So, in celebration of the fourth wedding anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton, here are some top tips on ensuring that your bridesmaids all look and feel like princesses on your special day! (and the months leading up to it!)

They are your bridesmaids and it is your wedding and that means that everything has to be done your way and nobody else has any right to complain because they are not you, right? Well, I guess for some aspects of your big day this is the exact attitude to adopt. However, you might just want to spare a thought for your bridesmaids' feelings in all the craziness. I am not saying that you need to completely give up the control and let them choose their own dresses (although many brides do choose to do this and the results can be lush!), but it is worth remembering that they are the ones that have to wear the dresses in front of a fair amount of people. This is great if they can't wait to strut their stuff in their dresses, not so great if the thought of putting on said dresses makes them want to sob. It is important to remember that your bridesmaids are human beings (and your friends!) and deserve to be treated with respect. Forcing them into dresses that they despise just because you think they go with your theme is insensitive and could result in fall outs (as if planning a wedding isn't stressful enough!). Ask your bridesmaids for their honest opinions on their dresses and if they don't like them, consider going for a different colour or style.

Remember that, like wedding guests, bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes. Just because one style of dress suits one bridesmaid it does not mean that it will have the same effect on someone else. Take into consideration different body shapes when choosing your designs. Many brides choose to have their bridesmaids in very similar but different dresses so that they can suit everyone. If one of your lovely ladies has a bigger bust, for example, select a dress with a scoop or v-neck. If one of your ladies has a slimmer figure, it would be more flattering for her if you chose something with a fitted design. Remember that variety is the spice of life so try not to get too caught up with your bridesmaids looking identical (that's old fashioned anyway!).

One of the main reasons that brides and bridesmaids argue as the wedding approaches is that the bride can sometimes become a little bit unreasonable. I'm not in any way saying that you have no right to be a bit stressed or that you will have a tight schedule to keep to, but just remember that your bridesmaids will still have their jobs/children/hobbies/fill in the blanks that you will have to organise around. For example, if you are trying to organise a meeting with your florist and you really want you maid of honour to be there with her expert opinion, ask her which day would be more suitable for her to take a long lunch or leave work a little bit early. If you continuously expect her to plan her life around your wedding plans you run the risk of her patience running out! This goes for all of your lovely bridesmaids.

In today's fast paced world, the modern bride (you!) will most likely have a variety of friends from all different walks of life. You will probably have family friends, work friends, neighbours... the list could go on and on! If you are a popular girl with lots of gorgeous bridesmaids, remember that they will most likely not all know each other. It is a good idea to arrange an evening out with all of your bridesmaids to give them a chance to get to know one another before the wedding. This doesn't have to be anything expensive and it certainly doesn't have to count as your hen do! Even if it just an evening round at your place with pizza and wine and a good old girly gossip, it will allow your bridesmaids to relax around each other and will make the whole experience that little bit more exciting! (as if it wasn't exciting enough already!)