What’s one of the worst bridesmaid duties? Helping the bride go to the bathroom in her wedding dress like 27 Dresses!
Fear not bridesmaids, there is a new product available to relieve you of that duty. The Bridal Buddy solves this embarrassing problem by helping the bride hold up her skirt without needing an extra hand.
Heather Stanlake, the founder of Bridal Buddy spoke with The Knot about how she came up with the concept of the Bridal Buddy and manufactured the genius product. “I came up with the Bridal Buddy in 2002 when I was working in a bridal show. I used to bag dresses and put them away.” After being asked over and over again, “How do I go to the bathroom in this thing?” Heather knew there had to be a way.
The final Bridal Buddy product was not the first version Heather created. “The first version was a little different. It had a body slimmer attached to it! It was way too complicated, but had the same concept of ‘bagging up’ the dress with it.” After taking a break from the project for a few years, Heather came back to her invention and “ditched the slimmer and went right for a slip.”
After constantly being asked, “How do I go to the bathroom in this thing?” Bridal Buddy founder, Heather, knew there had to be a way. Credit: Bridal Buddy
Being a one woman show (other than having some help sewing the prototype), Heather told The Knot she would test the product on herself over and over again, walking around the house with a big pouffy slip. Eventually Heather started to test the Bridal Buddy on models during local bridal shows. “I got a lot of feedback from these ladies!” she shared.
But what about that name? “I chose the name Bridal Buddy because I knew it was like having a friend in the bathroom,” Heather explained to The Knot. “You need your buddy to help you lift your dress. I also call my best friend Vanessa buddy, my oldest daughter buddy, and my cat’s name is Buddy!”
Packaged in a hot pink bag, Bridal Buddy comes in two sizes and costs $59.95. Credit: Bridal Buddy
Bridal Buddy retails for $59.95 and comes in two sizes: Petite and Average/Tall. Bridal Buddy launched an informative how-to video on Youtube in September 2015. The video showcases bridesmaids awkwardly trying to help the bride use the bathroom in her wedding dress. Bridal Buddy instructs the bride to put it on like a slip under the wedding dress. Start by gathering your wedding dress and pick up the Bridal Buddy to bag your dress from front to back. Then put your arms through the “something blue” armholes and pull the elastic cord to tighten the bag and you are ready to go. Watch the full video below.
