Photo: TikTok
She's a one-woman wedding-day support system.
By Alexandra Blogier — Written on Jun 03, 2023
A woman who works as a professional bridesmaid has been a part of bridal parties for over a hundred weddings, yet she was once hired to help a bride call off her wedding.
Jen Glantz, 35, founded the company Bridesmaid for Hire in 2014 as a service for brides who don’t have friends or family to support them on their big day. Glantz describes her line of work as “the world's first service where you can hire a bridesmaid to support you before and on your big day.”
The hired bridesmaid once helped a bride call off her wedding because she got cold feet.
Glantz acts as a one-woman support network for brides who don’t have people in their lives to call on. She states on her site that “Your friends and family mean the best but that doesn't always mean they are able to help when you need them, especially when it comes to your wedding.”
Photo: TikTok
"We’re the best friend you always wished you had when you needed that friend the most. Consider us your secret weapon, your undercover bridesmaid, your judgment-free and unbiased professional pal," Glantz delineated how her role actually takes form in an interview with TYLA.com. Most of the time, Glantz helps with make-up, walks down the aisle, and gets the dance party going at the reception. Yet sometimes her support looks different than just holding a bouquet or giving a toast.
"I had someone hire me to end their engagement because they had nobody else to be honest with or seek help from,” she explained. The bride-to-be told Glantz “she fell out of love with the person,” and didn’t want to go through with getting married.
The professional bridesmaid acted as a crucial point-person to support the bride while she canceled her engagement. “I helped her create a plan that included getting a therapist, finding a new place to live, and deciding how to share the news with her fiancé,” Glantz stated.
Her services start at $2,500, a price that encompasses Glantz’s position as “personal assistant, on-call therapist, social director— and peacekeeper.”
But Glantz claims that she doesn’t do her job solely to make money, but rather to help people who need extra support and kindness during one of life's major transitional moments.
“It’s not for the money or free bridesmaid dresses,” she explained in a TikTok she posted. “It’s because I love supporting women who need a support system and don’t have any friends.”
A cynical person might call out the concept of getting hired as a bridesmaid as a false friendship, and in some cases, it does appear that way. Yet Glantz also offers herself up as someone who can help in a high-stress situation, and provide emotional support when needed.
The bride who hired Glantz to help her call off her wedding received the nonjudgmental support of someone who understands how to navigate the practical and emotional sides of the wedding industry and helped her pave a pathway to the next part of her life.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.