Abby Connolly
Have you ever been a member of someone’s wedding party even though you’re not that close to them?
One woman was invited to be her childhood best friend’s bridesmaid, although they grew apart during their adult years. But since all of the exhausting pre-wedding commotion, she’s seriously considering not being there for the big day.
She’s 32-years-old and has known her friend Danielle since kindergarten. Growing up in the 90s, they lived on the same street and did everything together. While they grew up in different households as kids, they didn’t care and remained super close. But as they got older, things changed.
“Ultimately, we were different people who chose to live much different lifestyles as adults,” she explained.
“My husband and I chose not to have children and had a very small gathering of immediate family at our wedding. My husband and I have also moved across the country numerous times and regularly road trip around the country. My best friend, on the other hand, finds joy in surrounding herself with small children and family functions on the weekends.”
Recently, she and her husband decided to move back to her hometown, and she’s attempted to rekindle her relationship with Danielle. Unfortunately, she finds that they don’t click as much as they used to now that they’ve led such different lives.
Sometimes, she feels dismissed or discounted by Danielle whenever she talks about her more spontaneous, child-free lifestyle, which she loves but Danielle thinks is “unrealistic.”
Despite that, Danielle got engaged about two years ago and asked her to be one of her bridesmaids.
She agreed to be in Danielle’s bridal party, thinking that it’d be nice since they had gotten along during their occasional hangouts. However, preparing for Danielle’s wedding turned out to require much more maintenance than she thought.
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