Woman was always the bridesmaid, so she made a full-blown career out of it



Woman was always the bridesmaid, so she made a full-blown career out of it

A lot of thought typically goes into the organization of a wedding. There are so many different factors to consider, from food and flower arrangements to where everyone should sit, meaning preparation can take months. This can be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life as they try to bring everything together for the big day. However, more often than not, all that effort is usually worth it in the end.
One thing that women have to think about when planning a wedding is who they’ll choose to be in their bridal party. This can be a difficult decision to make, especially if you have a lot of people to choose from. After all, there are only so many of your loved ones that you can make bridesmaids.
For those who get picked, it can feel like a huge honor, and one woman knows that better than most. Jen Glantz is the definition of always the bridesmaid, never the bride, and it seems she’s now made a full-blown career out of that lifestyle.

Got a good life going


When Glantz first started getting asked to be people’s bridesmaids, she was at a good place in her life. She’d come out of college with a decent degree and was working a steady job as a scriptwriter.

She was producing content for companies like Target and Disney, and living a life that a lot of creative people probably envy. However, there was always something missing in Jen’s life that her current situation just wasn’t fulfilling.


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Time and time again


Coming out of college, Glantz was at the point in her life when her friends were starting to think about marriage. One by one, they began tying the knot, and they apparently all did it in quick succession.
Time and time again

By the middle of 2014, Jen had acted as a bridesmaid at half a dozen weddings. Apparently, four of those had been in the space of one year, meaning she’d become an old pro at the job. Glantz took on the role so frequently that people jokingly referred to her as being a professional bridesmaid, something she actually ended up running with.


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Valuable experiences


Given Jen spent so much of her time acting as a bridesmaid, she learned all there was to know about her role. Every new wedding gave her an opportunity to sharpen her skills and do things even better than before.
Valuable experiences

She was getting a level of experience unmatched by most people, and it was teaching her how to be the perfect bridesmaid. Glantz knew that most women only got to be a bridesmaid once or twice in their lives, so she wasn’t going to waste the opportunities being thrown her way. She just didn’t imagine how much they’d change her life.
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Ignoring their responsibilities


As well as giving her an insight into being the perfect bridesmaid, Jen’s experiences also showed her something that was commonly missing in weddings. Glantz noticed that in a lot of cases, the bride had responsibilities that her party should have dealt with instead. Rather than having people take the stress off her hands, she was dealing with it all by herself.
Ignoring their responsibilities

Understandably, this didn’t sit well with Jen, and she believed that things needed to change. There was clearly a role that was being left unfulfilled in people’s bridal parties, and it was time someone did something about it.
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Turning it into a job


People had referred to her as being a professional bridesmaid, but what if she actually turned that into a job? She knew the ins and outs of being in someone’s bridal party, so she was more than qualified for the job.

Plus, she was willing to do the tasks that were getting ignored, meaning she could take a lot of pressure off the bride’s shoulders. It would put them more at ease during their big day, allowing them to actually enjoy their wedding for what it was. The only question was if people would hire a stranger to be their bridesmaid.
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Putting it out there


Unsure whether she was onto something or if she was just getting carried away with herself, Jen decided to post a Craigslist ad. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to put something out there and see if it attracted anyone’s interest.

Thanks to her work as a scriptwriter, it didn’t take long for Glantz to write a quick post on the site and leave it for the night. Now, she just had to play the waiting game.
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What she wrote


Posting on Craigslist she wrote, “When all my friends started getting engaged – I decided to make new friends. So I did – but then they got engaged also and for what felt like the hundredth time, I was asked to be a bridesmaid.”
What she wrote

“This year alone, I’ve been a bridesmaid 4 times. That’s 4 different chiffon dresses, 4 different bachelorette parties filled with tequila shots and guys in thong underwear twerking way too close to my face, 4 different pre-wedding pep talks to the bride about how this is the happiest day of her life and marriage, probably, is just like riding a bike: a little shaky at first but then she’ll get the hang of it.”
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Insider information


She continued, “Right, she’ll ask as she wipes off the mascara stained tears from her perfectly airbrushed face. Right, I’ll say though I don’t really now. I only know what I’ve seen and that’s a beautiful looking bride walking down, down, down the aisle one, two, three, for times so far this year.”
Insider information

“So let me be there for you, this time if: -You don’t have any other girlfriends except your third cousin, twice removed, who is often found sticking her tongue down an empty bottle of red wine. – Your fiancé has an extra groomsmen and you’re looking to even things out so your pictures don’t look funny and there’s not one single guy walking down the aisle by himself. – You need someone to take control and make sure bridesmaid number four buys her dress on time and doesn’t show up three hours late the day of the wedding or paint her nails lime green.”
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The goods


Finishing her post, she said, “Bridesmaid skills I’m exceptionally good at: – Holding up the 18 layers of your dress so that you can pee with ease on your wedding day – Catching the bouquet and then following that moment up with my best Miss America-like “Omg, I can’t believe this” speech. – Doing the electric and the cha cha slide. – Responding in a timely manner to pre-wedding email chains created by other bridesmaids and the Maid of Honor.”
The goods

Little did Jen know, that her idea would be one of the best things she ever did and she couldn’t believe what she woke up to the following day.
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Miss popularity


When Jen woke up the following morning, she expected to have a few responses at best. However, it seems her ad had been far more successful than she’d expected. A lot of people were interested in her services, so much so that she had a whopping 250 messages.

The woman was understandably taken aback by her sudden popularity, and she wasn’t sure what her next move should be. This was a lot for her to process.
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Open for business


Realizing there was a market for her skills, she decided to move forward with her professional bridesmaid idea. Glantz got in contact with her brother and asked if he was interested in going into business together.

She suggested setting up a company where women could hire Jen to be their bridesmaid and do all the things their loved ones were falling short on. The venture was named Bridesmaid For Hire and was soon open for business.
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The first client


Having received so many responses to her Craigslist ad, Jen had no shortage of people to make her first client. However, she ended up going with a woman named Ashely from Minnesota.
The first client

It had been a few weeks since the bride had messaged her asking for help, and now Glantz was ready to make her dream come true. The woman was nervous about doing a good job, but she knew she had the skills to pull this off.
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A desperate situation


It seems that Ashley’s need for a bridesmaid was a pretty urgent one. The reason that she’d responded to Jen’s Craigslist ad was that she’d had to fire her own maid of honor.
A desperate situation

With no-one to take on all the big responsibilities, Ashley had turned to the internet hoping for a solution. Thankfully, she found that in the form of Glantz, who was more than happy to help her out in her time of need.
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Learning the ins and outs


While Jen’s idea seemed good on paper, there was one problem with her new business venture – she knew nothing about her client. If she was going to help make her wedding a success, it was essential that she knew Ashley inside and out.

That’s why she spent hours talking to the woman on the phone and learning everything she possibly could. She did this for two months before flying to Minnesota for the big day.
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On to the next one


Thankfully, all that time spent chatting to her first client paid off massively for Glantz. Everything went smoothly at the wedding, giving the professional bridesmaid one delighted first customer.
On to the next one

The success of Ashley’s big day assured her that this venture could work, and it spurred her to take on her next client. Soon enough, she had online packages available for prospective brides that would provide them with her services for a variety of different prices.
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Services


When asked about exactly what she provides, Jen answered, “I like to turn stress into humor. So if I’m seeing a bride who is stressing out. … I like to step in and use humor to lighten the mood. I like to make sure I keep the bride laughing and smiling, because that’s the most important thing that she has to do that day.”
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This is something most bridesmaid can forget as they themselves also feel under pressure, albeit its nothing similar to what the bride is going through.
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Juggling two jobs


Before long, Jen’s new business was soaring. She was taking on one client after another, and each bride was walking away grateful for her help. The only problem was that Glantz now had to juggle her bridesmaid duties with her day job.
Juggling two jobs

It wasn’t easy, especially as Jen essentially had to give up all her free time to manage everything. However, she didn’t mind making that sacrifice because she loved the work she was doing.
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Becoming a success


Glantz’s daily schedule saw her working at her script writing job from nine to five, with several hours either side of that devoted to Bridesmaid For Hire. Most people would have struggled to do all that without a break, but Jen loved seeing how her business was slowly starting to thrive.

She was focused on turning her new venture into a success, and in just a few years she achieved that. Everything finally came together.
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Telling Her Side


Speaking about the situations she finds herself in with her clients, she said, “You know, sometimes at the time of a wedding, I think certain things are insane.”
Telling Her Side

She continued, “But I think some of these outlandish requests like nail polish color or shoe color may seem crazy at the time, but it’s important to remember that this is the bride’s special day, and I’m happy to do those things for them.” It seems to be an outside bridesmaid makes loads of thing easier all round.
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No time for friends


Unfortunately, she couldn’t dedicate all that time to work without making sacrifices somewhere along the line. Given she took very few breaks during the week, Jen had almost no opportunities to meet up with her friends.

As a result, her personal life suffered, and she became distant from the people she was closest to. However, she refused to let that get her down. At that moment, all that really mattered to her was Bridesmaid For Hire.
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Your time is up


However, it seems that Jen was perhaps a little too focused on her business venture. In late 2015, her day job had to start laying people off, and Glantz’s name was on the list of people given their marching orders.

She was shocked, to say the least, especially as she’d put in extra effort to ensure she was still doing a good job at work. Luckily, it seems that being let go was a blessing in disguise.
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Doing it full-time


With no day job to keep her busy anymore, Jen had all the time in the world to focus on Bridesmaid For Hire. Could she afford to make it her full-time job, though? Glantz wasn’t certain, but her mom assured her that she was ready for this.

The company had been going from strength to strength, and with more time and dedication, it would only get better. So, she took the plunge and became her own boss.
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Best decision ever


In the few years since Jen made that choice, things have indeed continued to improve. Many people have used Glantz for her bridesmaid services, and none of them have regretted that decision.

Becoming self-employed was one of the best things Jen had ever done, especially as it allowed her to have some free time. Even though some people say she just works for “sad brides without friends,” Glantz simply ignores the criticisms. After all, haters gonna hate.
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Someone to talk to


When you spend your days getting to know new people, you hear about some interesting stories. A lot of women see Jen as someone they can talk openly with because she’s completely impartial and won’t judge them for anything.

That’s partly why Bridesmaid For Hire has become such a success. Not only does Glantz do all she can to help people have an amazing wedding, but she also lends an ear when the brides need it.
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The friends she needs


It’s not just the brides who appreciate having someone to talk to – Jen does too. She had to sacrifice a lot to turn her business into a success, and that included losing some of her friends.

Thankfully, Bridesmaid For Hire allows her to make new connections all the time, and she’s hopeful that some of these brides will be friends for life. What’s the point of success if you don’t have people to share it with?
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A published author


Several years after starting her business, it’s clear that Jen was right to post that ad on Craigslist. Not only has she gotten a hugely successful company out of it, but she’s also branched into writing her own books.

Glantz has always been passionate about putting pen to paper, hence why she had a day job as a scriptwriter. Now, she’s living the dream with two books in the world and the possibility for more.
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Everything’s come together


Not only is she writing books, but she’s also traveling across America in an effort to keep her business growing. She and her boyfriend packed up their belongings and now hop from one state to another as Bridesmaid For Hire expands its reach.

Jen has received more than 10,000 requests for her services since starting the company, so she’s evidently a woman in demand. That’s why you should never be afraid to follow your dreams.
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Romantic at heart


Attending a wedding is now a part of Jen’s livelihood and when discussing her feelings about marriage she openly said, “There is nothing like sitting through the ceremony of a wedding and hearing about how two total strangers met.”
Romantic at heart

“I think that is just such an illuminating story — especially nowadays when we’re so wrapped up in our social media and our phones and pretty much ourselves. I think celebrating love in general is such a beautiful thing, and I would be honored to stand beside two people that are celebrating love any day that they’ll have me.”
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A bright future


We only anticipate good things for Glantz moving forward. In the space of five years, she’s turned being a bridesmaid into a full-blown career, and that’s an incredible achievement.

While there have been some bumps along the way, there’s no denying that Jen has given 110% to making her company a huge success. Let’s hope that plenty more brides look to her for help in the future so she can keep the business going strong.