The wedding season of my life seemed to begin all at once. Around the time I turned 24 there was a mad dash to the jewelry store and all of the sudden many of my friends were engaged. When the dust settled, I found myself invited to five weddings that would occur over the course of six months. Before 2010, I had attended a few family weddings and at the age of three I’d had a stunning turn as a flower girl who refused to drop her petals.*

So needless to say I didn’t have much experience going into that first wedding in 2011. But I was excited to make that transition from family wedding to friend wedding. It was fun for me to field texts and emails from my friends as they planned their weddings, weighing in on dresses and flowers, venues and food. But most importantly, I truly felt this sense of honor that they had asked me to be in the weddings. I felt a surge of energy. I wanted to help. I wanted to be the best bridesmaid possible!

Over the course of that year (and still today!) I learned a lot about the business of getting married. I realized I was catching on when a wedding coordinator turned to me during a tour of his hotel ballroom and said, “you’ve done this before, haven’t you?” I’ve been involved in all kinds of weddings now, from DIY backyard celebrations for 70 guests to country club receptions for 150. I’ve thrown and attended destination bachelorette weekends, dreamed up shower themes and gifts, shopped for bridesmaid dresses, given speeches, and tried to be there for my wonderful friends as they have planned their weddings.

Let’s make one thing clear: being a bridesmaid is a lot easier than being a bride. But, I’ve learned a lot about how a bridesmaid can help her bride. I’ve also been really impressed with some of the beautiful projects and ideas my brides (yes, they are mine) have come up with. I’ll include my own advice to bridesmaids, inspiration for showers and parties, as well as details from my friends’ weddings that I found particularly unique or personal. I hope this blog will serve as a point of inspiration for ladies both behind and beside the veil.

*When I quite innocently asked what would become of the flowers after I dropped them, I was told someone would throw them away after the ceremony. I could not abide this, so video records show a stone-faced three-year-old with no intention of sacrificing her powder blue petals.