We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
IF YOU’VE PLANNED a wedding, you’ll know the depth of preparation and stress that goes hand-in-hand with all things nuptial.
Not least of the pressures involved is the selection of the bridal party, with everything from dress selection and expense to the exclusion of friends who may feel snubbed at not making the cut coming to the fore.
Into the void comes the professional bridesmaid, a woman who you may never have met who stands side by side with a bride on the biggest day of her life. That’s what Jen Glantz does for a living.
“I’m there for brides in need, I’m a confidant, I’m there to make sure they’re stress-free on their wedding day,” Florida-native (but New York based) Jen told TheJournal.ie.
I’m everything from a personal assistant to an on-call therapist to a peacekeeper. It’s a varied job.
Jen sees her role as very different from that of a wedding planner.
“It’s completely different. A wedding planner is there to focus on things, to make sure things run smoothly. I’m focused on people. I want the day to go brilliantly on a personal level for the bride,” she says.
She initially got the idea for her slightly unusual job after standing for so many of her own friends as a bridesmaid.
“I could just see the stress a bride goes through and thought there has to be a niche there, like no-one is ever there for the bride, just for herself,” she says.
So I put an ad up on Craigslist advertising my services. Within 48 hours I had hundreds of emails from all over the world. That’s when I knew it could work as a business.
Bridesmaid for Hire / TwitterSometimes it's just not a question! #bridesmaidforhire pic.twitter.com/2gPo8bwXt6
— Bridesmaid for Hire (@Probridesmaids) July 21, 2015
That was June 2014. Since then she’s been a professional bridesmaid on over 40 occasions all over the US. She’s so busy she has even taken on staff to share the load.
I put an ad out and I had more than 4,000 women apply to work with me. 4,000! So far I’ve hired two, but who knows in the future.
Jen sees herself as a writer first and foremost (“this is my side job”), although business is brisk as a bridesmaid for hire.
“I’ve done weddings now in Vegas, Minnesota, California, New Jersey…” she says.
Each one comes with different challenges, where I need to give different kinds of guidance.
Contact is generally made between Jen and her bride-to-be between 3 and 18 months prior to the big day, although she generally doesn’t meet them until the day itself.
I get to know these brides so well, and she will eventually turn to me with every type of problem, more so than even with her own best friend.
Two questions – does she stand at the altar? And does she get to keep the dresses a la Katherine Heigl and her 27 dresses?
“I can stand at the altar for sure, but that’s more of a question of what kind of package the bride goes for,” she says.
When it comes to the dress, I’ll discuss it with the bride, she’ll ask me what I can wear, and oftentimes she’ll buy the dress for me to fit in with the wedding party.
And yes, I get to keep them.
It really sounds like a sweet deal. So, has she any plans to expand internationally? To Ireland perhaps?
I would love to do it, and I get loads of inquiries from abroad. I love to travel so that’s a business that could definitely work.
This job is an adventure. I love it.
Now all we need is a groomsman for hire. Over to you Jen.
Odd Job: Professional Bridesmaid
What does it pay? Anything between $300 and $2,000 per wedding, depending upon the package. Jen averages $1,000 per wedding.
How many are there? Not many
What qualifications/experience do you need? None, but an ability to handle high-stress situations with a smile on your face is a must
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Not too often you stick something into a bin and it comes out smelling of roses.
Lucky for them..I tend to rip them up in Anger……
So wait this is the third story I’ve heard in the last week about thrown away lotto tickets coming good by anonymous people. Hmmm……
Enough with the thinking there Deborah, just buy a €10 quickpick and you’ll be grand
Don’t forget to stick it in the bin too to ensure a win!
I always use the machine. The clicking noise … The silence … The trying again … The clicking … The trying the other ticket … The clicking … The beep … The pause … Not a winner. Sigh. Back to the first ticket.
Clever marketing perhaps !!!
So they paid for a lotto plus ticket, checked the main draw, didn’t win so threw it in the bin and not bother looking at lotto plus draws, a hear now are they having a laugh, i no if i paid for a lotto plus ticket I’d be inclined to check the numbers.
Sifting through my bin when I go home…You never know…
Sitting in your bin locked on wine
Seems irresponsible to me. It’s so easy to check tickets with apps & scanners these days, dumping a 6 figure prize is just stupidity in the extreme
looking for their 15 minutes of fame as well.
Their fifteen minutes of anonymous fame.
You’d be surprised. Look at some commenters who fish for likes and are likely called “The Fish”.
No, they’re looking for their quarter of a million euro.
Bin lotto and mushrooms be good right now I’ll settle for binshrooms
Right I’m going to do the lotto. Stick it in the bin, cover it in non recyclables. Wait till full and fish it out. Seems to be lucky these days
Image from Shutterstock/PeJo? You could of easily taken a picture yourself of an Irish Lotto Ticket.
The lotto app is great, you can scan your ticket and find out you’re still a peasant alot quicker
Yay for 250k, but would still have to go to work in the morning.
have your say