“my career? professional bridesmaid.”
The phone rings. A voice on the other end exclaims, “I’m getting married! Let’s meet for lunch!” I cringe as I consider the months ahead. This sensation is not new. I start to reflect on the bridesmaid dresses gathering dust in the back of my closet…dresses that represent an investment of $1200+ that I feasibly could have put towards a dream European vacation or even an IRA! Dollar signs run through my mind uncontrollably as I reflect on the wedding process: the dress, the shoes, the jewelry, the bridal showers, the girl weekends, etc.
My career? Professional bridesmaid.
I have years of bridesmaid experience under my belt. At 6 years of age I had my first wedding encounter as a flower girl. Little did I know that it was only the beginning of a life dedicated to weddings. Am I married myself? No. Am I planning on getting married soon? Not necessarily. Are those the 2 questions I am asked consistently at weddings? Absolutely.
My multiple bridesmaid roles have coined me the phrase “Always a bridesmaid.” Unfortunately, the phrase has somewhat of a negative connotation. It could be the remainder of the phrase that paints the unattractive picture: “Never a bride.” I often leave that part of the quote out whereas others will then remind me of what last words I’m forgetting. “Thanks,” I utter under my breath. I have tried to change the phrase to be: “Always a bridesmaid. Never WANTING TO BE a bride,” but then I just sound like a somber, bitter woman. And no one wants to be a somber, bitter woman. Especially at a young age.
Truth be told, I enjoy being the bridesmaid and NOT the bride. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that role yet. At the moment, its as though I’m an aspiring actress waiting for that lead role. I am delighted to share my experiences with you in “the life of a bridesmaid” and hopefully some of the tips will be of benefit to you and your future endeavors!
3 comments3 Comments so far
Leave a reply
This sounds very familiar… not with me but my older sister. She has been a bridemaid so many times she can’t even count it on her 2 hands… and when I announced I was getting married, I saw a slight bitter/happy face.
Could it be because she is years older than me and she is not even close to getting married… or is it cuz she is fed up of being a bridesmaid and because I am getting married it’s an automatic thing…. Can’t wait to read more.
Ahhhhh….i’ve been there, done that…three times! I’ve had both wonderful and frustrating experiences as not as MOH. The expecations are no fun when your bf turns bridezilla. Now that the tables are turned and i’m finally getting hitched i’m just relieved that both my sweetie and I agree that there’s no need to have any bridal party….it’ll just be us surrounded by a circle of loving friends and family.
Hi there,
My name is Heather Mansfield and I work for a production company in Santa Monica, CA. I saw your blog online and I really loved reading it! I would like to talk to you more about the title of it “memoirs of a professional bridesmaid”. We are currently looking for new, fun reality style shows and I would really like to hear more about your life as a “professional bridesmaid”.
If this is something you’d be interested in, please let me know! I hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks so much,
Heather Mansfield
heather@gogoluckey.com