Charlotte Butterfield - A Beautiful Day for a Wedding

How to be the perfect bridesmaid. Rule number one: Start mourning the friend you love, because once she becomes entangled in wedding planning, she doesnt exist anymore.

Gone are the easy chats about life, love and the universe, and in its place are endless one-sided monologues about whether it would be unreasonable to ask all the bridesmaids to pierce their ears so they can wear matching earrings (answer: yes). Evenings will be spent pondering the question of whether tulips are too cheap, orchids too expensive or peonies too try-hard. Who cares? Theyll either end up swept up with the confetti by an Eastern European cleaner on minimum wage in the morning, or carefully preserved in an airing cupboard by the grooms granny. You know the friend thats always been very supportive about your extra curves? Well, as soon as that sparkly solitaire gets slipped on her finger shell accidentally order your bridesmaid dress a size too small forcing you to eat blended kale for a month before the wedding.

Lets talk hen dos for just a moment. What a wonderful opportunity for some sisterhood solidarity, where dignity and self-consciousness are checked in with your coat at the door and the order of the day is friendship and fun. Wrong. Dont even think about surprising the bride with an activity, theme or outfit she hasnt approved. In writing. She may say that you have the power of attorney on this weekend, but she doesnt mean it, shes lying through her newly-whitened teeth which brings me onto the subject of beauty. The role of a bridesmaid is to be pretty, but not too much. Save those fake eyelashes for another occasion, because God forbid you should have longer lash-action than the woman in white. By all means brush your hair, possibly even add a bit of bounce, but do not consider having an up-do that takes more than two minutes to construct. Thats her arena. The only part of your grooming routine you shouldnt scrimp on is deodorant. Youll need at least half a can sprayed into your armpits at all times to counteract the iron-woman training that youll be forced to do in the week before the big day. Fill your car with petrol, top up your oyster card, stash your heels for another day, and flex those limbs because good God are you going to be using them. Unless you are already a PA to the president of a small country, never before will you have been faced with a To Do List of the gargantuan proportions that you will soon be handed. And the best part is, you have to smile like Mary Poppins while cheerily crossing each item off. Hem curtains? Check. Polish floors? Check. Dog-sit for a fortnight? Che Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.

Eve had no idea that her legs could even move that fast. Weaving in and out of office workers, shoving tourists out of the way, hurdling over open drains, and banging on the sides of open-top buses, she finally made it to the front of her friend Tanyas apartment block. Steadying herself on the gate for a moment to let the burning sensation in her lungs subside, she silently offered up a little prayer that she wasnt about to walk into the rotting carcass of a pedigree pug.

The stench hit her before the key was fully turned in the lock. Covering her mouth with her sleeve and trying not to retch, Eve slowly pushed open the door and braced herself for whatever sight she might find. The flat was still. Silent. Too still and silent for an apartment with a dog in it.

Coco, here girl, theres a good girl. Eve wandered quickly from room to room, giving a small gasp at the doorway of each one at the carnage that assaulted her eyes. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps Tanya had been burgled, the flat ransacked and the dog stolen. It would certainly make explaining this slightly easier. But robbers wouldnt chew the sides of sofas until their filling spilled out, or wee on the expensive dhurrie rug from Peshawar. The ridiculous thing was, Eve was actually a little heartened to see the mess that Coco had made, as it meant that at some point over the last three days shed had enough energy to create this bloodbath, rather than spend her final hours festering into a pile of bones.

The door to the bedroom was ajar, and, not having fully shaken away her intruder theory, Eve approached it cautiously. Coco? Coco? A shoebox lay open at the foot of the bed, its lid chewed off. The distinctive red soles of Tanyas prized black patent Louboutin heels were thankfully unmarked by tiny teeth marks, but instead, theyd been used as a portaloo. Oh, sweet Jesus.

At the sound of her voice, a sleeping Coco eagerly jumped up from the satin pillows shed been snoozing on and gave a yelp of sheer joy. Flinging herself at Eve, in all her stinky glory, she covered her with slobbery kisses, which Eve couldnt help but tearfully return. Oh God Coco, Im so sorry, please dont tell anyone, she picked her up, snuggling her face into her fur. Itll be our secret.

After giving her some water and filling her bowl with dried pellets that promised they contained organic chicken, she grabbed her lead from the back of the kitchen door. The destruction of the flat could wait, it was more important to breathe air that hadnt been contaminated by excrement.