Being a bridesmaid is a lot like being an intern. You're not getting paid, there's a lot of work involved, and someone else dresses you. (Okay, that last one is more like being a baby.) You'll go everywhere from an all-inclusive resort that the groom's sister (whom you'd never met before the wedding) picked for the bachelorette, all the way to the floor of a hotel bathroom, puking your brains out. Your bank account will dip low, and then somehow dip even lower. You'll casually wonder aloud to strangers whether debtor's prisons are still a thing.

But you'll also find yourself choking back tears as your friend walks down the aisle on one of the biggest days of her life. (Or, at the very least, the biggest, most expensive party she'll ever throw.) It's a mixed bag of emotions that range from overwhelming love to extreme resentment to unbearable hangover. It's going to be a lot to process, so let us guide you through all the emotional stages of being a bridesmaid.