Next week I head to Rhode Island for my 7th trip down the aisle. As a bridesmaid, that is.
Don’t get me wrong, I love that my friends love me enough to ask me to take part in their special day. But the whole thing is getting a bit… shall I say, old. The dress, the hair, the nails, the extra night at the hotel (Plus the plane ticket, given that 6 out of 7 of these weddings have been all the way across the country. And the 7th? Hawaii.) – it’s expensive. And time consuming.
My biggest issue is the dress, specifically that I swear there is a conspiracy in the works between bridesmaid dress manufacturers and seamstresses. I mean seriously, I can go pick a dress of the rack at almost any store in the mall and, generally speaking, it fits. Yet every single bridesmaid dress I have bought (OK I am lying, all but the one I bought at Nordstrom that wasn’t an actual bridesmaid dresses) has required alterations.
I don’t get it. I’ve got an average body. I’m 5’-6,” weigh-in in the 130s-range, have 34C boobs. I have muscles and hips, but nothing to cause you to stop and stare. Yet the dress never fits. What gives?!?!
I only needed “minor” alterations this time around – shortening of the straps and a stitch or two in the front to increase the decency level. That is another issue, seriously… I am the least endowed bridesmaid and am completely mortified with how much boob I will be showing both inside a church and in front of grandparents. Anyway, these “minor” alterations are costing me 40 bucks, which doesn’t come anywhere close to comparing to the time the alterations cost MORE than the dress itself (!!). But still, that is the equivalent to like 3 or 4 beers in Norway (I kid you not! Safe to say I won't be indulging in too many beers on vacation.).
And will I ever wear the dress again? I’ll give you one guess.
(Note: I am extremely happy for the bride and wouldn’t miss her wedding for the world!)
4 comments:
Yeah, I love being in weddings, just hate paying for it!
Not wearing nearly as many of these dresses is one of the many, many great things about getting out of the 20's and into the 30's. Yay for life phases! (And saving money!)
I feel for you.
I have been lucky - I've only been a bridesmaid twice... for my brother's wedding when I was teenager (My mom bought the dress) and my best friend's wedding - she picked a $99 dress out of Chadwick's catalogue, I probably should have had it altered, but it was okay.
My other 2 closest friends got married in the last three years - and considering our advancing ages - opted out of having a wedding party (they also opted out of throwing the bouquet - THANK GOD!)
IF I get married, I only want one or two bridesmaids and I plan to buy their dresses for them.
7 times?!?!? That is out of control!
It's hearing stories like this that make me SOOOO happy that I skipped having a wedding party.
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