Meet: TEAM WEDDING!

So I opted out of having bridesmaids. I have reasons:

• I hate the word "bridesmaid". ugh. Almost as bad as "fiancée"
• "Maid of Honour"... ditto (my friends are NOT maids of any sort)
• I could not choose between - or worse, rank - my friends
• 9 is a ridiculous number for bridesmaids, but the perfect number for a team (baseball, or otherwise)!
• ...and most importantly, I did not want anyone to feel any pressure or expectations

Thus, I have amassed 9 of my best friends, all of whom have many amazing qualities and talents that will come in very handy over the next few months, and save me from insanity. Unlike bridesmaids, hideous dresses are not a requirement, and level of commitment and support is entirely optional.

Introducing the team (and why i love them), in no particular order:

• JILL - my sister. She still loves me even though I hit her with a hairbrush. We speak the same language. She has already written her speech. We cried at the same Purina commercial. Sisties.
• LIZ - my closest friend in spirit, yet one of my farthest geographically. Supportive, nurturing, creative. She "gets" me. She understands that all-nighters should not be taken lightly, nor attempted by the weak of caffiene.
• VICKY - possibly my oldest friend. Analytical, practical, compassionate. She may or may not be the star of an upcoming 2010 swimsuit calendar.
• PHILAM - a close second for "oldest friend", by maybe two days. Level-headed, dependable, caring. Impeccable taste. Jetsetter. Professional badminton player and kayaker.
• KIRSTEN - Team Captain. Up for anything, and always with a smile. Energetic, positive, hyper-organized. Knows me TOO well. Survived the 30 Hour Famine. Understands the importance of Electric Circus. Might owe me bigtime for a little incident involving 26 yards of imported silk.
• ALEXIS - my partner in many crimes. Motivator and rebel-rouser. Affectionate. She who will never speak of the infamous Madison night will be kept very very close. My precioussssss. Inventor of such ingenious words as "fuckery".
• SHEMEENA - my outer inner-valley girl. Intelligent and cool/collected meets girls-just-wanna-have-fun. Favourite shopping/dishing partner. Once dubbed a "smart bimbo".
• SHEILA - one of my newest friends. Ecclectic and talented yummy mummy. Sweet as pie! Pulls off lady hats very, very well. Not afraid to use a glue gun, if necessary.
• DAWN - an old friend made new again, after landing in the same city once more. Planner extraordinaire, wedding party veteran, and incredibly thoughtful girl. Knows what to do when we don't have napkins (or valid drivers liscences).

I am so fortunate to have such a lovely group of girlfriends. Clearly, I have a great team, which I probably won't tap into at all, because I'm a gigantic control freak and terrible delegater. They may have to pry the Zots Glue Dots from my cold dead hands.