often a bridesmaid but not yet a bride

When I gave my first Maid of Honor (MOH) speech at the Hoogmoed-Laiderman wedding in 2007, I thanked the happy couple for allowing me to play such an important role in their special day. Why? Because now I would know how to plan my own wedding. I asked all the wedding guests, a large majority recent PSU grads, to save the date - 2015. That bought me some time.

Back in the day, if you were "bridesmaided" the intention was to present you to the eligible bachelors at a wedding. The hope? Meet your future husband and plan your own wedding. Today the legit definition (well, Urbandictionary.com definition) of bridesmaided (n.) is as follows:

When one of your friends appears to be doing something really nice for you, such as asking you to be in her wedding, but in all reality is royally screwing you. (By subjecting you to months of listening to bridezilla talk, forcing you to pay hundreds for a dress you'll never wear in your life... etc) The word can apply to any situation. NOT limited to weddings.

"Often a bridesmaid, but never a bride"

As a public relations professional I can appreciate that this idiom was made popular by an advertising campaign. Match.com wishes they thought this up, but Listerine beat them to it in 1921. The reason for the eternal bridesmaid - bad breath.* According to Listerine, Edna's case was a bad one. She was approaching the "tragic thirty-mark" and all her friends from high school were married. Edna should have moved to New York City.

*Listerine profits rose from $100K per year in 1921 to more than $4M in 1927.

HandMaid of Honor

So I'll state for the record that the intention of this blog is not to ask why I'm always a bridesmaid or when my time will come. It will because I appreciate oral hygiene and use Listerine.

I don't question why I'm always a bridesmaid because I know I'm an amazing friend. But let's be serious ... I know the actual reasons I'm always a bridesmaid are because I'm really great at making scrapbooks, bridal shower hats from gift wrappings and bows, and personalized gifts. I can also plan a bachelorette party, weigh in on invitation design and color schemes. I look really good in photos and bridesmaid dresses because I haven't had any babies yet, and I can write a mean Maid of Honor speech ...

My hope for this blog is to entertain. Share stories about my friends, their weddings, provide tips and "dos and don'ts" that I often times just make up (Hey, I'm not a wedding expert ... I just play one on TV). I'll discuss pressing questions I always find my friends come to me for, like "What day is the wedding?". I also have a few other things up my sleeve. And because I do much more than participate in bridal parties, I'll sprinkle in random musings and revelations.

And while I carry on here, I'll be pitching my new movie to Hollywood producers ... "2700 Dresses." Wish me luck.

-HMOH