Last weekend, Jaya and I were bridesmaids in a college friend’s wedding. It was the first time I have been a bridesmaid, and it occurred to me that being a bridesmaid is a lot like being in a sorority (the bride happened to have been one of my sorority sisters). So these are the ways that being in a sorority prepares you to be a bridesmaid:

• You are accustomed to wearing matching outfits (including teeshirts for the bachelorette).
• You are used to walking and standing in heels for many hours.
• You don’t blink at the suggestion to wear Spanx and/or pantyhose.
• You are comfortable with all women events (for the shower, bachelorette, and getting ready the day of)
• You know the value of a kit full of emergency supplies such as bandaids, medicine, Tide pens, sewing kits etc from long days of recruitment parties.
• You know how to express extreme enthusiasm for EVERYTHING.
• You are used to posing for group pictures.
• You know how to deal with drama.
• You can make conversation with people you have never met (people really like to talk to bridesmaids for some reason.)
• You can (hopefully) hold your liquor and not embarrass yourself.
• You know all the words to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”
• You can stay out on the dance floor for hours.
• You are good at crafts (if necessary to help the bride DIY).
• Theme parties make you happy.

Not all of these are unique to sorority women, of course, but there is an alarming amount of overlap, don’t you think?