"At all of the weddings
I went to, I started to
wonder why isn't there anyone whose job it is to be
there for the bride?"
- Jen Glantz
CEO Bridesmaid for Hire
On a late-June evening, two distant friends asked Jen Glantz to be a bridesmaid. Jen came home and vented to her roommate about being “always a bridesmaid” and her roommate said to her, “Yes, you’re good at this and everyone knows that. You’ve become a professional bridesmaid.”
That’s when Jen had a “lightbulb” moment. In the $300 billion wedding industry, why is there no one whose job it is to be there, really be there, for the bride?
Since she was good at being a bridesmaid and had done it more time than she could count on both hands, why couldn’t she do it for strangers?
The poetry major gulped down courage and turned to Craigslist, where she posted an ad offering her services as a bridesmaid for hire. Two days later, she received 250 responses from people all over the world who wanted to hire her for their weddings.
Many people called Jen crazy for doing this. People called this social experiment a joke. Jen Glantz decided not to prove those people wrong. Instead, she decided to go off and prove herself and her idea right.
In June 2014, Jen Glantz started the business, Bridesmaid for Hire.
The head-turning company provides professional bridesmaid services to brides and maids-of-honor. In the past five years, Bridesmaid for Hire has worked with over 150 clients, has had over 45,000 people apply to work for the company, has hired a team of people, and has started a training program for those who want to start their own wedding business.
Bridesmaid for Hire has been featured on more than 500 media outlets around the world, including TODAY Show, Good Morning America, FOX News, and CNN, and Jen serves as a recurring wedding and bridesmaid expert for media on a weekly basis.
In 2017, Simon and Schuster published Jen's second memoir, Always a Bridesmaid for Hire, about life as a professional bridesmaid and the crazy stories she's been a main character in along the way.
MEET THE TEAM
Jen Glantz, CEO of Bridesmaid for Hire
I'm Jen Glantz: the founder of the viral business, Bridesmaid for Hire, the creator of the project, Finally the Bride, the voice of the podcast, You're Not Getting Any Younger, the founder of the coaching bizz, Jen & Juice, and the author of the Amazon-bestselling books, All My Friends are Engaged, & Always a Bridesmaid for Hire, published by Simon and Schuster.
Sydney Altfield, Professional Bridesmaid
I decided to join this crazy adventure because there are very few people that have the patience to do what Jen does and I didn’t want her to be the only one. Every bridesmaid should have the tenacity, the spunk, the selflessness that Jen does. If I could give half of what she does to a bride than that would mean I’m making a difference.
There are so many memorable moments, we are talking about weddings here! But, the one that sticks out the most was one where the bride sang a song at the reception and her husband just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. It was like the way I look at sushi — lost in another universe! You could tell how in love and enamored he was, it was a beautiful moment. I hope one day I find someone that looks like me that way!
I feel like as a bridesmaid you’re always saving the day, but one in particular, the rings were left in the hotel and it was only noticed 5 minutes before arriving at the ceremony. I jumped out of the car I was in with other members of the bridal party in the middle of the road, hopped in an uber, ran back and got them. To this day I don’t think the bride knows that the rings didn’t make it until right before the time they were going on her finger!
LOL-Worthy & RelatableWedding & Dating Stories
Read Jen Glantz's best-selling books about the crazy things we do to find love, what it's like to be the world's first Bridesmaid for Hire, and how to deal with being single when all of your friends are engaged.
Become a Professional Bridesmaid
Looking to get into the industry or create a wedding side hustle for yourself so you can make extra cash on the side? We have your back! Check out our professional bridesmaid course to learn all of the secrets of our business & how to start your own company in a week – or less.
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