STARRED REVIEW
February 2007

Always a bridesmaid: playing second fiddle

By Siri Agrell
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Sure, the wedding day is all about the bride, but what about those unsung heroes of the modern bridal party: the bridesmaids? Siri Agrell, author of Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums Tales from the Front Lines, wants everyone to know about the tribulations that go with being a bridesmaid. This columnist for Canada’s National Post has seen the dark side of weddings firsthand. Kicked out of a wedding for writing a column about being a bridesmaid and the requirement for almost cult-like devotion to the bride, Agrell heard from readers about their own frighteningly bad bridesmaid experiences. It became clear to me that bridesmaids had become collateral damage in the female quest for the perfect wedding, she writes.

Two bridesmaids were thrown out of a wedding the day of the ceremony for refusing to get their makeup done a fourth time when the bride asked. One bridesmaid was forced to wear a used dress that reeked the whole day. Even without these issues, many bridesmaids spend thousands of dollars on ugly dresses, parties and presents in preparation for the wedding day. Ultimately, this hilarious and disturbing book is a reminder to both brides and bridesmaids that a little civility and human kindness is necessary on both sides if friendships are to continue after the ceremony.

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