Jen Glantz

Ditched at almost the halfway point because the book failed to deliver on what I thought the major point of the book was. At the halfway point, Glantz had only discussed one wedding she'd been in as a bridesmaid for hire and the details there were fairly light. Instead the focus is mostly on the author and her personal life and that's fine, but it's not what I came to the book for. Also, there were some weird tense choices in several sections (several chapters are written in the present show more tense) and other stylistic choices that turned me off the writing. YMMV. show less

By page three, I was laughing. Before page fifty, I was laughing so hard I was crying. This happened three more times over the course of the book. I related to it a ton. I learned so much from this book, and wished my life were similar at moments. Years ago, I was in a longtime friend's wedding. I had read quite a bit of Hell's Bells-type webpages and Facebook entries that had gone viral, and was inwardly preparing for someone to become a bridezilla-by-proxy. The bride's sister and cousin show more -both- did. Not the bride herself--she and I just looked at each other, knowing this would have to sort itself out. A three-hour snipe-fest later, both girls finally quieted. That mere paragraph explains why I am unlikely to succeed in such field of work. After the wedding, I said to myself and my parents cheerfully that I wouldn't be involved in another wedding again--it had been a good experience, and I wanted to leave on a high note, not have a bunch of horrible experiences. I haven't been invited to any weddings, let alone asked to be in any, since then. I'm fine with that. I think it's mostly because I don't have many friends locally. But I still like reading about weddings from time to time, and I thought this memoir seemed really interesting. It was! I'm glad I read it, and I wish the author great success in her business and writing career. I'm excited to learn how things progress for her. show less

From the first few pages I could tell this was going to be a quite a story with a lot of funny moments. To go along with the laugh out loud moments, add in a few "I feel ya girl" and "I now exactly where you're coming from" or in some cases (if you're me at least), turn to the person next to you and say, "this is so me". All the while getting extremely hungry for pizza.
As the title states, this book is complied of stories about growing up, looking for love and walking down the isle for show more complete strangers. I do however wish there was more story about her business and how it grew to where it is today. It was more of pairing childhood memories with love stories or I should say, lack of love stories with a wedding she had worked. Which is fine, it made for a good and funny read. I just wish there was more of how this business is run. How does she keep her head while jumping into a new dress each weekend (sometimes twice) and not lose it? While the writing is humorous and relatable, it got a tad bit confusing when she jumped around.
What I liked most about this story was that she adjusted, reset and changed the "time" of her own biological clock that society says you must follow before it is too late. She saw an opportunity and ran with it. Now she is on this journey, sharing a little slice of herself with strangers -until they're not so strange anymore-helping those who needed that little extra push down the isle, stitch to cover the hole, or someone just to witness the magic and joy when two people say I Do. I think you have to be one special, kind person to work with strangers and make their day the best it can be.
I think the biggest take away is advice she received, "you're to scared to fail, so you don't even move". Because life and change can be so daunting, failing seems like the end. Instead of trying and moving, you end up stuck, stagnant and not enjoying life. No matter where life takes you, no matter your journey, move, flow, and make your own opportunities. show less

Fun and frothy, a great book to read when you're in need of a laugh or a distraction. Jen Glantz shares her common - and not so common - adventures in trying to find love, and posing as a bridesmaid along the way.