On being a bridesmaid: I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so… scared.

Why do I look like I'm walking the Green Mile?

Why do I look like I’m walking the Green Mile?

Guess what, y’all. I’m going to be a bridesmaid at my best friend‘s wedding! I’m super excited to be involved in his wedding, especially since he’s marrying an old high school friend of mine, whom I love. But it’s a little weird for me… I always thought I’d be his groomsgirl. And I’ve NEVER been a bridesmaid before.

Unless you count the time when I was a “junior bridesmaids” at my aunt’s wedding. I don’t count it because I was 13, have little memory of it, and had NO duties other than “show up wearing a sequined salmon-colored dress and smile.” Which you can clearly see, I failed at the latter.

Can you also tell by that photo of me that I was TERRIFIED? Sadly, almost 20 years later, I don’t seem to be any less terrified by my involvement in this wedding…

Last night I got the first email from my fellow ‘maids (three of which I’ve never met before, I know at least two of them live in New York). Then promptly had my first wedding nightmare. I remember having wedding nightmares a couple months before I got married. But having wedding nightmares FOUR months before my friends’ wedding? This shit is ridiculous, Megan.

The first official bridesmaid duty email informed me about an impending bridal shower tea, and suggested that I could participate by “making favors or dessert or taking charge of the flower arrangements or games.” If you know me, you know why that would have given this already bridesmaid-insecure girl some nightmares. So, just to let the other ‘maids know what they’re up against, I responded thusly [Editors notes in brackets]:

Hey y’all!

I’m Megan, I’m Erik’s best friend from college and I’ve known Kimmy [the bride] and Jessica [another bridesmaid] since high school. I feel I should warn you, I’ve never been a bridesmaid before [didn’t want to get too braggy about the whole “junior bridesmaid” thing] and I’m not-so-much great with making the girly. But what I lack in ability to be crafts-y, arrange flowers, bake desserts, or dress myself properly, I make up for with lots of enthusiasm! (Have you seen the movie Bridesmaids? Let’s just say that the “Megan” character was aptly named.)

Anywhoo, introductions out of the way, this email is good timing as I was just gonna book tickets to Maui for my birthday, but had a feeling some shit might go down in August. Any ideas if there shall be other wedding-related parties in August?

So, as far as how I can be helpful… As I said, I’m not crafts-y but I DO work for a wedding blog so I have a lot of connections for favors… or invitations? Are we doing paper invites? Online invites? Either way I can probably work something out. Oh, and I’m all about showing up ass-early and helping set up.

I have since gotten a response from the one bridesmaid I know, calling my email “Well put….so well put.” But nothing from the other girls. And so I sit here, hoping I didn’t make a total ass out of myself in front of the other ‘maids.

I’m mean, I’m sure I’ll rock this wedding. Weddings are my business, so I have a lot of advice to give and support to lend. But what I’m stressing out over is feeling this high school-reminiscent social fear around being closely involved with a group of girls (terrifying in itself for me) who are definitely WAY classier and fancier than I am. I’m definitely having “fish out of water” anxieties.

Any other former, or current, bridesmaid out there that want to lend this not-so-girly girl some advice on how to be a good ‘maid?

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2 Comments

  1. Just be yourself…it is ALWAYS enough!!! ANd at least we know Kimmy wont put you in a salmon number! 😉 x

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