young women who are chosen by a bride to help her on her wedding day and participate in the ceremony, typically wearing matching dresses.
From 'bride' (Old English 'bryd,' meaning betrothed woman) and 'maid' (unmarried woman). The tradition of bridesmaids dates back centuries, originally serving as witnesses and protectors. In medieval times, they dressed similarly to the bride to confuse evil spirits.
The fact that bridesmaids wore matching dresses to confuse demons is delightfully weird—it reveals that weddings were once seen as spiritually dangerous! What we now think of as fashion coordination was actually a supernatural defense system.
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