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Always The Bridesmaid... - Page 2

© Nancy Coulter

I am sure the day will come when I'll get to ask my closest girlfriends to be in my wedding. According to my mother and father, that day better be coming soon! I'm the next child in line to get married. But I'm not working by any other clock than my own.

Thankfully we live in a time when not all women feel they must get married to have worth as a woman. Women can be productive members of society (AND attractive) and stay single for their entire life. At one point in time, a woman was viewed as some sort of oddity if she never got married. A man who didn't get married was just viewed as a single man, he wasn't seen as a social outcast. If women haven't progressed in other areas of our culture, at least they have progressed in this one.

It's OK to always be the bridesmaid. Just because you catch the bouquet doesn't mean you have to marry whatever guy you can find. The scary thing is that I still hear some women talk about how they would "settle" for one type of guy so they could get married. Settling for someone who is less than what you really want, shouldn't be an option.

People shouldn't get married just because they feel a social obligation to do so. It may be cliche to say this, and call me old fashioned if you must, but people should be married for love. If the person you are marrying isn't the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, then maybe marriage shouldn't be an option with that person. Second best for the rest of your life, won't necessarily make a happy life.

The next time you get a wedding invitation in the mail, smile and look forward to watching a friend or family member embark on a new frontier in their life. At the same time, be happy with the trail you are currently on. You have the choice (and the power) to find that perfect someone to marry. If marriage is something you want out of life, then do what you can to make it happen so you are happy.

For those brides out there, our Weddings Editor Jessica Hutson, offers some advice about Choosing Your Bridesmaids.

Bridesmaid Blues

Not including your own wedding(s), how many weddings have you participated in? (whether you were a flower girl, ring bearer, usher, groomsman, bridesmaid, or some other wedding attendant)

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