This is the first year since 2019 that I’m not standing up in a wedding.
Yet. The year is early.
But to put it simply, I’ve been maid of honor in two weddings (actually matron, but I don’t feel old enough to have the title ‘matron’), bridesmaid in one wedding, and bride in two weddings.
That probably sounds odd, but Kyle and I got married in 2020, outside, in December, in the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Then, in 2021, we had a vow renewal and reception on our one-year anniversary. I got to wear my wedding dress twice, which is something not a lot of people can say.
And in 2022, my two best friends got married, one in January, one in September. Actually, the friend that got married in January did so on New Year’s Day, exactly three weeks after Kyle and I’s vow renewal, at the same place. I love her, so it’s fine, but it was a stressful month.
In 2023, another of my best friends asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in June, and Kyle was one of the groomsmen, so we got to spend a weekend with our best friends having a blast.
To put it simply, I’m good at weddings. I’m always there to lend a hand to the bride, and anyone involved.
For my friend Alex, I helped her plan a wedding in three months, including a bridal shower. We made a lot of crafty décor and favors on the floor of my garage. For my friend Jackie, I spent the night of her wedding with her son when her babysitter canceled, rocking and singing until he fell asleep as she and the rest of the attendees partied the night away. For my friend Brittany, I painted nails and helped her photographer stay on schedule and corral the other bridesmaids into good photos.
And I did all these things while wearing a dress. My motto is anything I can do, I can do in a dress.
The amount of things I have that say ‘bridesmaid’ or ‘maid of honor’ or ‘matron of honor’ is astounding. If you see me in an orange plaid jacket, the hood is hiding where it says ‘matron of honor’ across the back.
And I would do it all again. I love weddings, and I love my friends. We also started a tradition of after-wedding pajama parties over the last four years.
On the Sunday after a wedding, when our friends come over to our house, we all wear our pajamas and eat left-over wedding food and hang out. It’s one of my favorite traditions, and one of the reasons I love weddings so much.
Obviously, I don’t know what this year will hold. There will probably be more weddings. But I’m happy to have had the last four years to stand beside my best friends, and have my best friends stand beside me, to walk together into the next chapter of our lives.