ANCIENT Roman law required 10 witnesses to be present at the wedding and the bridesmaids and groomsmen had to dress just like the bride and groom to confuse vengeful spirits (or real-life jealous suitors) who might try to harm the newlyweds.

While that is obviously no longer the case, most bridal parties are not complete without at least a couple of attendants to help the bride prepare or provide support for the groom.

The bridesmaid's job is to attend to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony.

Typically, only the maid/matron of honour and the best man are the official witnesses for the wedding licence.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen can help make the special day even more memorable, so consider their feelings when working out what everyone is going to wear.

Think about your bridesmaids, their shapes and personal styles before you delve into dress shopping without consulting them.

While it may be hard to come to terms with another woman potentially upstaging you, you want your leading ladies to be a reflection of you, and not in a colour that no one can agree on.

Then again if you can't agree, mixing different colours is all the rage these days.

Try to tie in the colour of their dresses with the groomsmen's ties and even your flower arrangements.

When bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses, it may be a good idea to base their dresses on a specific colour and leave the style and shape up to them or vice versa, a style and leave the colour up to them.

Experts say brides should start looking for their gown and those of the bridesmaids at least eight months before the wedding and allow at least two months for organising men's suits.