Traveling Overseas to Be a Bridesmaid

“I’m getting married!”

My friend excitedly shouted the news to me over Skype. Although I wanted nothing more than to reach out and give her a huge hug, the best I could do was jump up and down and squeal in excitement with her. One of my best friends from college was living in St. Louis for grad school and I was in Costa Rica so we were used to doing the whole, break-the-big-news-over-Skype business but it was one of those moments I really wished I could share in person.

After about ten minutes of screaming and my friend telling me the whole story of how her husband proposed to her, she got quiet and said she had one important thing to ask me.

I was so honored she asked me even though I live far away and it meant the world to me to be there on their special day

“OK I know you’re in Costa Rica and I completely understand if you can’t so don’t feel like you are obligated, but will you be one of my bridesmaids? I know it’s really far for you to travel but…”

I cut her off. “Yes! Of course, you don’t even have to worry. I would never miss your wedding!” Baby tears welled up in my eyes as that feeling of homesickness crept up on me but I pushed them down and excitedly asked her to show me the ring again and retell the whole story.

I was so honored she asked me even though I live far away and it meant the world to me to be there on their special day. At the time, I had been living in Costa Rica for nearly a year at that point and I hadn’t seen her during that whole time. I was determined to make my way to St. Louis!

Living overseas during the wedding planning period was a bit rough since we had to set chat dates for everything. In fact, I couldn’t pick up the phone to call anyone; I couldn’t buy my dress or shoes in Costa Rica or go with her for wedding dress shopping.

For the next nine months, I was checking flights every day and helping out as much as I possibly could with the wedding planning. I set up fare alerts, read articles about the best time to buy tickets and video chatted with the other bridesmaids and maid of honors to correlate flights and wedding details. Luckily she was getting married in May so tickets weren’t too expensive and although it was a long flight, I could fly to Chicago from Costa Rica and then head over to St. Louis.

Living overseas during the wedding planning period was a bit rough since we had to set chat dates for everything. I couldn’t pick up the phone to call anyone; I couldn’t buy my dress or shoes in Costa Rica or go with her for wedding dress shopping. In fact, I learned that planning is the key when you’re going to be a bridesmaid and you live abroad. You really can’t wait until the last minute to figure out any of those things or you might end up dress-less for the wedding!

Another difficult thing was trying to coordinate all the wedding events with the other bridesmaids and maid of honor. None of the other women were living in St. Louis so trying to plan the bachelorette party in a city none of us had ever been to before was quite interesting. Thank goodness for Yelp!

After months of planning, we managed to cram everything into five days. One night was the bachelorette party, one night was the bridal shower, one day of rest, one day rehearsal and then last day wedding day.

I flew to St. Louis the week before the wedding and the timing and price actually turned out to be perfect. The ticket wasn’t that expensive and two of my other friends were going to be in the wedding as well, so that meant I got to see three of my best friends in one place,

After months of planning, we managed to cram everything into five days. One night was the bachelorette party, one night was the bridal shower, one day of rest, one day rehearsal and then last day wedding day.

The entire wedding week was a success. Everything went nice and smooth, the whole bridal party got along great and we all had a fun time celebrating in lovely St. Louis weather. I couldn’t have been happier for my friend who looked absolutely beautiful.

I wouldn’t take it back for anything. Not only did I get to share this special day with her and all her loved ones but I also made new friends and explored a new city.

I was overjoyed when she asked me to be her bridesmaid and traveling to celebrate a friend’s wedding is one of the best reasons to travel. Most people travel to experience new things, see new places or to discover themselves but this time I traveled not for me, but for someone else.

I wouldn’t take it back for anything. Not only did I get to share this special day with her and all her loved ones but I also made new friends and explored a new city. Sure it was a long flight and it did cost money, but seeing how happy she was on her special day made everything absolutely worth it!

Have you traveled overseas to be a bridesmaid? What was your experience like? Email us at [email protected] for information about sharing your experience and advice with the Pink Pangea community. We can’t wait to hear from you.

 

Top photo by Unsplash.