She's having a baby
BY TRESA ERICKSON

You finally set a date for your wedding, and along with finding a location, you are preparing to choose your bridesmaids. You call up your sister and ask her to be your maid of honor, and she jumps at the chance. Next, you call up your cousin to be one of your bridesmaids, and she says yes, of course! Finally, you call up a dear friend to be your third and final bridesmaid, and unlike the others, she hesitates. It turns out that she is pregnant, which she was planning to announce very soon. Oops, what do you do now?

With more people getting married later in life, expectant bridesmaids are becoming more common and formalwear designers have caught onto the trend and are creating more and more gowns specifically for pregnant women. Even with a flattering gown, however, some women may not be comfortable serving as a bridesmaid, especially if they will be in their third trimester. Expectant bridesmaids should not be pressured to participate in a wedding. In fact, they should be given the option to decline, and in the event that they agreed to be an attendant before becoming pregnant, they should be given the option to bow out.

If the expectant woman is comfortable with being a bridesmaid, then it is up to the bride to accommodate her when selecting dresses. The bride has three options. She can take into consideration how far along the expectant bridesmaid will at the time of the wedding and have her order the same dress as everyone else but in a larger size. In this case, the bride should try to select dresses from retailers with large stock lines in a wide range of sizes. That way, the expectant bridesmaid can wait until the last possible moment to select her dress, and hopefully, avoid a lot of expensive alterations. The bride can have the expectant bridesmaid order a maternity dress in the same color and fabric as the other bridesmaid dresses. This option will probably flatter the woman's body the best and make her feel the most comfortable. The bride can have all of her bridesmaid dresses custom made. The seamstress will do the expectant bridesmaid's dress last, of course, to account for her changing size.

Should the bride go with the first option and have the expectant bridesmaid order a larger size of dress, the bridesmaid should let the retailer know that she is pregnant so that they can help her select the best size. If possible, the expectant bridesmaid may want to wait to place her order until eight weeks before the wedding in order to get a better idea of her size. Any woman who learns she is pregnant after placing her order for a bridesmaid dress should notify the retailer immediately.

Just because your friend is pregnant does not mean she cannot be a bridesmaid in your wedding. Not all expectant women can stand on their feet all day, however, so don't be surprised if your friend declines your offer. Should she agree to be a bridesmaid, make sure you make the necessary accommodations and have a back-up plan. Some expectant women have difficult pregnancies and are put on bed rest. It is important to be prepared for this and have a bridesmaid on stand-by just in case your expectant friend cannot attend your wedding.