Dedicated to my Best Girls

I’ve already briefly aired my views in this blog about the word ‘bridesmaid.’ So I might indulge myself in a slightly longer post on the matter.
I dunno what it is, but I find the word a little uncomfortable. I think it stems from my own phobia of weddings that are bit to ‘weddingy’ and bridesmaids that are wearing dresses that would be better suited to a panto.

And I know I can make sure that my bridesmaids wear something half decent and all that, but I still find the word a bit bizarre. Especially when we’re all in our mid 30s.

I toyed with the idea of eschewing the whole bridesmaid thing, but that’s cutting my nose off to spite my face. I’m gonna be a big nervous, worrying, calamitous wreck at various stages in the run up to the wedding, not to mention the day itself. I am going to need all the help I can get, preferably in form of advice and counsel from my trusted friends. And I would like to honour those trusted friends by officially making them a big part of our day. So I have asked my three gorgeous best mates Jenny, Emma and Claire to perform bridesmaid duties - but they will be referred to as my Best Girls.

You see, in my head, that just seems a much more appropriate title. These three ladies have been there for me since I was wet-behind-the-ears, naïve, just-left-home-really-nervous-and-can’t-stop-weeping university student. It’s quite possible I would have got on the first train back to the midlands if it hadn’t been for them. (in fact Claire’s husband lived two rooms down from me in our halls of residence. So he’s my honorary Best Girl. He won’t need to wear a dress though.) And from that moment on they've been there for me through thick, thin, good, bad, drunk and sober. I've lost count of how many times these girls have comforted me when I've cried and how often they've had me in fits of hysterics.

It’s amazing to think how much we've all been through since those days back in Manchester when our biggest worry was how much beer we could get for our money in the student union. We’ve witnessed each others boyfriend mistakes, (some worse than others) been there for each other to pick up the pieces when those blokes have let us down and celebrated with each other when we finally found 'the ones.'

And we’ve all been there for each other’s life milestones. Graduations, jobs, engagements, marriages, babies, first homes, dogs and cats. As Take That once warbled, we’ve come a long way. (ooh girls, am picturing us all having a bit of a moist eyed sing song to that track after plenty of bubbly on the Big Day.)

What’s lovely though is that even though two of us live in the north and two are down south, it never really feels like we are far apart from each other. I know I can pick up the phone any time and fall straight into a conversation, a rant, or a down-the-line hug. In my head, we are all next door to each other and it feels like we see each other every day. To me that’s the sign of an amazing friendship.

I love these girls dearly. I can honestly say I don’t know what I’d do without them and I'm incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends. They really are the best girls.

(Footnote. Obviously, my best girls are also in charge of my hen do. With Jenny as the ring leader. I am mildly worried because I stitched her up for her hen do. So I fear there may be payback. More on this subject in another post…)