By Leslie Milk author of It's Her Wedding but I'll Cry If I Want To: A Survival Guide for the Mother of the Bride

1. You are the only one willing to work unlimited hours doing such menial jobs as typing lists, licking envelopes, and picking up and delivering for no pay.

2. You are the only other person who really cares whether the swirls on the wedding cake match the embroidery on her dress or if the yellow flowers are more citron than buttercup.

3. You'll negotiate the budget with the father of the bride and take the heat when the bills arrive.

4. You'll come to the rescue when the recalcitrant caterer refuses to make the groom's favorite pigs-in-blankets for the reception.

5. You'll go with her to 54 shoe stores looking for the perfect white wedding shoes even though you know that no one will see them under the wedding dress.

6. You'll go with her to every dress fitting and assure her that she's going to be a beautiful bride even if she doesn't lose the last 5 pounds.

7. You'll get the bridal salon to alter the wedding dress at the last minute when she does lose the last 5 pounds.

8. You'll entertain his mother and all of your relatives.

9. Whenever the bride begins to panic, she'll feel free to yell at you, knowing that you won't hate her in the morning.

10. After the wedding, you are the only one who'll be willing to watch the wedding video 20 times in the first month, marveling with the bride about every delightful detail.

Reprinted from: It's Her Wedding but I'll Cry If I Want To By Leslie Milk © 2005 Leslie Milk. (February 2005; $15.95US/$22.95CAN; 1-59486-001-7) Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com

Author
Leslie Milk is the lifestyle editor of the Washingtonian, a monthly magazine covering the nation's capital. She has written about subjects ranging from caring for aging parents to Washington's most powerful women and from climbing Mount Everest to losing weight.

In the interests of full disclosure, Milk admits that she wrote about someone else's climb and, judging by the results, she probably should have written about someone else's weight loss.

Previously, Milk was a columnist for the Washington Post and the Journal newspapers. She has also written for Glamour, Shape, and Woman's Day magazines. She has appeared on Nightline, ABC's Turning Point, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and BBC News.