Brace yourselves people, the wedding season is upon us once again! Cue an onslaught of wedding exhibitions, wedding gossip, and subtle yet in-your-face hints to unsuspecting singletons “So when are YOU getting married?”. Add to the equation bridezillas, groomzillas, frantic and long suffering family members, friends and whatnots.

As weddings become more cutthroat - with brides sinking to new lows in an attempt to claw their manicured talons to the top - Competitive Wedding Syndrome has officially become a thing. Apparently, brides (and even grooms) care more about having the best wedding in the country, than say, a celebration of their love and commitment to each other.

Oblivious to the impending chaos, you’re a happy camper. Your sibling/cousin/friend is getting hitched and you’ve been bestowed the honor of being a bridesmaid. You’re ecstatic, honored and bursting with excitement. Only, those glorious seconds of unbridled enthusiasm will inevitably be followed by negative thoughts. Because let’s face it - planning a wedding is stressful. Add to that the accelerated dwindling of finances and nerves are frazzled, relationships are tested, and before you know it, that sweet, innocent and absolute darling of a sister/cousin/bestie of yours has inexplicably been replaced by an insufferable bridezilla.

Signing up to be bridesmaid to a bridezilla is the equivalent of having sold your soul to the devil. You are, for all intents and purposes, doomed to a life of servitude. And I mean that quite literally. The period leading up to the wedding will seem like an eternity. Just saying.

If you're starting to think that being a bridesmaid isn't all that it's cracked up to be, remember, the coveted title of bridesmaid wasn't always synonymous with offering support to the bride and the whole nine yards. The tradition traces its beginnings to ancient Rome, when bridesmaids were incorporated into the ceremony to uh "distract" evil forces from harming the bride. Nowadays, it seems, it's the bridesmaids who require protection from the wrath of the almighty bridezilla herself.

Now that you've said yes to being a bridesmaid, quit whining, because:

a) You had the prerogative of declining the post of bridesmaid and didn't
b) The voice in your head definitely reminded you of what you signed up for. Ditto consequences
c) Bridezilla probably held a gun to your head, in which case, what choice did you have really?

Fear not. I'm here to offer you some sound advice. Here are a few “simple” ground rules for being the perfect minion to the bridezilla:

Remember that it's HER day. God forbid you dare come between a bridezilla and her perfect wedding, she WILL cut you. And then cook you and proceed to serve you as a gourmet dish at her reception. Or maybe not.

Be patient. Chances are, she will be prone to theatrics, throw tantrums, have panic attacks and hyperventilate. All in the span of an hour. And that's me being generous.

Bite your tongue. You know what they say - if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. This piece of advice may be that thin line between life and death, and you would do well to heed it.

Learn to test the water. That is, learn to read your bridezilla before telling her anything you know she won't be happy to hear. Navigate through the treacherous waters that are her mood swings.

Deal with your dress. She may let you choose the dress or she may not. But this is the bridezilla we are talking about. Who are we trying to kid? There's a pretty good chance she will pick your dress for you and a bigger probability of it being hideous. But it's not your day. So suck it up and wear the dress. It's just for ONE day after all.

DO NOT tickle the sleeping dragon. If a bride is stressed, a bridezilla will be stressed times infinity. Decision making processes will be exhausting, so encourage her without being overbearing, and know when to dodge the flames.

Respect her decisions. Ultimately, all the advice above has been leading up to this. (With bits being repeated for good measure.) Provide moral and emotional support. Be a great listener. It's her wedding, which she probably had all mapped out to the T since she was 12. So pop a chill pill, take a deep breath and prepare to brave the storm that is brewing. Here's to surviving the bridezilla!

By Rihaab Mowlana