Exclusive: Confessions Of A Professional Bridesmaid With Jen Glantz

In the whirlwind of wedding planning, it's normal for brides to feel overwhelmed, either with decision-making or relationship drama. While friends and family usually have the best intentions, sometimes they fall short, leaving brides to navigate wedding prep alone. When Jen Glantz saw this gap, Bridesmaid for Hire was born. And contrary to the name, Jen does a lot more than walk down the aisle as a bridesmaid. She also steps up as your ride-or-die friend and wedding day wingwoman.

"Bridesmaid for Hire was the best money we spent on the wedding," wrote one bride. "Jen is fun detail-oriented, fun, kind, observant, and not afraid to go the extra mile. Plus, she can tie up a French bustle like a pro in 3 minutes flat!"

From participating in the bachelorette party and ceremony to giving toasts and helping write vows, this professional bridesmaid has got you covered.

Carmen Schober: How did you become a professional bridesmaid?

Jen Glantz: In my early twenties, I was a bridesmaid almost a dozen times for my friends. One night, two distant friends asked me to be their bridesmaid. I was venting to my roommate about how I felt like random people kept asking me to be their bridesmaid and she said, “Duh, Jen! That’s because you’re good at it. You’re like a professional bridesmaid or something.” 

Her words sparked the idea that if I could do this role for distant friends, why not do it for strangers? That’s when I took the idea and posted an ad on Craigslist, offering my services as a hired bridesmaid for strangers. I received over 300 responses, built a website, and booked my first client (Ashely from Maple Grove, Minnesota) all in 48 hours. 

In the past 8-years, I’ve worked hundreds of weddings as a hired bridesmaid for clients all over the country. 

CS: How much does it pay?

JG: Because the range of services we offer varies (whether you want us just to be there on the day of the wedding or you want us at every pre-wedding event), so does the pricing. Our packages start at $2,500 and go up from there. Our maid of honor speech packages start at $375. 

CS: What usually leads someone to hire you?

JG: In the past 10 years, I’ve worked with clients of all backgrounds, and no client is ever the same. We’ve had people who are fresh out of college hire us and people who are in their late forties and are CEOs of major companies hire us. We’ve worked weddings that cost over $500,000 and we’ve worked weddings that cost under $10,000 and are in a backyard. 

In the end, we work weddings for people who need a support system to help them get through their wedding adventure. The story of the person is always different, but the reason is always the same. 

There are so many reasons people hire us but there are two common emails we get. First, not everyone has a close friend or a group of pals to support them during their wedding adventure. Second, not everyone has a friend group that’s…reliable.

While you may want to have specific friends and family as part of your “big day,” they may not be able to fly across the country to help you shop for a dress, know where to start when it comes to planning your bridal shower, or have the evenings open to chat on the phone about what’s on your to-do list that week and the wedding challenges and roadblocks you’re knocking into. 

CS: Is it anything like 27 Dresses?

JG: Just like the movie 27 Dresses, most of my social calendar involves weddings and wedding events, except these are for people I don’t know and haven’t met before. Plus, she had a closet of dresses, I have triple as many as she does and they live inside of garbage bags.

CS: Do the other bridesmaids know that you've been hired?

JG: Most of the time, nobody else knows that I’m hired, not even the person the bride is marrying. I blend in with the bridal party and pretend to be a friend of hers from another part of her life. This is the heartbeat of the job and what makes it so unique. 

CS: What's the weirdest thing you've done for a bride?

JG: I worked a wedding outside in a field in Nevada. Right before it was time to walk down the aisle, I noticed animal poop up and down the aisle. If I didn’t remove it, it would stain and ruin the bride’s white dress. I had no other option but to scoop it up using my bare hands. This job isn’t as glamorous as you might think. The bride still thanks me for doing this and her wedding was four years ago. 

CS: What’s the most expensive dress you've ever had to wear?

JG: A bride bought me a $400 bridesmaid dress, and it’s still probably the most expensive item I own. I've worn it again to friends’ weddings and to other weddings, too, so it got a lot of use for that amount of money. 

CS: Any terrible Bridezilla stories?

JG: I had a bride make me get three inches cut off my hair because she thought I’d look better with short hair for her wedding. I don’t know why I agreed, but I did and I was so upset. I get some funky requests like that but have learned to say no! 

This isn't a "bridezilla" story, but another time I went to a bachelorette party where the bride went missing and when I found her she was drunkenly telling room service on the phone that she didn’t want to get married. It was the start to the end of her engagement, which was probably for the best. 

CS: Did being a professional bridesmaid have any effect on your own wedding day?

JG: Being a hired bridesmaid for hundreds of strangers made it hard to figure out what kind of wedding I wanted. After getting engaged in 2019, COVID-19 impacted how my wedding experience would ultimately go. My husband and I eloped outside of the spot of our first date–a coffee shop in Manhattan–as loved ones watched over Zoom. Never in a million years did I think my wedding would go like that, but it did, and it was perfect. Beyond perfect. 

Stay in Touch with Jen

To learn more about Jen's bridal adventures, check out her book Always a Bridesmaid For Hire and sign up for her newsletter, Love Letters from a Professional Bridesmaid.

Evie deserves to be heard. Support our cause and help women reclaim their femininity by subscribing today.