Meet the 'professional bridesmaid' who gets paid $1,000 to walk brides down the aisle

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Jen Glantz, from New York, earns a living helping brides plan their weddings, and even serves as an actual bridesmaid
The 27-year-old has been in 30 bridal parties in the past year alone
She charges $199 to over $1,000 for her services, which include planning consultations, gown shopping, and dancing to the Electric Slide

Published: 10:51 EST, 30 July 2015 | Updated: 15:53 EST, 30 July 2015

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One New York woman already has three gowns up on 27 Dresses star Katherine Heigl - and that's just this year.

Jen Glantz, 27, has been a bridesmaid 30 times in the last 365 days, taking on all the duties - from fluffing veils and dancing to the Electric Slide - that come with it.

But it's not because so many women count her as one of their best friends, she explained in an essay for Refinery29; Jen is a professional bridesmaid, who makes money by helping women pull off their big days.

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BFF for hire: Jen Glantz (right) is a professional bridesmaid, who women can hire for $199 to over $1,000 to help out at their weddings

So entrepreneurial: The 27-year-old got into the business after realizing she was already serving as a bridesmaid quite often - and she might as well get paid for it

Jen Glantz earns a living being a professional bridesmaid

The whole endeavor started, ironically, because Jen wanted more single ladies to hang out with. All of her friends were getting married, leading to a shift in their priorities. While the young Manhattanite wanted girls she could count on to go dancing or binge-watch shows on Netflix with, all of her closest were getting tangled up in routines that involved their husbands, houses, or kids.

'They no longer called me with adventurous plans to book backpacking trips to Costa Rica; instead they were more interested in saving money for things like mortgages or their baby’s daycare bills,' she explained.

So she made some new, single friends. But they didn't stay single for long, and soon these new friends were asking her to be a bridesmaid at their weddings.

Jen found herself serving as a 'perpetual bridesmaid', filling her schedule - which included working as a copy-writer and a blogger - with wedding after wedding. And that's when she had her brilliant idea.

Busy business: In the past year alone, Jen has served in 30 wedding, traveling all over the US and sometimes even abroad

Set of skills: Some women hire Jen to fill out their wedding parties, while others are looking for a dedicated assistant to go over all the details leading up to the big day

'Suddenly, it hit me: If weddings were going to be such a big part of my life, why not get paid for it? Why not become a professional bridesmaid?'

On June 27 of last year, Jen logged on to Craigslist and posted her own, very unique, listing. In it, she wrote that she would be there for a stranger while she walked down the aisle. She could play the role of 'personal assistant', 'peacekeeper', or 'therapist' on the big day, but was also offering her services for those pre-wedding discussions, should a bride need someone with whom she could hash over details with or complain about drama.

She clearly found an untapped market. Within five days, she had received a staggering 459 emails and started working with her first bride, a woman named Ashley, who lived miles away in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Ashley had to 'fire' her original maid of honor after the friend in question started ignoring her phone calls after Ashley got engaged.

Original ad: Jen started her business with a Craigslist ad that advertised that she is 'exceptionally good at' holding up dresses for brides as they pee and doing the 'cha cha slide'

Helping a sister out: Jen also offers boot camp for other bridesmaids who need tips for how to do their jobs

Jen and Ashley shared 37 phone calls over two months leading up to the wedding. On the day of the ceremony, Jen was there, 'on the dance floor with her 'til midnight' and helping her lift her gown during a pee break. The whole affair 'went flawlessly'.

All your best friends were once strangers to you - I just met these women a little differently

Business continued to grow after the first wedding, and Jen went on to work with brides - and even grooms - in Chicago, Texas, and Australia. And while some clients call on her services simply because they need to fill out their bridal parties or hire a little extra help for the planning process, Jen noted that others just have bad luck.

'Though we often don’t expect it when signing up to help usher our friends through their wedding days, friendships can fall apart after the wedding is over - or sometimes even before,' she said.

Jen has since set up her own website, where she advertises herself as 'the gal pal you never knew you needed, during the time you need her the most'.

She 'handles all of the dirty work' so brides can have fun, with prices starting at $199 and going all the way up to over $1,000 for a variety of bridesmaid packages.

She even offers a bridesmaid boot camp to other bridesmaids in which she teaches them the ropes, and is now working on expanding her business and hiring other professional to work for her.

True friendships: Some of her clients go on to be real-life friends whom Jen continues to spend time with after the wedding

Making money: Besides coming to the wedding - and standing at the altar if necessary - Jen offers her services at all wedding-related events

And while they may have started out as clients, some of the people that Jen has worked with have gone on to become real friends. She attributes this to the fact that she spends hours on the phone with these women - and sometimes, that intimacy doesn't melt away.

Jen said she particularly hit it off with one bride name Bryn, who happened to live nearby in Brooklyn. Three months after her wedding, the pair are still spending time together - free of charge, of course.

'All your best friends were once strangers to you,' Jen explained. 'Bryn was no different; I just met her a little differently than how most people meet their best friends.'

A year into her creative new career, Jen wrote that she is happy that her job as a professional bridesmaid doesn't just provide 'financial compensation' - it's also brought her real friendships, and taught her a lot about relationships. If you experience that 'spark' with someone, she said, it shouldn't matter how you met. If a person 'gets you', that friendship can last.