymoon suite, along with snacks and a chilled bottle of champagne.

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