Bride Removed Me as Bridesmaid over My Nails, Then Banned Me from Wearing the Dress I Paid For – So, I Unintentionally Brought Her Back to Earth

It was supposed to be nice and beneficial to my friendship when I was asked to become a bridesmaid at the wedding of my college friend, but she proved to be of a different color. I was not going to allow someone to abuse me without addressing it and hence I fought back best way I could. Now and here I say she did not like it!

Gina and I did not have a best friends relationship in college, but we were close enough to teary up over wine and microwaved ramen and talk about the evils of professors and evil exes. Thus, one day she called me out of nowhere and asked me whether I could be her bridesmaid, thinking that we were reviving our relationship, the truth came out.

Gina was that kind of a friend whom she could control a group project by merely lifting her eyebrows up without making a move. I was more of the get-it-done and the no-nonsense man. Thus there was something strange about the equilibrium of our friendship, partly late schadenfreude and quiet rivalry.

We lost touch after we graduated because life had taken its turn. We arrived in recently created cities, obtained new jobs, and found new partners. As time passed by we began to call less. That is why when Gina sent me a message a year ago and inquired whether I would be her bridesmaid, I actually stared at the smartphone screen in real shock.

I made a phone call to my boyfriend, Dave, to consult his wisdom. Gina wants me as a part of her wedding.

The Gina, who used to define bridesmaid as such: “desperate pageant rejects”?

“Yep. That one.”

I do not know, dear, I mean you were lovers at one point and should anything happen to you guys – God forbid, you know you can deal with such a thing, he told me.

Yah I suppose not, I replied.

Even then I answered yes, foolishly believing that I was being kind. I did not want to make Gina rush to get another bridesmaid since I refused her out of no good reason. This was the case- and I had no basis of denying this, only a strange feeling about all this.

And besides, I was thinking that it had some meaning, that she cared about me. Perhaps, we were getting back together. And what, after all, but how often do you get invited to be right next to somebody on his or her “most important day”? I figured it was going to be cute.

I would have expected more.

Since day one the group chat was no longer about celebrating our friendship but rather reading off some specific Pinterest guidelines.

She sends spreadsheets, pattern colors, hair tutorials, and no lash length guidelines! No exaggeration! It was obvious soon that she did not want bridesmaids she wanted props.

And afterward she wrote to me, and changed it all at once.
Sending a message she wrote, “Dont forget that everyone wants the same nude acrylics, almond in shape, and thin silver band.”

It was a slow typing, by me: Hey Gina, I am in healthcare. I am not able to do long nails. They rip out gloves and that is a hygiene danger.”

She answered within a few seconds and immediately I understood how necessary I was in her life.

Well, then you are not the right one to be in the bridal party.

No discussion. No compromise. An exile just casual.

I blinked. My fingers were on the screen to make the decision to argue with her decision or explain something to her, but I was tired of her attitude. I at last typed, “I must be not.”
There was the end of it.

When I told Dave he answered, “Well, there it is. It looks like friendship is not going to be resuscitated then. I am sorry, babe.”

It is all right though,” I answered as he took me in his arms, “I suppose it was only seasonal and not eternal.”

Then nothing, not even a call, for two days and I thought we were over with (forever, this time), and THEN comes a text:

You are no longer in the bridemaids. Still you may go to the wedding as a guest.

Oh, yeh, I said. Not to mention shoes and expensive alterations, after spending more than 500 on a custom pastel-blue gown that she chose? It was a beautiful dress, full-length, backless and lightly draped, pretty much a grown-up version of a prom dress.

I asked her, via messaging, whether it would be alright that I came as a guest into the party wearing the dress since I could not bring the dress back.

It was a cold response. “Absolutely not! I do not need reminiscences of sad memories at my wedding.”

Negativity?

I heard myself draw a breath or two, attempting not to shout into my sofa pillow. “Alright. In that case I will not come, I guess.”

“Fine. Don’t come. And you AREN t WORN it.
My teeth were gritting. Her nerve! I could not believe her nerve!

What is meant by not allowed? I spent my money on it. It’s mine.”

She even sent a self-satisfied emoji. I do not want somebody who could not even take simple instructions to overshadow my bridal party.

I was in a state of disbelief when I gazed at the phone. O.K. all right… you want to buy it off me?”

Her response? “LMAO! Why should I be buying your left-overs? This expression is one of my wedding.”

And she did say that!

I finished off the conversation and washed my hands off that relationship and that person as my patience had been exhausted. I mentioned this to Dave and he shook his head. You got away with a bullet, babe.

However two days later this emerged.
It was Sunday brunch at the house of my boyfriend boss that invited us the following Sunday. It has been like a last minute plan as we were to go to the wedding of Gina together at the weekend.

It was an outdoor something in a private garden, pastels and flowers.

When Dave informed me about it, I was thrilled to do something to blow out of my mind the drama with Gina and the bad taste it left in my mouth.

How do I dress? I grumbled, searching inside my wardrobe. Then there it was. The same dusty blue dress, yet in its plastic shell was perfect.

Dave gazed at it. “Wear that. Nothing is free. It is not only beautiful, but also stunning.”

I was indecisive, I browsed through the rest of my formal dresses and saw that they all did not match with the occasion. I did have greens, blues, brown and even white but the bridal dress was the one that matched the theme exactly.

It is… the dress code of the person.”

He shrugged an eyebrow. He was kicked out of the house by her, technically. Rules do not work anymore.”

He was correct.

Therefore I wore it.

It was a gold morning, the air sharp. I have kept the hairstyle loose and wavy with minimal jewelry to tie with the dress. Dave was sporting a cotton button-down that was a blinding pink and who has obviously sprung forth out of a catalog. The brunch was at this estate type home with neatly clipped hedges, flowering hydrangea and white linen tables.

We enjoyed and it was the best time ever! I had Gina and her wedding out of my mind when we went to take shots, they were no fancy shots, no posed stuff, just the candid shots. In one of my social media posts, I tagged Zara, rather than some exclusive bridal shopping boutique as that is where the dress came. I gave it no second thought.

I did not anticipate a wildfire that occurred subsequently.

At night, there were several hundred likes on the post. There were remarks on the part of some mutuals like, You look ethereal! or Obssessed with this fit!

Then the mobile rang.

“Wow. Oh you actually wore the dress after all?? You were just not able to stand the idea of not being included in it, were you? You are spoiling my marriage mood!”
It happens that some of our common friends were aware of the dress since they realized that it was the same color scheme. Thus, some photos reached to Gina.

And she went out of mind!
It- it- it- is- a dress. Leftover. Remember? I paid that. It was a function where I was not permitted to go” I exclaimed, surprised at her impertinence.

You are so impertinent! You destroyed it all aesthetically speaking! All saw it and now they are texting me about you!”

You Told me you did not want me. Therefore I had to make the dress work in other places. I did not crash your wedding, but you are digging your hole further at the moment instead of texting my friend, I texted furiously.

At that she remained silent. But I had heard.

Ostensibly, she got on a spiral! In her wedding day!

Another bridesmaid called me, Chelsea. She checked the guest list three times to see whether your name was in it!

“What?”

Was thinking you was going to come right in, in that dress.”

“You’re joking!?”

“Nope. Then she caught someone of us liking your Instagram picture and went crazy and said that they did it on purpose!”

And it all turned out that the whole wedding weekend was a cloud of paranoia to the bride. Instead, she lived more time on the policing of the social media than living her big day.

In the meantime I received nothing but kindness. My friends who sat on the fence messaged me with, Honestly, you have avoided a calamity. You were smashing! Gina overreacted.” One of them, in fact, told me, You felt as though you belonged in a perfume advertisement. It is simple she is upset you did not need her wedding to shine.”

And I did not.

What I liked the most? I did not raise my voice even once. Never retaliated. I simply put on the dress and in some way or other, that was all it took to get her back to earth.

I do not know when (I) or Gina will ever be friends again. However, there are also times when it would be the best thing to take a glance back, just dress up and live good. What sort of peace? That’s priceless.

In another tale featuring a woman, she was also requested to be a bridesmaid but secretly as in the case of the other one, there was a catch to the invitation. As soon as the woman found out that this is how the bride actually wanted to do it, she also, struck back in the finest possible manner!