Just Ask Georgia: 10/30/2024

Georgia, I have a question,

My best friend is getting married. We’ve been lifelong friends and have dreamt of this day most of our lives. I am so very happy for her. She asked me to be her maid of honor; however, I cannot be at her wedding due to an overseas deployment with the military, which I leave for in about a month. She understood and asked another close friend.

Last weekend, we went dress shopping with her mom and the maid of honor. The bride found a dress she absolutely loves—it is beyond gorgeous. However, it is also EXTREMELY out of her budget. When she saw the price tag, her face fell as she explained she couldn’t afford it, as she had only saved $1,000 for a dress.

Her mother said, “Don’t worry about it,” and had her order the dress according to her measurements. The non-refundable deposit was half the dress’s cost, so my friend put up $1,000, and her mother covered the rest. We left there with a very excited bride.

Yesterday, I received a call from the bride’s mother, whom, mind you, I have known for most of my life. She explained that since I couldn‘t be her daughter’s maid of honor, she expected me to pay the other $1,500 for her daughter’s dress. She said I would be disappointing her daughter if I didn’t.

I had no idea this was her plan, and I never agreed to it. Her mother knows I cannot afford this, and I just don’t understand why she thought it was okay to get us into this situation without talking to me first. Is this some unspoken rule I did not know of?

Dress NEEDED for Less

Dear Dress,

Once again, Miss Georgia is flabbergasted. Speechless. There is no unspoken rule for this - your friend’s mother is asinine in even thinking this was an acceptable request to make of you. I chance it to say, but I doubt your friend even knows she requested this of you. However, IF she DOES know her mother asked this...well, I don’t know.

You are in a terrible situation you did nothing to put yourself into. The bride’s money has been spent...her dream dress is technically on its way. But you are not responsible for covering the (mother’s) bill.

With love, GEORGIA

Have a question for Georgia? Email her at whledger@gmail.com. Please note: this column is just for fun. No person, animal, or property has ever been harmed or in danger. Satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”