“SHE COULDN’T STOP FUSSING OVER HER MAKEUP.”

“Jane* is one of my best friends, so I arranged for her to do her hair and makeup at my place on the morning of the wedding, along with another bridesmaid who stayed over. Knowing that punctuality is something she struggles with, I sent her a reminder via text the night before and gave her a morning call on D-Day.

Regardless, she turned up 45 minutes late and sat in my room getting her hair and makeup done. After makeup, she stormed out of the room complaining to the other girls that she ‘looked like crap’. To be honest, her hairdo made her look more like a tai tai than a 20something bridesmaid, but there was no time to x it, so I didn’t want to harp on it. In a bid to make her feel better, the bridesmaids repeatedly reassured her that she looked ne, but her mood for the day was set.

Jane remained sulky and sullen throughout the morning’s activities, and shocked us when she yanked out her falsies in frustration right before my march in, saying that she hated her makeup, which looked ne to me. My hunch is that she wanted attention and for everyone to reassure her about her looks. Usually, I’d tell her off for acting like a spoilt brat, but this was the biggest day of my life and I didn’t want any drama. As I walked down the aisle, I worried about whether Jane would do anything more dramatic. Would she kick off her heels? Would she leave the room in a huff? Who would go after her? I’ve witnessed many of my friends go through their wedding stressed out about how the entire event would unfold, but none that had to worry about their bridesmaid going nuts! I ended up having to placate Jane by telling her she could leave to redo her hair and makeup for the dinner banquet. Thankfully, she turned up on time and in a much better mood, but the episode really stressed me out.” – Nancy*, 30, private tutor

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?!

If she refuses to mend her ways after your heart-toheart chat, she might not be a true friend to begin with. In this case, it might be better for you to give her the boot so you won’t have to deal with drama on your special day. Anoushka says… “Girlfriends who have trouble prioritising their bride-tobe friends are obviously in a place in their lives where they don’t feel that secure or valued themselves. Brides who are big-hearted usually won’t get too bogged down by this, especially if they are aware of the circumstances stressing out their bridesmaids – and know that this behaviour is temporary. In this situation, it’s better for the bride to focus on her big day and not on the less-than-exemplary (but somewhat harmless) behaviour of her friend.” *Names have been changed