Beaucoup Bridesmaids

How many bridesmaids is too many? Is there a limit based on size of guest list? Venue? Geographical location?? Does the number of bridesmaids have to match the number of groomsmen? Do I really have to follow some rigid protocol? Wedding experts Matt and Marc decided that ideally I should select three bridesmaids. Well, too bad, I’m doubling that. Yes, six is a lot. No, Matt will not have that many groomsmen. I don’t care (enter Bridezilla). :-) Also, I will NOT be choosing a maid/matron of honor. All my bridesmaids are awesome, and each one is very special to me. They are all such incredible people, I am so grateful to have each of them in my life (a fact I don't tell them near enough). My relationship with each is different and so important, and to me it doesn’t make sense to choose just one maid of honor. So I choose zero – or six, depending on how you look at it! That being said, here’s a little about my bridesmaids - listed alphabetically by first name. :-)

Jessie

(aka J)

Jessie and I were roommates at Tech. She actually graduated high school with my sister, but she and I became great friends in Blacksburg. Jessie’s a Jeep girl (I still am at heart), and she and I might be the only people who truly appreciate a good long road trip with the top down, toes in the (pummeling) wind. “We don’t stop for coldness – never have, never will!” Also, we know that a road trip isn't really a road trip until you've gotten lost at least once. Who needs a GPS, "exploring" is half the fun! We were pretty much joined at the hip through college, and after, until I moved down to Florida. Now we have to settle for staying in touch through phone dates, but we manage. :) Jessie lives in Virginia Beach now, and continues to ignore my suggestions that she come teach down here.

Jo

(aka Joaninha, JoJo, Joana, Joooooooaaaaaaaanaaaaaaaaa, etc – Jo has a lot of nicknames!)

Jo and I were roommates in Melbourne! She's actually Paula’s younger sister, which is how I met her. I was already friends with Paula, and Jo was coming from Brazil to intern at Disney World. Paula told us we’d all love Jo, that she has the biggest heart. She does, and we do. Jo instantly became a part of our group of friends, she’s been part of my “Florida family” for years now. She is literally one of the sweetest and most selfless people I've ever known. She's also a fellow queen of punch-dancing, duck dancing, etc... Saturday Night Fever's got nothing on us! :-) Jo and I lived together after Marc and Paula got married, until Matt and I moved into School House Rock. I miss standing around the kitchen chatting with her for hours. Now Jo’s up in Jacksonville, completing her studies at UNF - Melbourne isn't the same without her, but we still see her when we can.

Lindsay

(aka Linz)

Lindsay is my sister! My younger sister, if anyone’s curious. We grew up hating each other, but that started to shift when I went to college. By the time she got to college (she ended up at Radford, only ~25 minutes from Tech), I’d even say we’d become friends. We’re great friends now, and we talk all the time. Lindsay still lives up in VA, with her husband and their two kids, but I try to get her/them down to FL to visit whenever I can. Over the years Linz and I have perfected our mastery of sing-alongs, whether it’s showtunes or Mariah Carey Christmas (in July), we really bring down the house – just ask her, she "has notes!"

Lisa

(aka Lis)
Lisa is my oldest friend – we met in ninth grade. I don’t think she was much a fan of me when we first met, but somehow we became friends and it stuck big time. In high school we even had to keep college choices a secret until we mailed in our acceptances, to make sure our decisions were uninfluenced. We chose differently (that’s right, Lisa went to --gasp-- UVA), and we’ve pretty much gone our separate ways (geographically) since high school, but we’ve always kept in touch. Whether it’s been two hours or two months since we’ve talked, our conversation and our friendship never miss a beat, it’s always like no time has passed (except for a buildup of stories!). I’m trying to get Lis to abandon her big city scene in Chicago and move to to the beach, but no luck so far. Little known fact about me and Lis - my first ever snowboarding trip was with her (and our friend Susie). Don't know how we survived (or how I ever went again after the beating I took), and I earned the nickname "The Natural" because I so wasn't!

Paula
(aka P, PP, Pinha, Paulinha, BuBu – what is it with my Brazilian friends having so many nicknames??)

I met Paula through a mutual friend. She’s from Brazil, but she was in town visiting her mom, who’s married to an American. She fell in love and decided to stay in the U.S. (she’s now married to Marc, another one of my former roommates). I met Paula the same time Marc did, and we clicked right away - we've been great friends ever since. Practically roommates even! Paula is one of the most straight-forward and direct people I’ve ever known – an admirable (and sometimes funny!) quality. When she first moved here her English may not have been perfect, but Piinha and I have never had any trouble understanding each other. :-) After giving up her practice in Brazil, Paula is now attending dental school at UPenn so she can be a practicing dentist in the U.S.

Rain

(aka Rainer, Raindrop)

Rain is Matt’s oldest daughter. I think Jo summed it up best when she said that “Rain is a total badass.” I’d have to agree. Rain is super cool and creative, fun and sporty, really helpful and sooo good with her sister and brother. But aside from all that, she’s just great to hang out with. She’s awesome to be around, and she’s always up for participating (not that we give her a choice!). Given the circumstances, some people might not have handled a changing situation as well as she did, or been as open and accepting as she has been from the start – I’m really lucky she’s the person she is, and I’m really grateful we get along so well. Yes, Rain is Matt’s daughter, and I guess technically my future stepdaughter - but she has also become a friend that I really value and respect.