10 Things That Happened During My BFF's Wedding Weekend

One of my closest friends got married two weekends ago, & I had the honor/joy/expense (just kiddinggg) of being one of her bridesmaids. It was a really beautiful weekend, & some of my favorite people in the world were present for it, & it was a privilege to be a part of my friend's big day.

1. There is nothing quite as daunting as working a full day while knowing that you have a seven-hour drive ahead of you, yet that's exactly how my pre-wedding Thursday went. After shlepping across the state of Pennsylvania, I stopped to pay my toll near Philadelphia... & learned that it was a whopping $35. I had exactly $31.50 on me, so I had to commit to an IOU & pay my extra $3.50 within 10 days or risk it going to collection "immediately."

2. A friend & I adventured in Philly on Friday afternoon, braving serious snow on the first day of spring - & me with no winter coat. We got manicures & pedicures at a place that gave us free wine, & then we had lunch at the glory that is Reading Terminal Market, where I consumed a gourmet grilled cheese (with cranberries & brie!) in approximately seven seconds. Needless to say, I am kind of into the City of Brotherly Love.

3. At the rehearsal dinner, I gave an impromptu wedding toast, & I neither cried nor vomited, which are my public speaking standards. People even laughed! When it was over, I got two high-fives & three compliments from strangers, so I think I'm gonna call that a win. I hope the bride & groom liked it as much as I did (which I hope is not an egotistical thing to say - I'm just kind of proud of myself because I am really not a public speaker).

4. On the day of the wedding, having brought four dresses with me, I ultimately decided to wear the one the tailor botched because it matched the other bridesmaids' dresses better. (I first removed the tags from another, though, so I now own all four of them). Fortunately, I had borderline fasted for a couple days ahead of the event, so the dress I chose didn't look nearly as terrible as it could've.

5. The bride, her family, the other bridesmaids, & I gathered in her hotel suite to have our hair & makeup professionally done, & I requested what I shall now refer to as my Standard Fancy Hair (see: the last time I got my hair done for a wedding). Then, we had the honor & the nerve-wracking responsibility of helping her get into her (gorgeous! button-laden!) gown so the big day could officially begin.

6. When we headed to the venue, I was the bridesmaid who brought a Mary Poppins bag full of anything anyone could ever need - hairspray & bobby pins & safety pins & dry shampoo & deodorant & gum & snacks & a sewing kit... You name it, I probably had it. Except Bandaids. (My apologies to one of the other bridesmaids, & to my own heels.)

7. Just before the wedding began, the bride's mother used said sewing kit to securely reinforce the last two remaining buttons on the neck of my dress after the third one mysteriously disappeared between group photos & the ketubah ceremony. I spent much of the rest of the evening worrying that I looked like a fancy hobo and/or that I was going to end up totally unbuttoned.

8. I drank a lot of cranberry martinis & ate a lotttt of food. Like... a good-thing-I-wore-such-tight-Spanx amount of food. Seriously, you've never seen so much food at a wedding. Ever. More importantly, I also spent a lot of time with a lot of friends, & we did a lot of dancing, as one does at a wedding full of one's favorite people.

9. One of my best friends married the love of her life in a beautiful ceremony on a day that was beyond joyful. I felt incredibly honored to be a part of the day, & it's one that will long remember fondly.

10. The bride asked us to keep the day "light on social media," so I took exactly one photo at the reception (it didn't turn out well) & none with the bride. Hey, that's what pro photographers are for, right?