1 year before the wedding
OMG MAGGIE'S ENGAGED!! I'm already writing my wedding toast speech in my head.

11.5 months before
I wonder if Maggie meant it all the times we joked about stuff we'd do when she got engaged. Did she mean that I was going to be a bridesmaid? Or was that just talking? What if I'm not even invited?

11 months before
Maggie asked me to be a bridesmaid! This is going to be so much fun!

10.9 months before
Oh God, Katherine just called me crying because Maggie didn't ask her to be a bridesmaid.

10 months before
Being a bridesmaid is the best! Maggie and I just email pictures of dresses to each other all day long, and I get to spend every night pinning things to my *~*bRiDaL EvEntS*~** board.

9 months before
Maggie's sister Jill just sent an email to all the bridesmaids to e-introduce us all and share some spreadsheets. I'm so glad she's so organized!

8.5 months before
Whoa. This is more spreadsheets than I use for work.

8 months before
Oh good, we're already talking about the bachelorette party! I'm so glad we're not going to Vegas. I can't wait for MIAMIIIII.

7 months before
If I get one more effing email about this bachelorette party I'm going to scream. If Jill is so scared of flying that she can't fly alone or have a layover and take two planes, then she can't complain about the price. It was her idea to do a trip in the first place! And Maggie is going to MURDER her when a stripper shows up at our hotel room.

6 months before
Dress shopping! This will be great. All the dresses on Maggie's bridesmaid Pinterest board are actually pretty and totally something I'll wear again. Strapless looks good on everyone!

5.9 months before
We can't do strapless because Dana's boobs are too big. We can't do short dresses because Jill is too worried about the hems not being the same length. All the dresses that don't feel like garbage cost $300. And this shade of pink is sooo not the one on Maggie's Pinterest. I am going to need like 17 spray tans.

5 months before
Oh good, now we have bridal shower spreadsheets to check daily in addition to the bachelorette party spreadsheets.

4 months before
Since Jill is the maid of honor, Maggie asked me if I'd make a speech at the rehearsal dinner since I'm her best friend. Obviously I cried when she asked me. How am I going to actually make the speech without sobbing?

3.5 months before
How much are you supposed to spend on a present when you're already spending so much on being a bridesmaid? Excuse me while I spend the next two hours Googling and calling my mom.

3 months before
That bachelorette party was awesome! I'm not even sunburned except for this tiny patch on my foot, no one had any fights, and Maggie told me repeatedly that she was having the best time ever (and thanked me for convincing Jill to cancel the stripper).

2.5 months before
I have officially spent more than $1,000 on this wedding. I'm just not going to count anymore.

2 months before
Katherine just texted me and asked if she could use my plus one for the wedding for her boyfriend, who didn't get invited, since I'm not seeing anyone. I'm sending a screenshot of this to Maggie and not responding.

1.5 months before
The bridal shower was so beautiful! I had to go re-apply my eyeliner after Maggie's grandma made that speech. I need to figure out how to hide tissues in my bra during the wedding. Also, cake.

1 month before
I seriously need to figure out the tissue thing. I went with Maggie to her fitting today and I started to tear up just looking at her in a fluorescent-lit curtain cubicle with her hair in a messy bun. Hopefully I remember what they taught me about how to bustle her dress.

3 weeks before
I guess the bridesmaid dress looks okay on me. Maybe I can tailor it to be short after the wedding and wear it to something else. Or maybe it will just collect dust in my closet for the next four years.

2 weeks before
It just hit me that my best friend is getting married. Is this going to change everything? I know she's lived with Tim for like three years but what if her becoming a Mrs. suddenly makes things weird? Are they going to try to have kids soon? What if she gets too busy for me? What if I'm single forever? She's going to grow old surrounded by beautiful great-grandchildren and I'm going to die alone surrounded by cats.

5 days before
Jill just emailed all the bridesmaids ANOTHER spreadsheet for everyone to describe what they're wearing to the rehearsal dinner so we don't wear the same thing. Yes, because bridesmaids wearing similar things is a real problem.

1 day before
I was THIS close to making it through my rehearsal dinner speech without crying. And by this close I mean I didn't get to the whole last paragraph.

Wedding day
My best friend is marrying the love of her life. I just got my hair and makeup done and I look incredible. I figured out how to hide tissues in my bra. Maggie looks radiant. The photographer just took the best picture ever of us laughing and hugging. I've never seen her look as happy as she does looking at Tim right now. This is the best day ever.

Related:
Stages Of Picking Out A Wedding Dress, By Age
The 11 Best Things About Being Married
29 Things Twentysomethings Need to Stop Worrying About Now

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Alexandra Martell
managing editor
I'm the managing editor of Cosmopolitan.com, and also the site's foremost expert on all things Friends,Harry Potter, and OG 90210. I'm a real NYC native (#queens) and a proud Syracuse alumna. My interests include trying new beauty products, a good glass of rosé, and playing with puppies, which, this being Cosmo, are all things I can enjoy at work.