ALT-5 Bridesmaids how to Deal with a Difficult Bride
Being part of the wedding party is an honor. At least that's what I'd always heard. But after being a part of more wedding parties than I care to count I started to dread my friend's engagements. Not because I wasn't happy for them, but for fear that they would ask me to "do them the honor" of being in their wedding.A few of the weddings I was thrilled to be a part of, the whole process from picking out dresses, shoes, hairstyles, makeup, planning the bridal shower etc ... all went smoothly. But I've had up close and personal encounters with a couple "difficult" brides along the way. I have developed some strategies for coping. Otherwise I would have gone crazy!Remember the wedding is not about you. This is the bride's day and yes she may be unreasonable and demanding but remind yourself that the situation is temporary. Suck it up for the time being, once the wedding is over you're free! I often had my own countdown to the wedding to help remind me that in a matter of days (even though they may seem endless at times when dealing with a difficult bride) my friend was going to become herself once again.Find the humor. Sometimes all I could do to keep from going crazy was to laugh about the situation, the unreasonable demands and expectations, the horrible pattern of the bridesmaid dress.Vent to a friend not in the wedding party. Sometimes you've just got to get that anger you're feeling about the whole crazy process out. But don't do it with the members of the bridal party even if you are all feeling the same things. Get someone on the outside to vent to so there are no alliances formed within the bridal party against the bride. I've seen it happen! This is a good time to remember again that the wedding is not about you. It's about the bride.Smile and try your best to be helpful even if you don't understand why you're being asked to do something, you think it's unnecessary or you just don't think that it's the best way. Keeping the bride happy is always a good thing.Celebrate making it through the wedding! At the end of a few of my friend's weddings I threw my own "reception." I rounded up a couple girlfriends and we went out to celebrate me being free from the wedding madness. I planned the party well in advance, it gave me something to look forward to when I really wanted to pull my hair out during the months leading up to the wedding. I kept reminding myself that at the end of all this I was going to get to have some fun.
