Ever since I was a little girl, bridesmaids always fascinated me. They dressed up in pretty dresses and were the life of the wedding. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would become a bridesmaid one day, until it became a reality…
One fine Sunday morning, my cousin broke the news to our family that he was getting married to the love of his life. They had been dating for 5 years and wanted to take their relationship to the next level. A couple of weeks after, over the phone, my cousin asked my mom if I’d be interested in becoming a bridesmaid for his wedding. My mom was so excited that she “yes!” even before asking me. She jumped with joy, barged into my room and told me that I’m going be a bridesmaid for my cousin’s wedding. I was sleepy, shocked and pretty happy, honestly. But I didn’t quite know what to expect or how to go about things.
A month before the wedding, they took my measurements for the dress, bought me matching shoes, hair accessories and customized a tiny bouquet that matched my dress. The wedding was going to be in Daman and the best part was that my whole family was attending it. It felt like a mini reunion. The bride had not just three bridesmaids, but eight of them! All, of course, were her best friends and cousins. And me!
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Since not many of the bridesmaids really knew each other, we decided to plan a bachelorette party so that everyone could bond and just have fun before the wedding. We decided to go out for drinks, one round became two, two became three and after the fourth is when the party really started. Music, dancing and playing games till the break of dawn… It was such an insane night that no one remembered all of it the next day.
I kid you not, but everything starting kicking in the day after. We were swamped with more responsibilities. As a bridesmaid, you have to be a part of many rituals. The roce, for example, is a tradition that usually happens a day before the wedding. Egg yolks, coconut juice and oil was smeared on each of the bridesmaids’ faces. It signifies the last bath the bride takes in her spinsterhood. It was fun, messy and quite an experience!
On the day of the wedding, all the bridesmaids were invited to dress up at the bride’s home. While some of us were getting our hair done, the others were busy looking out for the bride. It was chaos! All of us getting ready and helping each other get dressed at the same time was no walk in the park. When the clock struck 5, the photographer came in and clicked a couple of shots of us and the bride. It was lovely, and we all had mini celeb moments. As a bridesmaid, you’re required to go out of your way to make sure that the bride is happy and relaxed. You have to be her emotional and mental support. You basically have to make sure that she has a blast on her wedding day!
From the bride’s house to the church, we kept trying to keep her calm. Making sure that her white dress catches no dirt and holding her hand so that she doesn’t miss a step. Honestly, it was a slightly tedious task for all the bridesmaids, but once we saw her at the altar, happily standing with her soulmate, all the running around and mini heart attacks seemed like they were worth it.
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Becoming a bridesmaid isn’t as easy as I thought it was as a child. You have to be prepared to handle stress in the most graceful fashion. The bride is counting on you and you have to make her day go as smooth as possible. I was honoured to be bestowed with such an amazing responsibility. It’s taught me how to look out for people and be patient as a person. I became a bridesmaid for the first time and I am lucky to have got the opportunity and look forward to more such experiences!
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