From creating seating charts that require more finesse than a peace treaty to chasing after RSVPs from unresponsive guests, wedding planning is a stressful affair. To give brides-to-be a helping hand, entrepreneur Jen Glantz launched Bridesmaid For Hire, which offers brides a combination of a personal assistant, on-call therapist and social director in one to follow through on tasks that go beyond a wedding planner’s or maid of honor’s job description.
After being a bridesmaid in over a half dozen weddings, Glantz realized she could turn her bridesmaid skills into a business. “I was a bridesmaid so many times for my own friends that I started to get the nickname ‘professional bridesmaid,” she says. “I saw that there was a gap in the wedding industry. There was truly no one there for the bride. Often there was a wedding planner, but they were focused on the vendors, and the bridesmaids were busy getting ready themselves. You also shouldn’t put [too many tasks] on your friends because it prevents them from having a good time.”
Glantz, who is currently working with 25 brides between now and 2017, offers several packages from “Virtual Bridesmaid,” which includes one-on-one video chats covering problem solving and to-do lists to “Bridesmaid by Your Side,” which includes pre-wedding planning and actual participation as a bridesmaid at the wedding. Prices range from $200 to over $1000.
“Brides want to know they have someone there for them and to support them through the small tasks, to help them put together and manage the to-do list, help them problem solve, and talk through different challenges—everything from ‘I can’t get my guests to RSVP’ to ‘My mother is driving me nuts,’ to ‘My maid of honor doesn’t want to do it anymore,’” she says. “With all of these problems, you can turn to your friends, but your friends often know what you want to hear and may not help you come to a logical conclusion.”
Adds Glantz: “With Bridesmaid For Hire, you’re going to get someone who is not going to have a biased opinion and will approach it from an outside perspective.”
