Weddingbee Blog

Oh my, Hive, it’s been a busy couple of weeks! I was all cool, calm and collected, then suddenly the one month mark hit and I’ve been a flurry of last minute projects, seating charts, bridal showers, fittings and all kinds of bridal goodness!

Image via the Wedding Center

Whew! So let’s start with the big news. I’ll give you two clues: It has to do with one of the first decisions I made in wedding planning, and more brides would have freaked out.

I got an email two weeks ago from my bridesmaid that is based out in the Middle East (working at one of those US government agencies) letting me know that after months of planning and literally begging her boss to change her mind, she can’t come to the wedding. I was shocked. OK, not really shocked. In the back of my mind I always knew that this was a possibility, but I’ve pretty much ignored it since she moved out there two years ago. She’d been kind of hinting at the possibility more and more over the course of the summer, and I was acknowledging the hints along the way without really believing them. So when I got the email, I took a deep breath, responded to her letting her know that I understand that it’s a decision that has been made wayyyyyyyyy above her head and I carried on—cool as a cucumber. No biggie, I thought to myself, at this point, we’ll just have uneven sides. But then I brought it up to the Baconator later that day during our (super tiring, but totally worth it) eight hour drive home from our friend’s wedding in Minneapolis. We were both tired, cranky and a little bit hung over and I let it slip out. The Baconator really wants even sides. Really, buddy? Symmetry is one of the things you put your flag in the ground for?

Luckily, I am one of those brides who said I can have 4 bridesmaids or 7 bridesmaids. So that means that I have 3 more friends that are near and dear to me, who were asked to be hostesses (think lady ushers). These ladies have helped me out in different ways since they’re based here in Chicago. They’ve been dress shopping with me, ran with me in the Running of the Brides, looked at venues, helped me with decor runs to IKEA, have stored my second wedding dress and even threw me a bridal shower! There was no contest that one of these such ladies was the perfect fit for the job (and the dress!). So with a bundle of fresh sunflowers, I walked the long two blocks to her apartment (really, she lives that close) and slipped the request into casual conversation.

Soon to be BM Blair is getting married in Hawaii in January and just got her dress delivered. Naturally, she ushered me into the spare room to see it in all it’s adorable glory (another short dress bride!) and also happened to show me a dress she’s planning to wear to a friend’s wedding. Hellloooooo super easy segue into what she’s wearing to our wedding. “So, Hostess Blair, are you still planning to use Rent the Runway to get a black dress to wear to our wedding? Are you sure you wouldn’t rather wear a red dress and carry a bouquet? Like, down the aisle? Like a bridesmaid?” Her response, “What? Seriously? You don’t need to do that.” I then explained the whole situation with the long distance bridesmaid and there were hugs and smiles and more hugs to seal the deal. All we need to do now is keep our fingers crossed that the dress arrives in time for it to get altered and I need to go get some new bridesmaid gifts.

Did you have a last minute wedding party shift? How did you handle it?