1-800-Bridesmaid

Former Cosmopolitan Beauty Director, Carly Cardellino, on what actually works for acne-prone skin, why she's finally sold on sunscreen, and two brides-to-be who wrote in with wedding-planning red flags worth talking through.
In this episode, Carly breaks down how she decides which beauty products are worth recommending, her go-to Sephora picks, and the sunscreen habit she wishes she'd started decades earlier. She also opens up about getting married nine months pregnant, in a dress designed by a friend just days before the ceremony. Then: a letter from a bride whose fiancé keeps suggesting she change her appearance before the wedding, and one from a bride whose fiancé said she's "not his type" in front of his friends.
How to tell if a content creator is actually trustworthy — and when to be skeptical
The sunscreen advice Carly says she ignored for too long
What's a fair ask vs. a red flag when it comes to wedding "glow-ups"
Real talk on two tricky pre-wedding letters, and how each bride handled it
🎧 A Love Stories by David’s podcast, hosted by Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and author of Finally the Bride 📩 Submit your own wedding dilemma at https://www.1800Bridesmaid.com  Follow Bridesmaid for Hire & Love Stories by David’s

Why does intimacy change after marriage—and what can couples do when the spark starts to fade? In this episode of *1-800 Bridesmaid*, host Jen Glantz talks with certified sexologist Natassia Miller about desire, long-term relationships, body confidence, sex after having children, and how couples can reconnect inside and outside the bedroom.
Natassia explains why desire does not always happen spontaneously, how stress and resentment can affect intimacy more than hormones, and why staying curious about your partner can strengthen a relationship. She also shares practical ideas for creating more connection, including trying new activities together and understanding what helps each partner feel emotionally and sexually engaged.Then Jen reads a real wedding dilemma: a bride whose future father-in-law drunkenly suggested that her fiancé had cheated—and warned that the behavior might continue after the wedding. Jen and Natassia break down whether she should confront her fiancé, question his father, postpone the wedding, or trust her instincts before making a lifelong commitment.
**In this episode:**
* Why couples lose desire after the honeymoon phase* The difference between spontaneous and responsive desire* How resentment, stress and body image affect intimacy* Sex and relationships after having children* How to reconnect with a long-term partner* Why trying new activities can strengthen a relationship* What to do if you suspect your fiancé cheated* Whether you should postpone or call off a wedding over a major red flag
🎧 A Love Stories by David’s podcast, hosted by Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and author of *Finally the Bride*
📩 Submit your own wedding dilemma at 1800Bridesmaid.com
📱 Follow Natassia @natassiamiller | Follow Bridesmaid for Hire & Love Stories by David’s

Can a friendship survive an engagement? In this episode of 1-800 Bridesmaid, host Jen Glantz talks first dances, parent dances, and wedding dance confidence with Coach Maya of Maya Moves, who's taught 500+ couples her no-stress, one-lesson method.
Then Jen reads a real bridesmaid dilemma: a caller whose best friend went quiet the moment she got engaged, leaving her feeling like an outsider in her own friendship. Jen and Maya break down how to bring it up, what actually happened, and why weddings can shake up even the closest friendships.
In this episode:- How to choose your wedding first dance song- Wedding dance tips to avoid feeling awkward- Parent dance ideas (father-daughter, mother-son & more)- What to do when a friend ghosts you after getting engaged- How weddings impact friendships
🎧 A Love Stories by David's podcast, hosted by Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire and author of Finally the Bride📩 Submit your own wedding dilemma at 1800Bridesmaid.com📱 Follow Maya @maya.mmooves | Follow Bridesmaid for Hire & Love Stories by David's

In this episode of 1-800 Bridesmaid, Jen is joined by Certified NYC Dating Coach, Author, and Founder of The City of Dating, Stevie Bowen. They discuss dating-app burnout, how to meet people in real life, overcoming the fear of rejection, texting after a first date and why modern dating rules may be holding you back.
Stevie also helps answer a listener’s difficult question: Should you stay with someone who is perfect on paper when the thought of your future together fills you with dread?
They discuss:
• How to meet someone without dating apps• The biggest mistakes people make after a first date• Why texting can create false intimacy• Whether you should text immediately after a date• How to know when you’ve fallen out of love• Why staying out of fear can cause more heartbreak• How to start over after ending a long-term relationship
Follow Stevie and learn more about The City of Dating on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and at The City of Dating.
Subscribe for more honest conversations about friendship, dating, relationships, weddings and everything in between.

Ring, ring! It’s 1-800-BRIDESMAID.
Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free space for messy wedding, friendship, and relationship dilemmas.
This week, Jen is joined by Bonnie Winston — celebrity matchmaker, relationship expert, and founder of Bonnie Winston Matchmaker. Bonnie has spent years helping people outsource their love lives, rethink what they’re really looking for, and open themselves up to matches they might have completely overlooked on a dating app.
Together, Jen and Bonnie unpack what modern dating really looks like when the apps stop feeling fun and start feeling exhausting. Why are so many people burned out from dating? Are your “non-negotiables” actually helping you find love, or quietly blocking you from it? What happens when your dream partner looks nothing like the checklist in your head? And how do you know when you need to keep dating — or take a break and come back to yourself?
But today’s listener question hits one of the most vulnerable dating fears of all: what if nobody wants to date me?
A woman writes in saying she’s 34, has been single for three years, has been to therapy, used the apps, said yes to setups, gone to events, and been on 60 dates. Some went somewhere, one lasted four months, and another ended when she found out he was dating someone else the entire time. Meanwhile, her friends are married, having kids, and moving forward — while she’s going to weddings alone, leaving early, and wondering what is wrong with her.
Jen and Bonnie break down what dating burnout really does to your confidence, why “I’ve done everything” might not mean you’re dating with the right intention, and why redefining what you actually want can change the way you show up. Bonnie explains why this listener may not need to disappear from dating for six months, but she does need to stop saying yes without clarity and start advocating for the kind of love she actually wants.
And then comes the twist: the listener eventually deleted the apps, stopped tracking dates, took a pottery class, went on a solo trip to Portugal, started going to bed early, and slowly became someone she liked again. Nine months later, she met someone at a friend’s birthday dinner — and they’ve now been together for a year and a half.
Episode Highlights:
Why hiring a matchmaker is like outsourcing your love life
The difference between what people think they want and who they actually fall in love with
Why your dating checklist might be blocking the right person
What Bonnie tells clients who are too focused on height, education, location, or status
Why dating apps can make people overly judgmental
How to meet people “in the wild” without making it weird
Why saying hello, smiling, and being present still matter
The first-date mistakes that can kill chemistry fast
Why you should not trauma dump on a first date
If you’ve ever wondered why dating feels so hard, questioned whether your standards are helping or hurting you, gone on too many first dates that went nowhere, or felt like everyone else is finding love except you, this episode is full of honest, funny, and deeply human advice about dating burnout, confidence, matchmaking, and what it really means to stay open to love.

Ring, ring! It's 1-800-BRIDESMAID. Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free space for messy wedding, friendship, and relationship dilemmas. What do you do when an ex comes back and says he made a mistake? Dating expert Erin Davis — VIP matchmaker at Three Day Rule and the "female Hitch" — joins Jen to tackle one of the messiest relationship dilemmas out there. Together they break down how to know if someone is truly ready for a relationship, why women fall in love through trust and safety (not instant chemistry), and the small dating "icks" that signal something much bigger.
Erin gets brutally honest about first-date mistakes men keep making, why your apartment could be tanking your dating life, and why the first three months of any relationship are far more fragile than people think. Plus: a listener writes in after her ex reappears six months post-breakup — apologizing, saying all the right things, and asking for another chance. The catch? She's not sure she wants the life she used to want with him. In this episode:
Why getting a second or third date is where most people lose the relationship
The first-date rule Erin thinks every man needs to hear
How women build attraction through trust and safety — not pressure
How to know if a second chance with an ex is actually worth it
Why six months of no contact can change everything
The difference between missing someone and just being triggered
Dating red flags hiding in your home (yes, really)
Why confidence beats clothes, grooming, or any dating "formula"
How to know if you've outgrown the person you thought you wanted

Ring, ring! It's 1-800-BRIDESMAID.Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free space for messy wedding, friendship, and relationship dilemmas.This week, Jen is joined by Daniella Rabbani — host of the Mom Curious podcast, actor, singer, and filmmaker. Daniella has built a career around telling untold stories of women, performing in Yiddish across the world, and refusing to give advice she's not qualified to give. She's also one of the most honest voices you'll hear on what it actually looks like to build a 19-year love story, survive devastating loss, and figure out who your real friends are when everything in your life changes overnight.Together, Jen and Daniella unpack the relationship questions almost no one talks about — from how you actually know the person you're marrying doesn't suck, to why asking for advice is mostly bullshit, to the wedding industrial complex preying on first-time brides, to the moment your bridesmaids stop being your friends.But today's listener question hits a nerve almost everyone has felt.A single woman writes in about her best friend — a married woman who has started romanticizing her single life. It began with subtle comments, then long calls about how invisible she feels and whether she's still in love with her husband. The listener has been a good friend through it all. But lately she's been cast as a symbol of everything her friend didn't choose. And she's sitting on her own side of the equation thinking: I'm lonely too. I've been on 14 bad dates. And neither of us can say any of that out loud.Jen and Daniella break down why this friendship is in trouble, what the married friend actually needs (hint: not her single friend's life), and why some friendships are meant to go on pause — or end entirely — when your lives stop matching up.Episode Highlights:
- Why "you cannot marry someone who sucks" is the only dating rule that matters- How losing her sister gave Daniella x-ray vision into every relationship in her life- The truth about advice: why we ask for it, why we don't take it, and why your therapist is right to never give it- Getting married on a street corner during Covid — and the Jewish guilt that followed- Why the wedding industry preys on first-time brides (juice cleanses, 10 dresses, $20K photographers)- The bridesmaid friendship breakup almost no one warns you about- How to tell the difference between a deep friendship and a colleague- Why jealousy quietly destroys more friendships than betrayal does- The "this is supposed to be fun" test for whether a friendship is still working- Why friendship breakups hurt more than romantic ones — and why they're so much harder to repairIf you've ever felt a friendship slipping, been called "exhausting" for asking to be seen, or watched your group chat go quiet as your life took a different shape than theirs — this episode is full of honest, no-BS conversation about love, marriage, motherhood, and the friendships that change us, whether they stay or go.

Ring, ring! It's 1-800-BRIDESMAID.Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free space for messy wedding, friendship, and relationship dilemmas.This week, Jen is joined by Erin Davis — professional wing woman, dating strategist, and VIP matchmaker at Three Day Rule. Erin has built a career around the unconventional: she goes out with her clients to bars and singles events (sporting a $9 cubic zirconia ring from Burlington Coat Factory so no one mistakes her for the girlfriend), runs mock dates, and coaches singles through everything from first-date small talk to ending a 14-month situationship.Together, they unpack the dating rules that actually work in 2026 — from the three-month "over the hump" mark to why ChatGPT should never write your texts, why "potential" is the most dangerous word in dating, and how to know when you're wasting time versus building something real.But today's listener question hits a nerve almost everyone has felt.A woman writes in after 14 months in a situationship. They text every day. They've taken two trips together. He's met her sister; she's met his friends. But every time she asks what they are, he says he's "not in the right place." She's tried to walk away twice — and both times, he's pulled her back within 48 hours. She doesn't recognize herself anymore.Erin delivers a word-for-word script for the cold-turkey breakup, explains the Pavlov-style psychology of why he keeps coming back, and breaks down why rejection isn't the worst thing that can happen in dating — lost time is.Episode Highlights:
What a professional wing woman actually does (and why she wears a fake engagement ring)
The "ghost winging" technique that makes shy clients irresistible without saying a word
Why three months is the real "over the hump" mark in any new relationship
The case against using ChatGPT for dating — and what to use instead
Voice notes vs. texting: the new rules of communication
Why "potential" is the most dangerous word in dating
How to leave a situationship for good (Erin's exact script)
The Pavlov theory of why he keeps coming back after you've left
Going deep on a first date — when to do it and how not to spiral
The dating advice that actually works after 35
If you've ever wondered whether you're settling, whether he'll ever change, or whether you should stay another six months "just to be sure" — this episode is full of honest, no-BS dating advice from someone whose entire job is helping people stop wasting time and find the real thing.

Ring, ring! It's 1-800-BRIDESMAID.Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free space for messy wedding, friendship, and relationship dilemmas.This week, Jen is joined by Hilary Sheinbaum, New York City–based journalist and author of The Dry Challenge and Going Dry: A Workbook. Hilary spent years writing about wine, beer, and bar openings across the city—until a silly $100 bet with a friend kicked off a Dry January that completely changed her life, her career, and eventually, her wedding.Together, they talk about everything from the pressure to drink at every wedding event, to what it's actually like to walk down the aisle completely sober, to navigating a social life where alcohol is the default.But today's listener question takes things to another level.A bride writes in after discovering that her fiancé has been secretly draining their honeymoon fund—the money gifted by friends and family through their registry—to pay off his credit card debt. He claims it was temporary and "just our money anyway." Now she's questioning everything: the trust, the wedding, and whether she should still walk down the aisle.Jen and Hilary unpack the red flags around financial infidelity, why money conversations need to happen long before you sign the marriage license, and how to protect yourself when your partner isn't being transparent.Episode Highlights:
How a $100 bet turned into a sober lifestyle and a career pivot
The hidden ways alcohol affects your sleep, mental health, and friendships
Saying "I do" without saying cheers — what a sober wedding actually looks like
The growing world of nonalcoholic cocktails and why hosts should offer them
When a partner hides debt: red flag or dealbreaker?
Why financial transparency belongs on the table before the wedding venue
The case for prenups, joint money meetings, and protecting your future
Using AI as your unofficial second opinion on health, finances, and tough conversation
If you've ever felt pressure to drink at every wedding event, questioned what real financial transparency looks like in a relationship, or wondered whether some secrets are worth calling off a wedding over, this episode is full of honest perspectives and real advice.This episode is brought to you by Travel by @davidsbridal— plan your honeymoon, getaway, or room block all in one place, with savings up to 30%. Visit davidsbridal.com/travel to get started today.

Ring, ring! It's 1-800-BRIDESMAID.
Author and professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz brings her hit newsletter to life in this judgment-free zone for all your messy, real wedding, love, and friendship dilemmas—plus expert advice to help sort them out.
In this episode of 1-800-BRIDESMAID, host Jen Glantz sits down with Brooklyn hairstylist and former ballerina Nathan Ayon to talk about wedding culture, the pressure around marriage, and what actually makes a wedding meaningful.
Nathan has spent years behind the salon chair — one of the few places where people share their most honest, unfiltered thoughts about relationships, love, and life. His unique perspective on what people really feel about weddings might surprise you.
Then, Jen and Nathan tackle a real listener dilemma: a bride finds out her maid of honor has started dating her ex-boyfriend — and now wants to bring him as her plus one to the wedding. They unpack the complicated line between loyalty and romance, and what it truly means to show up for a friend on one of the most important days of her life.
In this episode:
- What hairstylists hear in the salon that no one else does
- The real pressure people feel around marriage and weddings
- MOH vs. bride: where does loyalty end and personal life begin?
- How to handle a maid of honor who's dating your ex
- Setting boundaries with your wedding party without blowing up a friendship
- What actually makes a wedding memorable — and what doesn't matter at all
This episode is brought to you by Travel by  @davidsbridal  Plan your honeymoon, getaway, or room block all in one place, with savings up to 30%. Visit https://www.davidsbridal.com/travel to get started today.