No Bridezillas Here

Since it's wedding month, I've been reading a lot online about crazed brides who insisted their bridesmaids buy $500 dresses, spend a fortune on shower gifts at multiple showers they're required to attend, and even dye their hair the same color as the bride's. One even kicked one gal off her wedding party (after she bought a $300 dress on a student budget) because she suggested a less-expensive bachelorette party package in Vegas. The bride said she wasn't 'dedicated enough to the wedding.'

Thank God I have never had to deal with a Bridezilla.

I've been in four weddings, and am getting ready for a fifth, and I have been lucky not only to have worn five beautiful dresses (no lie!), but to have dealt with five great brides. No bride has ever complained about what I did or didn't do for her. No bride has flipped out, lost her temper, or made unreasonable demands. One bride did have a minor meltdown during photography over her too-tight shoes, but that was quickly remedied by a pair of specially-decorated Keds, courtesy of her quick-thinking sister-in-law. I can't imagine I would be as calm as any of these women.

And I count my blessings every time I hear about a bride-gone-crazy financially. All five brides have been remarkably laid back, open to ideas, and willing to hear what my budget was, and thus willing to work with it. I've never felt pressured to spend money I didn't have, go somewhere I couldn't afford or do something completely unreasonable (the hair-dyeing counts). I just stated what I could and couldn't afford (politely, I mean) and they've all been willing to work with me.

And honestly, if I had been confronted with those demands, I would simply back out of the wedding party. Why do these gals put up with this kind of stuff from their 'friends' without speaking up? And why would a bride ever treat her friends like that anyway? I know it's 'her day' but that doesn't entitle her to become a raving bitch who has to be the center of attention for everything. Seriously, Disney may promote princesses, but grown women should have a little more perspective.

Yet some women get so caught up in the idea of it being all about them for not just one day but the entire run up to the big day (forgetting about the marriage in the process of planning for the wedding), that they ruin friendships in the process with their outrageous demands.

Is a poofy white dress really worth all that? I don't think so.