Everybody's Got One...

Ok, maybe not everybody, but I've been noticing it happening more often than not these days. Yes, I'm talking about... the pregnant bridesmaid! (dun dun dunnnn) :) Yup, the one who has to wear a special dress (because she already bought the one you picked out and THEN proceeded to get preggers). Awesome for you, Bridesmaid Lela, and congrats and all that, but better you than me :)

Did you ever know someone who didn't know if they wanted to actually birth children? I mean, besides me of course. Yeah, that was Lela. When I had my bridesmaids get their dresses back in... what, September? October? I forget who it was, but someone actually said to me, "Well, a lot could happen between now and your wedding, what if one of them gets pregnant?" I remember laughing in their face! Well, I think it might've actually been on email or gchat, so I laughed in their face... via technology. "My bridal party? Seriously? HAHAHA!" And I'm pretty sure I even said, "and DEEEEFFFINITELY not Lela!" So I said to whoever I was having this conversation with (I truly don't remember, because obviously at the time it was a non issue in my mind!) that if someone got pregnant, they'd have to wear a "special dress".

Well, looks like Lela changed her mind and decided she wanted to have a baby! I had to keep it a secret for a little bit, but she's out of the closet now, so to speak. And she's even got a blog - inspired by moi of course :) Sooooo somebody needs a special dress! When I originally said that, I was thinking, "If someone gets pregnant I'm gonna make them wear the ugliest, brightest colored dress in the universe!"

This is even too ugly to be funny.

(If you've never been to http://www.uglydress.com/, you need to check it out.)

But obviously that's because I thought it seemed so far-fetched. So we've been trying to figure out some non ugly clothing options for her since I'm not really going to make her wear something hideous just because she decided to procreate! That would just be mean. The dress is pretty form fitting so it's not exactly going to FIT when she's 8+ months pregnant at my wedding. It's pretty stretchy, but not THAT stretchy! Since my girls aren't wearing dresses from a bridal shop, we can't just go to them for a matching one in a different style. Bridesmaid Lela and I have been trying to figure out what to do. At first she thought about cutting the top off the dress and sewing it onto another skirt, but it's a dress I think she'd wear again so I didn't want her to mutilate it (unless she wanted to). The newest development, however, is that her MIL is going to attempt to alter the dress - opening it at the seams and inserting fabric. So she may not look like she's in a special dress after all! I told her she should insert bright green fabric (the dresses are all black). That would look pretty funky! (I'm only half joking. I kind of think it could look cool...)

For other brides in this situation, take note: your girl may not be there for your big day. Bridesmaid Lela has assured me that she'll be there for mine, but know that there are some people who wouldn't even think of even trying. Maybe I'm being naive, but when Lela says she'll be there, I know she'll do everything in her power to be there. Obviously, if a doctor gave her a no-fly order or something, that's not something either one of us can help. You can't just hit pause on the pregnancy. It's the circle of life and all that junk.

So don't be naive and think that none of your bridesmaids will be pregnant at your wedding, because it happens more often than you think! Shoot, if you google "maternity bridesmaid" you get 533,000 results. There's clearly a market for maternity bridesmaid dresses!

While writing this I found a pretty helpful post on things to think about when you're a pregnant bridesmaid. Of course, they try to sell you on their dresses, but I think a couple of the tips are worth mentioning:

* Your body is going to continuously change for the next few months. Eliminate the guesswork (and the stress) by selecting a gown with an empire waist.

* Make sure you will be comfortable - steer clear of itchy lace sections and definitely don't try to squeeze yourself into a gown that is too small.

* Invest in a comfortable pair of shoes. You will be on your feet for a long time so be prepared.

* Make sure you enjoy yourself and don't hide from the camera!

You may be thinking "duh" to all of these. Yes, they may be common sense stuff that all brides/bridesmaids need to think about (like comfy shoes), but I think they're even more important for the preggers ones to think about.

Do you think there are any other special considerations to be made for preggers bridesmaids, besides attire? Maybe a doctor on call? A birthing room? Bachelorette party lamaze classes??

Happy baby-ing Bridesmaid Lela, and Happy Birthday this weekend!!!

-C

xxx