Pop Culture

Need A Bridesmaid? It Turns Out You Can Rent One

April 23, 2026

Most people assume a bridesmaid is someone chosen from a tight-knit inner circle. But one entrepreneur built an entire business around the fact that weddings don’t always reflect that reality. On a recent episode of The Real Stuff With Lucie Fink, Jen Glantz explained how a frustrated Craigslist post turned into a full-time company where women pay her to step into one of the most personal roles at a wedding.

Her clients hire her to attend engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelorette trips, the ceremony—you name it. She often poses as a longtime friend complete with a fake name and backstory, and, in many cases, Glantz said, even the groom doesn’t know she was hired.

What sounds like a gimmick is actually a solid business called Bridesmaid-for-Hire with an actual salary attached to it. And Glantz is here to share the nitty-gritty about her business.

How a joke Craigslist ad became a six-figure business

Glantz reveals the idea came after being asked to serve as a bridesmaid multiple times by distant friends, without being able to understand why. Frustrated, she posted a tongue-in-cheek ad online offering to help brides pee in their dresses, dance with drunk relatives, and do “all the things your friend would do.” And by Monday, she had hundreds of emails.

That accidental side hustle eventually became her full-time career. Today, Glantz says her packages start around $2,500, with hourly rates around $200 depending on events, support calls, and travel. She also said the business has expanded into books, courses, tools, and a team of additional bridesmaids when she is double-booked.

Why women actually hire a bridesmaid for hire

According to Glantz, the reasons people hire her are usually far more personal than people assume. Some clients simply don’t have close friends to ask. Others may have grown apart from longtime friendships, moved to new cities, or have careers that made maintaining relationships difficult. In those cases, hiring support makes sense.

Then there are brides who do have bridal parties, but know those friends may not be equipped for the pressure of the role. And weddings can bring out the weird in people—old tensions, personality clashes, jealousy, last-minute chaos, the list goes on. Some women hire Glantz because they want one reliable person whose only job is to help keep the day running smoothly.

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Glantz describes herself as part therapist, part assistant, part peacekeeper, and sometimes the person who keeps the energy up when emotions or logistics start to spiral. “I do everything that your best friend would or could do for you,” she says.

The undercover side of the job

Many clients of Glantz’s don’t want anyone to know she was hired at all. Instead of arriving as herself, Glantz says she is often given a completely new identity for the weekend. That can include a fake name and a made-up backstory. She studies everything from hometown references to hobbies so she can answer questions naturally and blend into the group without raising suspicion.

In some cases, she says not even the person the bride is marrying knows the truth. That means she has to carefully navigate bridal party conversations and family introductions with no slip-ups.

The biggest challenge is fitting into an already established friend group. Weddings can be cliquey environments, and a mystery bridesmaid can easily spark questions from people wondering why the bride seems so close to someone they’ve never heard of.

And there have been plenty of close calls over the years, including one mother of the bride who pulled out a high school yearbook and realized something wasn’t adding up. Still, after more than 100 weddings, she said the undercover model has largely worked because it’s not about her—most guests are focused on the couple, not the extra bridesmaid in the room.

The wild wedding drama

With the number of weddings she’s attended, Glantz says she has seen enough chaos to rival any reality show.

Because she is hired to solve problems, Glantz often ends up handling situations that go far beyond a normal bridesmaid’s duties. She recalled breaking up fights, calling the police, contacting the fire department, cleaning up blood, and removing disruptive family members from events. In one instance, she said she had to tell a mother she was no longer welcome at the wedding.

Some of the most dramatic moments involve the bride herself. Glantz described finding one bride after the ceremony hiding on the floor with a bottle of vodka, saying it was “the worst day of my life.” She has also dealt with cold feet, panic attacks, and emotional meltdowns minutes before couples were meant to walk down the aisle.

The most intense story she shared involved a bride who locked her in a room just five minutes before the ceremony and confessed she did not want to marry her fiancé. With guests already seated, Glantz says she encouraged the couple to speak privately and decide what they really wanted. They ultimately continued with the ceremony and party, but chose not to sign the marriage license—yikes!

To hear more about Jen Glantz’s story, listen to The Real Stuff wherever you get your podcasts.