Meet Ashley:

A 25-year-old bride from Maple Grove, Minnesota.  She can’t get through a whole story without making you pause with her to laugh, calls you My Dear  within just a few hours of knowing her, and pulls you underneath her umbrella when rain drops are threatening to burst all over your freshly ironed dress.

I met Ashley for the first time this weekend, after spending a month and a half working with her virtually as a professional bridesmaid for her upcoming wedding on September 6th.

Ashley sent me an email after reading the story about Bridesmaid for Hire on The Knot and opened up to me about her own wedding planning skills and how she recently had a falling out with her closest gal pal who was supposed to be her maid-of-honor. We started working together only three days after she pressed the send button on that email.

We chat a few times a week and from six states away, we’ve been able to work everything from how to get the final group of people to send in their RSVP’s to brainstorming fun and out of the box games to play at her bridal shower.

Ashley flew out to NYC this weekend so that her and I could do a little pre-wedding shopping,  NYC sightseeing (this was her very first time in the Big Apple), and shoot a few interviews with media channels who were eager to learn more about Bridesmaid for Hire and what it’s like to work as a professional bridesmaid.

On Saturday morning, we woke up early for a private appointment at Gabriella New York Bridal Salon! The new trend in wedding dresses are dresses that are pink and blue. I joked that by the time I get married, they will be polka dotted or splatter painted (I kind of hope so)

 We had a whole lesson how to pick the perfect veil. Ashley had me try on a Cathedral length pink veil and I had her try on one that was a giant bow the size of a tote bag.

Our next stop was a lingerie shop in the Meat Packing District where we looked for something fun for her to wear on her honeymoon. These bras looked more like works of art than undergarments.

At Katrina Parris flowers in Harlem, we played around with different types of purple flowers and tiny candles in gorgeous silver vases to create center pieces that were easy to put together and unique for the handful of tables Ashley will have at her wedding.

We even shot a segment for a morning show – which will air in  early September. We spent a couple of hours with the fun and fabulous Sara Haines, who kept us laughing a little bit too much when the cameras were rolling.

It was an exciting weekend  meeting Ashley and roaming around the city for fresh wedding accessories. After spending more than 48 hours with her in person, I felt like Ashley was a friend that i’ve known since the days of Barbies and Oshkosh B’gosh overalls.

Ashley is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met in my life. She’s got the kind of personality that lights up a room and the kind of strength that pushes her forward no matter who or what is holding her back.

I’m honored to stand beside her as she marries the love of her life on September 6th.

Ps. Of course there was pizza…there was lots and lots of pizza.