It’s a touchy subject. Your list of bridesmaids might already be sprawled across your wedding website or known among your inner circle?and then you have one drop out, leaving you in a conundrum. Asking “the next in line” if they will stand by your side is tricky. You want them to feel included and loved, yet you both know they weren’t in the first lineup. The good news is that you actually can have a loved one fill in and still not step on any toes.
It Happened to Me (And it Was OK)
I’ve been on both sides of this issue and realized it just isn’t that big of a deal. People will freak out, thinking you’re a horrible person asking someone to fill in, but they need to know every side of the story before judging. My good friend called me in a panic a few months before her wedding because one of her bridesmaids had to drop out, so my friend was genuinely asking me to step in. I truthfully did not feel offended. I actually felt special that I was even the next in line because I never expected to be a part of it at all. I have, however, expected to be in weddings when I ended up not being asked?so even to be asked as a backup is an honor. I had a list for years of women who would be in my bridal party. Everyone knew my list! The problem is that not everyone’s life can revolve around the bride. When it finally came time for me to set a date, it happened to fall during an anniversary trip that one of my bridesmaids had booked a year p...