Bummed About Bridesmaids

I have chosen six different ladies to be my bridesmaids. Four of my bridesmaids are old, dear friends, one is a newer friend who I've grown close to in the past few years, and one is my 22 year old stepsister. 

With my oldest friend Karen (on left) who is one of my bridesmaids.

I'm nearly 30 years old, so a lot of my friends have moved away and gotten married over the years. One of my bridesmaids has just had her first child and another is expecting her first this March. I feel like I'm a little behind the times seeing as I'm only now engaged, but I'm totally okay with that. We all experience life's moments in our own way and in our own time. I'm extremely happy getting married at 30 and I would not change a thing about my life or how/when I met my fiance, even if I could. 

With two more bridesmaids: Princess Leia and Darth Vader. I'm Boba Fett. Apart from my helmet, we made these costumes with crap we found in my basement. 

The issue is more that my bridesmaids live all over the US. Two are in LA, one in Colorado, one in Baltimore, one in New York City, and another close by in Atlanta. My friend in Atlanta is currently pursuing a nontraditional career and she has a highly irregular schedule. There's always some kind of schedule conflict since she is usually incredibly busy on the weekends which is usually the only time I have free. It makes me depressed because she is the one "local" female friend I have right now, and I rarely see her these days. I miss her living in Athens and meeting up for dinner or drinks just to catch up.

I guess I'm just feeling a little down and distant from a lot of the women in my life. I think movies and TV shows make weddings look like so much fun with all your girls by your side, but in reality I think a lot of people don't have that option, especially later in life when most of your college friends have moved off to find work or follow their partners.

I was lucky enough that I could go dress shopping with three of my bridesmaids in LA over the summer. It was a really awesome girl weekend that made me feel a little more connected to the people I care about. But now I'm back in the disconnected doldrums wondering how we will ever coordinate a wedding shower or a bachelorette weekend. 

What makes things even more complicated is the fact that my family lives all over the country as well and most of our guests will be coming in from out of town. Well, I guess we will just have to do the best that we can and be thankful for the few times a year that we do get to meet up and reconnect!  

Are/were your bridesmaids spread out or close by? If they live far away, how are you coordinating efforts for bridal showers or the bachelorette weekend?