How one woman turned being a bridesmaid into her full-time profession
By KCAL KCBS Staff
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — You know the saying, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. However, one woman turned that stigma into a business.
In “the Wedding Ringer,” Kevin Hart plays a best man for hire for a groom played by Josh Gad. Hilarity ensues. However, reality is no laughing matter to Jen Glantz, CEO of Bridesmaid for Hire.
Glantz is a professional bridesmaid who can hire your whole wedding party. She launched her business in 2014.
“All of my friends in my early twenties got engaged and I was always the bridesmaid,” Glantz told CBS2 News This Morning’s Suzanne Marques. “And that is when I started to realize that there is nobody in the $72 billion wedding industry whose job it is to be there for the people getting married.”
People will pay a pretty penny for the perfect wedding experience.
“I often go to bachelorette parties, engagement parties, bridal showers, and that package starts at around $2,000,” Glantz said. “And I also do maid of honor speech writing for those that need a professional to write their toast.”
So who are her clients? It’s not the sad situation often portrayed in movies.
“It’s one in four people out there do not have a best friend, which is something that happens to people in their life,” Glantz said. “You know, we grow away from friends, both location-wise and also emotionally. Sometimes we throw ourselves so much into our career that we grow apart from people. Other times we just haven’t made a recent connection with anyone.”
Your secret is safe with Glantz.
“Part of my job is to keep it a complete secret, to have a fake name, a fake backstory, and sometimes even change how I look,” Glantz said.
Here’s one secret she’s willing to share after attending hundreds of weddings.
“I will tell you that there are only three things that really matter, that people really enjoy,” Glantz said. “Number one is good food. Number two is an open bar. And number three is the entertainment and the music. Everything else, people don’t remember.”
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