Every woman looks forward to the day that they walk down the aisle to marry the love of her life. And more often than not, they’ve already spent their entire life planning the big day before they even meet the “one.” For other women, though, they’ve spent more time walking down the aisle as a member of the wedding party, and not as the blushing bride.
This woman had been through her fair share of weddings, but as the bridesmaid, and instead of feeling sad for herself, she made the decision to benefit from it.She was elated to be given the honor to be a part of a friend’s wedding. But what started out as a fresh new experience, quickly turned into something entirely different.
The weddings themselves were extremely tiring for the young New Yorker, but when you add the travel time and other expenses, Jen was wearing thin.
She decided to take some time off for herself, but that didn’t last for too long.
Opening her laptop, she pulled up Craiglist and began to create a post.
Jen began to write about all of her wedding experiences, from the bride’s tear-stained cheeks and the “bachelorette parties filled with tequila shots and guys in thong underwear twerking way too close to my face.”.
She offered her services as a “rental bridesmaid,” and explained the services that she would provide.
She wrote that she could be a part of the wedding or just a helping hand. After submitting the ad, she signed off the computer and went to bed.
In her inbox, there were more than 250 responses to her ad.
She couldn’t believe she was getting so much attention but was she even serious about her post. At first, it was just a joke, but what was she going to do now.
In just a year’s time, Jen has appeared in more than 100 weddings.
And while it seems like a good time, there are a lot of responsibilities that come with Jen’s job.
She works as a personal assistant for couples whenever she’s needed.
She’s not afraid to help make last-minute changes, help write vows, or get on the dance floor to get other people involved in the action.
Oftentimes, she’ll give herself a new last name, and come up with a backstory of how she met the bride.
Typically, she explains that they worked together, or they used to be neighbors.
Well, Jen does whatever she can to get more than one use out of each dress.
She can often be seen riding her bike, hailing down cabs or exercising in her dresses at the gym. We like it.
She’s also become a successful published author.
Jen discusses her incredibly unique journey in her four books: When You Least Expect It, All My Friends Are Engaged, and Always a Bridesmaid (For Hire), and Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire): Stories on Growing Up, Looking for Love, and Walking Down the Aisle for Complete Strangers.
In each show, Jen talks to people just like us, who woke up one day and decided to make major changes in their lives by starting with baby steps.
The conversations are filled with humor, advice, and life tips that cover topics like love, failure, being an entrepreneur, and self-care.
Jen does have a loving fella named Adam, and while there are no wedding plans, she says that if she ever chooses to get married, she’s going to ask her previous clients to be bridesmaids in her own wedding.
Sounds like a great trade to us.