"An entertaining beach read… [and] a nice way to provide your besties with reading material for the bachelorette weekend."—Lauren Conrad

WHAT DO A FORMER FASHION MODEL, AN EX-NUN, AND A FRAT BOY HAVE IN COMMON? VIRTUALLY NOTHING, EXCEPT THAT EACH HAS EXPERIENCED A UNIVERSAL RITE OF PASSAGE: BEING A BRIDESMAID.

Each year 11 million bridesmaids lead their best friends down the aisle. Most wear matching dresses, and nearly all have a thing or two to say about the bride. In this uproarious oral history, editor and journalist Eimear Lynch offers us an intimate glimpse at the moments the wedding photographer failed to capture.

From the accidental bridesmaid who helped sew the bride into her "designer" gown to the tomboy who struggled to carry Princess Diana's twenty-five foot train, The Bridesmaids lifts the veil on the Big Day. Opening with her own experiences as a five-time 'maid, Eimear gives us stories that are by turns heartfelt, funny, scandalous, and sometimes downright strange. An ode to the good, the bad, the strapless chiffon, and the occasional three-piece suit—and, above all, to the supporting actresses and actors who wore them—The Bridesmaids is a colorful walk down the aisle that you won't want to miss, and the perfect companion for every bridesmaid-to-be.

EIMEAR LYNCH is a twenty-seven-year-old contributing editor at Conde Nast Traveler, where she writes and edits travel news stories and destination guides for the magazine and interviews celebrities from Helen Mirren to Will.i.am. She has also worked as an investigative journalist. A five-time bridesmaid, she lives in Brooklyn. HANYA YANAGIHARA lives in New York City.