In the movie
Bride Wars, things turn ugly between best friends (played by Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway) when their wedding plans conflict. Since weddings can sometimes seem like an endless source of drama, we asked real brides to tell us how their wedding sparked a spat (or, in some cases, an all-out battle) with their best friends.
Burning Bride
"My best friend is my maid of honor, but she's also a crazy hippie type who isn't exactly in the marrying stage of her life. When I chose September 5 for my wedding date, she threw a fit. This date will conflict with Burning Man -- imagine a commune in the middle of the Nevada desert with minimal clothing and exotic art -- and she has it in her head that I somehow directly snubbed her by choosing that date because I'll ruin her dream of going to Burning Man every year for a decade. Um...what?
"I'm sure you'll say, 'Kick her to the curb and pick another maid of honor.' But I'm a loyal person who wouldn't feel right without her by my side that day...even if I have to drop-kick her down the aisle in her sweatpants before my processional."
Can I Be Your Frenemy of Honor?
"I got engaged in April 2008 and set my wedding date for July 25, 2009. My friend got engaged in June, called me from her venue to ask me what my wedding date was, and set her date for the week before my wedding! She asked me to be a bridesmaid. I told her that because our weddings were so close, it didn't make sense. She got really offended that I wasn't going to be a bridesmaid -- but she's not even going to attend my wedding. With friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Tattoo Ultimatum
"My best friend since kindergarten has at least six tattoos. From the minute I was engaged, she offered to cover them up for the wedding. A few months into planning, she changed her mind and swore she wouldn't be a part of my wedding if I weren't willing to take her as she was. I was devastated, but finally, I told her that I didn't care -- I figure I can just Photoshop them out for my formal pictures."
Bridesmaid Rider
"My mom wanted to throw a shower for me in my old hometown, about six hours away. As a courtesy, each of my bridesmaids got invites as well. I never expected any of them to go since it was such a long drive, but my matron of honor decided that she must be at this shower. I was flattered, but she had some rather ridiculous conditions that I had to meet in order to make it convenient for her to attend: I must let her bring her baby girl and her husband, my mother needed to provide the whole family with free lodging/food, and I was required to somehow make plans so we could all carpool in my vehicle (even though my car only fits five adults and, with her entourage, the whole party would be five adults and one car seat). Not possible.
"Thankfully, we worked everything out, but not until after she'd already called a few mutual friends and told them I was a horrible person, resulting in two people deciding not to attend my shower in protest. Needless to say, I later had to work things out with these other two individuals who had nothing to do with disagreement in the first place."
Total Optimist...on Opposite Day
"Since my fiance and I are paying for the wedding, we need time to save money. Even though we set a date five years in advance, I've started planning already and been looking at venues. One of my friends flipped out and said, 'Your wedding is five years away; that place could burn down before then. Why are you getting your hopes up? You don't even know if you and Josh will be together in five years. For all you know, one of you could be dead by then! Don't you have something better to do with your time than plan a wedding that may never even happen?' We're still close friends, but I don't share any wedding details with her."
Unsympathetic BFF
"My friend got engaged in November, and when I got engaged the following April, we were excited at the prospect of planning our weddings together and being in each other's wedding party. This was where all the fun stopped.
"The problem was I wanted a wedding on a small budget, and we could only afford the reception site we wanted if we took a December date -- six months before my friend's wedding.
"I gave her the call hoping for her blessing, but between the cries, screams, and sobs, I heard nothing but scattered, 'You ruined my wedding!' 'You're so selfish!' 'What's your rush?!' and 'I deserve this MORE than you do!'
"The silent treatment came after that for months, and while we're still in each other's weddings, the relationship is definitely strained and I don't know if it will ever get back to where it once was."
-- Miles Stiverson