Yesterday I had the day off and I used the opportunity to do nothing of significant value. Specifically, I watched a marathon of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress – Bridesmaids Edition”.
If you aren’t familiar with the show, allow me to explain. The parent program, “Say Yes to the Dress”, follows a bride-to-be as she arrives with her entourage at the bridal shop, prepared to find the dress of her dreams. The entourage often includes family members (such as the 90-year-old grandmother who thinks her granddaughter should be covered head-to-toe), and friends (often her bridesmaids). The bride tries on a bevy of gowns and parades each before her entourage for their critiques. There is always lots of drama as people hate and love different styles, and eventually everyone agrees on a dress.
So many dresses to choose from!
The “Bridesmaids” version is even more drama heavy. The bride already has her dress so now she has brought all of her bridesmaids to the shop to try on dresses, choosing a color and style for everyone. Usually there are 3-5 women in the bridal party but one girl had 19 bridesmaids! Crazy. Most of the time the bride has a very specific look in mind and won’t be happy until she finds it. One of the brides said to her friends, “Show up and shut up. This isn’t about you.” It made me realize that I did the dress selection thing all wrong for my bridesmaids. Here I had this perfect opportunity to yell at them and order them around and I didn’t do it. Oh well, there’s still the wedding day to bring out my inner tyrant.
Bridesmaid dresses – just a few of the hundreds of options
One of my favorite episodes was a woman whose younger sister felt she should get to wear a tiara to denote herself as more important than the other girls. Or the woman who was irate that she wasn’t the maid-of-honor and vetoed every dress the bride suggested. Then there was the overweight bridesmaid who felt ugly in everything she tried on and my heart went out to that poor girl. Overall, it was a very entertaining marathon.
More than anything, though, watching these women bicker over dresses and colors and insignificant details made me all the more thankful for my amazing bridesmaids, Christy and Adie. The day we found our dresses could have been stressful and frustrating. Instead, it was fun and effortless. I love you ladies!