And then, even more ridiculously, Caryn had replied, with actual numbers of how thick the lashes should be and how long.
Was this for real?
But the last several of the messages were a different thread, started by Olivia, which didn’t include Caryn. The subject was Vegas or New Orleans?
With an ever-growing sense of trepidation, I opened Olivia’s original email.
And now it’s our turn. Girls, we need to plan the most epic, be-all, end-all bachelorette party for Caryn! I know she said small, but come on, we all know that’s not what she wants. So the question is, Vegas or New Orleans?
Vegas, Deanna replied. It’s the classic bachelorette party locale.
What about Paris? Mia asked. That way we don’t have to deal with all of the trashy people.
New Orleans is the perfect compromise, Caroline said, giving what was apparently the final word. My sister-in-law owns a travel agency. We’ll go down May 10–13. I’ll arrange everything. And I’ll book my club for the shower on May 5.
Jake and Madison’s wedding was May 11. On the one hand, great. I didn’t have the money for a trip to New Orleans, especially not on the scale they were going to want to do it, and I definitely didn’t have any desire to go on a trip with them.
But should I ask if there was an alternate weekend or just say, “Oh no, so sorry, have fun”？
There was also the issue that Caryn had just told me not to let them steamroll me, and she said she wanted a simple bachelorette party, which a three-day binge in New Orleans was not.
While I debated what to do, another email pinged in from Caroline.
With airfare, if we do two to a room at the Ritz, it’ll work out to about $1800 a person for the trip, not including spa days and all that. But we’ll cover Caryn, of course, so it’s actually $2200 a person and then incidentals, so plan on about $3000 total, but you’ll only owe me $2200.
Three thousand dollars for three nights in New Orleans? Was that a thing? And the Ritz? She was kidding, right?
I called Megan back and hissed an outline of the latest emails to her. “Must be nice,” she said.
“Nice? To ask your friends to spend three grand each on your bachelorette party?”
“Nice to be able to afford to do that.”
I had assumed we would do a night of barhopping for Megan’s bachelorette party. Did she want something bigger? And dear God, what if they all did?
“Do you want to do a trip for yours?” I asked quietly.
“I mean, I’d love it. But it’s too much money. So no.”
Another email pinged in and I told Megan I had to go, feeling like the world’s worst friend. I wasn’t spending three thousand dollars on a bender for Caryn, but I wished I had the money to do it for Megan, if that was what she wanted.
The latest email was also from Caroline. Renting the party room at her club, with catering, would run approximately a thousand dollars each, depending on how big the guest list was.
I pushed my chair back and went to Caryn’s office in a panic.
“What’s up?” she asked, looking at my wild-eyed face. “Are you okay?”
I sat down shakily in the chair across from her. “I—I’m sorry. I can’t be in your wedding.”
She blinked several times at me. “Because of the shower and bachelorette party dates?”
“No, I—Caryn, Caroline just emailed that she wants each of us to spend three thousand dollars on a trip for your bachelorette party and another thousand on your shower and I don’t have the money for that.”
“Did you tell Caroline that?”
“Well—no.”
“Don’t you think you should start there, rather than dropping out of the wedding?”
“I—” I didn’t want to admit that I was too ashamed to tell Caroline I couldn’t afford it. My shoulders dropped in resignation. “I can try.”
“And I don’t want a fancy trip. Tell them I just want something simple, like I said in my email.”
“Okay,” I said, my face puckered in anxiety. I got up and turned to leave.
“Oh, and Lily—”
“Yeah?”
“I can give you my doctor’s name if you want a recommendation for some Botox. Just a little, to smooth those lines out.”
I gritted my teeth. “Thanks. Just email it.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Back at my desk, I read the most recent emails, all agreeing that the Ritz and Caroline’s club would be perfect, then hit “Reply All.”
Hi everyone. Unfortunately, I’m out of town that weekend for my brother’s wedding in Mexico. I also just talked to Caryn, who said she definitely doesn’t want a trip—she wants to do something simple and closer to home. And is there any way to cut down on shower costs? Maybe we do the favors or flowers or the food ourselves?