Bridesmaids

Date: Mar 12 2010

Category: Real Life

Themes: Family, Romance

Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

Intro

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Being a bridesmaid can be fun, but it can also be a nightmare. It’s great to stand up with a friend or relative you care about and support her at her wedding. But bridesmaids also have a lot of responsibilities, from helping to plan the wedding to keeping the bride calm and relaxed on the big day.

And then there’s the dress. Bridesmaid dresses are known for being unflattering and expensive. Some dresses are prettier than others, but if there are several bridesmaids who all have to wear the same dress, it’s sure to look bad on at least one of them.

Marni and Beren have both been bridesmaids in the past. But they’ve also been to weddings where they didn’t have to be bridesmaids. Find which they prefer.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Beren

Marni

Beren: This summer, there were a bunch of weddings. My brother got married, my cousin got married, friends got married. Have you ever been in a wedding party?

Marni: I have, yes. I have indeed, and it’s…it’s OK. You know, I actually, it’s funny you say that, because I was actually at quite a few weddings this summer as well, and I wasn’t a bridesmaid in any of them. And you know, part of me was like, OK, well, these are good friends, and should I get my feelings hurt because they didn’t pick me? No, because honestly, it’s kind of…I don’t know. It’s kind of a hassle, you know?

Beren: Totally. I went to my…my really really good friend got married, and she didn’t ask me to be a bridesmaid and then later she’s like, “I was gonna ask you, but I didn’t want you to have to deal with everything that the wedding party was going to have to do.” And I was, like, grateful. I went to her bachelorette party, it was awesome.

Marni: Right, right.

Beren: And she was also a total bridezilla, just went crazy with stress, so I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with that aspect of it.

Marni: So the bachelor/bachelorette party. I was actually just at a bachelorette party two nights ago. Super fun. We went to, you know, we actually had a hotel room downtown and then we went to a few bars and went dancing.

Beren: Awesome. Did it get out of control?

Marni: It didn’t get too out of control. The bachelor party got out of control.

Beren: Oh.

Marni: But uh, that seems to be expected.

Beren: Par for the course.

Marni: Yeah, exactly.

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Both Marni and Beren have been to a lot of weddings recently. But they weren’t in the wedding party at all of them. They agree that in some ways, it’s more fun to not be a bridesmaid at a wedding. Being a bridesmaid can be a hassle, especially if the bride turns out to be a bridezilla.

Sometimes people’s feelings get hurt if they don’t get asked by the bride to be in the wedding. It can be difficult for the bride to choose who her bridesmaids will be if she has a lot of close female friends and relatives. Usually the bridesmaids walk down the aisle in front of the bride in the wedding and wear matching dresses. They also help the bride plan the wedding and throw her a bachelorette party.

Have you ever been in a wedding party? Is it common to have bridesmaids at weddings in your country? Have you ever known a bride who acted like a bridezilla?

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Comments

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\| 06:10 PM Apr 14 2010 \| Reply
Tosya Russian Federation	2 max_srs - I understand what this word means, but just cannot find appropriate russian translation

Tosya

Russian Federation

2 max_srs - I understand what this word means, but just cannot find appropriate russian translation

\| 04:56 PM Apr 07 2010 \| Reply
Marcelolic Brazil	Oh yes I love weddings party mainly to eat a lot! hahaha :P Humm Here in Brazil we don't have this custom to have many bridemads in a wedding party…What occurs is we have the presence of pairs godparents wedding and a pair of children who usually take the alliances for the grooms,that's it ;)

Marcelolic

Brazil

Oh yes I love weddings party mainly to eat a lot! hahaha :P Humm Here in Brazil we don't have this custom to have many bridemads in a wedding party…What occurs is we have the presence of pairs godparents wedding and a pair of children who usually take the alliances for the grooms,that's it ;)

\| 01:09 PM Mar 18 2010 \| Reply
masoud2009 Iran, Islamic Republic Of	yes.Last month I was in a wedding party but i wasn't bridesmaid. actually It's not common to have bridesmaids.but a close relatives of bride help her espically hes sister or her cousins.But they didn't call it bridesmaid

masoud2009

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

yes.Last month I was in a wedding party but i wasn't bridesmaid.

actually It's not common to have bridesmaids.but a close relatives of bride help her espically

hes sister or her cousins.But they didn't call it bridesmaid

\| 11:20 AM Mar 18 2010 \| Reply
SiyFf Argentina	I´ve never been a bridsmaids and I wouldnt like being a bridsmaids because it can be very stressful I prefer going to a wedding and just enjoying it!.

SiyFf

Argentina

I´ve never been a bridsmaids and I wouldnt like being a bridsmaids because it can be very stressful I prefer going to a wedding and just enjoying it!.

\| 08:59 AM Mar 18 2010 \| Reply
iwori Japan	I've never heard of bridesmaids and bachelor/bacheloretter party. As they say, bridesmaids might be a kind of husstle role. In my country, brides ask their the closest friend to prepare wedding party. Only one friend! Bachelorette party sounds fun:) I hope I'll have a party like that when I get married.

iwori

Japan

I've never heard of bridesmaids and bachelor/bacheloretter party. As they say, bridesmaids might be a kind of husstle role. In my country, brides ask their the closest friend to prepare wedding party. Only one friend!

Bachelorette party sounds fun:) I hope I'll have a party like that when I get married.

\| 07:29 AM Mar 18 2010 \| Reply
kukuka Ukraine	Last year, I was at two wedding parties. Bridesmaids aren't common in my country. A bride usually has one bridesmaid here… What was the next question?

kukuka

Ukraine

Last year, I was at two wedding parties. Bridesmaids aren't common in my country. A bride usually has one bridesmaid here… What was the next question?

\| 05:13 AM Mar 18 2010 \| Reply
max_srs Brazil	To Tosya, I gues you've heard about godzilla… that old movie with a big monkey… so that's what it's mean, a bride that got crazy like a godzilla. bride+godzilla= bridezilla.

max_srs

Brazil

To Tosya, I gues you've heard about godzilla… that old movie with a big monkey…

so that's what it's mean, a bride that got crazy like a godzilla. bride+godzilla= bridezilla.

\| 03:13 PM Mar 17 2010 \| Reply
rosendo Mexico	wow , it's cool to be in a bachelor party bcs here in mexico the husband's friends make the party could be in a night club or in a friend's house. but the most interesting in the party are the barbies's show , bcs one of the husband's friends has the duty to hire them. and then all is aweson

rosendo

Mexico

wow , it's cool to be in a bachelor party bcs here in mexico the husband's friends make the party could be in a night club or in a friend's house. but the most interesting in the party are the barbies's show , bcs one of the husband's friends has the duty to hire them. and then all is aweson

\| 07:50 AM Mar 16 2010 \| Reply
Ellen_gaeng South Korea	In Korea, it's not common to have bridemaids at weddings. i have been wedding party. i sang a song of celebration.

Ellen_gaeng

South Korea

In Korea, it's not common to have bridemaids at weddings. i have been wedding party. i sang a song of celebration.

\| 11:38 PM Mar 14 2010 \| Reply
susan0101 China	wedding i think it‘s horrible，u spend money，time，invite people and give them a wonderful show，，i'm bride but it's nont my party _~X_X, it's a hassle

susan0101

China

wedding i think it‘s horrible，u spend money，time，invite people and give them a wonderful show，，i'm bride but it's nont my party _~X_X, it's a hassle

\| 07:35 PM Mar 14 2010 \| Reply
Tosya Russian Federation	Does somebody know Russian translation of the word "bridezilla"? I am curious to know

Tosya

Russian Federation

Does somebody know Russian translation of the word "bridezilla"? I am curious to know

\| 01:00 PM Mar 14 2010 \| Reply
YaMaPY Saudi Arabia	Hi how are u

YaMaPY

Saudi Arabia

how are u

\| 10:30 AM Mar 14 2010 \| Reply
candycandice Sweden	Yes, I have been in a wedding party, which I have thought was kind of good. Here in Sweden, it's common to have bridemaids at weddings and it's usually some from the brides family and her closest friends. I know a bride who has acted like a bridezilla, before the wedding even had started. She hadn't ate some much, just because to fit in her dress. So at her wedding she looked very thin and stressed.

candycandice

Sweden

Yes, I have been in a wedding party, which I have thought was kind of good.

Here in Sweden, it's common to have bridemaids at weddings and it's usually some from the brides family and her closest friends.

I know a bride who has acted like a bridezilla, before the wedding even had started. She hadn't ate some much, just because to fit in her dress. So at her wedding she looked very thin and stressed.