26 Sunday Territorian. Sunday, September 1, 2013. www.sundayterritorian.com.au

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body+soulsundayterritorian.com.au SUNDAY LIFESTYLE

www.bodyandsoul.com.au

WE’RE FOR

FRIENDS

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“I SAID ‘NO MORE WEDDINGS ’, THEN MET THE MAN OF MY DREAMS”KATE VANDERVOORT, 37

“I reached a point when I said,

‘Enough is enough – no more

weddings, that’s it.’ I was 36,

with almost a quarter of a century

of bridesmaid experience. It

started in 1988 with my uncle’s

wedding and ended with my

best friend Luciana’s in 2011.

The last one was particularly

eventful because the rather

inexperienced caterer had

a mini meltdown and locked

herself in the bathroom!

Determined to take control of

the situation, I asked the woman

to leave and some of us served

the food ourselves. Nobody,

including the bride, was any the

wiser to what had happened.

Today’s bridesmaids have it

much easier than those in the

past. Most modern brides know

what they want and they can do

so much online, so your duties

as a “maid” have shrunk. The

role is now more symbolic than

anything. But I don’t think I’ll ever

agree to be a bridesmaid again.

There have been four other

“I WAS A SERIAL BRIDESMAID”

WITH 18 DRESSES

BETWEEN THEM, THESE WOMEN HAVE BRIDESMAID DUTY DOWN

TO A FINE ART. THEY TELL CAROLINE

JAMES HOW ALL THOSE “BIG DAYS”

HAVE HAD A BIG IMPACT ON

THEIR LIVES

BRIDESMAID

DRESSES

6

Kate (right) as a bridesmaid for her best friend, Luciana