I've been hired as a bridesmaid over 125 times. There are 5 things I made sure I had at my own wedding.

I planned our simple wedding ceremony in less than a week.

Susan Shek Photography

Over the past decade, I've been hired as a bridesmaid over 125 times, so I know my way around a wedding. I started my business, Bridesmaid for Hire, to provide a service to brides who need someone by their side on their big day — whether it's because they don't have any close friends or their close friends aren't up for the dirty work that comes with the role. After every wedding I've attended, I found myself writing down things I adored and things I knew I'd never want at my own. When my partner and I decided to ditch our traditional wedding plans because of the pandemic and plan a low-key ceremony instead, I carefully thought about what I really wanted and what I knew I didn't need.We got married in 2021 outside of the coffee shop where we had our first date with a handful of friends supporting us in person and the rest of our family over Zoom. I was able to plan the whole day in less than a week.In the end, there are the five essential things I made sure to include in our pared-down ceremony.It was important that we had a professional photographer there to capture the day

Investing in a good photographer is worth every penny.