Sister's Bridesmaid

Copyright oggbashan January 2022

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

This is a work of fiction. The events described here are imaginary; the settings and characters are fictitious and are not intended to represent specific places or living persons.

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I had answered the telephone. It was Mary wanting to speak to my elder sister Anne.

"Hello Mary."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You've been knocked off your bike and broken both legs. Oh dear."

"Yes, of course you can come to my wedding in a wheelchair. The church and reception venue have ramps and disabled toilets. I checked because some of my elderly relatives are unsteady on their feet."

"Don't worry about that. I'll think of something..."

I wasn't sure I liked the way Anne was looking at me as she said that.

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It was three days before Anne's wedding. My twin sister Tina was to be one of Anne's bridesmaids. I was in my final year in a Scottish university, and I hadn't been expected to attend because I was so far away. I had arranged for a friend to take notes at the two lectures I would miss. I had wanted to be at Mary's wedding.

"Tim? Does anyone know you have come home?"

"You, Tina and our parents. No one else. Why? I arrived late last night and didn't see anyone. Oh, and Mary, of course. I answered the phone."

"I'll speak to Mary again. She can keep a secret."

"A secret? What secret?"

"Tim, fantastic brother Tim, I need a big favour from you."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that. What do you want, Anne?"

"Mary was going to be my second bridesmaid alongside Tina. They are the same height and dress size. I need two to carry my dress's train. I don't know any of my friends who could match Tina. She is so tall."

"As are you, Anne. All three of us are just over six feet tall. You don't mean...?"

"Please, pretty please, Tim? Will you be my other bridesmaid? Mary's dress would fit you but no one else."

"But I'm a man, Anne."

"I know. But you and Tina look so alike I'm sure between us we can make you look like a bridesmaid to match Tina. Mary has bright red hair. She was going to wear a blonde wig styled just like Tina's. That would fit you. With make-up, some suggestion of false boobs under a high-necked dress -- who would know? Especially since you are still supposed to be in Scotland."

"You know I love you, Anne, and Tina. But you are asking a lot. I've got to be a bridesmaid for several hours. I couldn't wear high heels for that long."

"Heels? You wouldn't need to. None of the three of us were going to wear heels. Adrian, my groom, is only a couple of inches' taller than me. With my hair up we'll look the same height. If I had worn heels, I would have looked taller than Adrian. The bridesmaid's skirts trail on the floor. You could wear anything on your feet, and no one would see. Please?"

"We'd need Tina's help, and our parents would have to know..."

"You will?"

Anne kissed me.

"I'll get Tina."

Anne went upstairs to Tina's room where she was writing an essay. It was five minutes before they returned. I assumed, correctly, that Anne had told Tina what she wanted.

Tina kissed me.

"Twin? I knew you would do anything for your sisters, but this would be incredible."

"I'm not sure I could keep it up for hours, Tina. I couldn't speak. That wouldn't matter at the service. The bridesmaids say nothing. But at the reception? That would be hard."

"I have had an idea, Tim." Tina said. "The Best Man gives a speech and proposes a toast to the bridesmaids. If during his speech he tells everyone that you took Mary's place that would be a great joke. You could take off your wig and be you -- in a bridesmaid's dress."

"I suppose that might work, Tina."

"So, you will do it, Tim?" Anne asked anxiously.

"For you, Anne, yes I will. It is your day and what the bride wants on that day, she should get. If you want two matching bridesmaids? I will do my best."

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We had to tell our parents. Our mother thought it was a great idea. My father wasn't so sure. He had two daughters and a son. He wasn't convinced that his son should be a bridesmaid, but Anne persuaded him, to agree. Anne spoke to Mary who agreed to keep it a secret, but she wanted to se what I would look like before the wedding itself. We were going to have a dress rehearsal at home on the Friday evening. Anne invited Mary to come to that. Adrian would be there too, and Anne would tell him before then.

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That afternoon Anne and Tina tried the dress on me. It was royal blue with long sleeves and a spreading skirt over hoops. Even at my height the lower hem spread across the floor. They sewed some cone shaped pads into the under slip. The dress's bodice fitted perfectly after some adjustments of the pads. They wouldn't move because the bodice was tightly fitted when laced at the back.

They took the dress off before trying the wig and make up. I had to shave very closely before they started. I was sitting in front of the dressing table mirror as Anne and Tina worked on me. I was surprised how little make up was required to make my head look female, especially with the blonde wig. When Tina put my head beside mine, in the mirror we could have been identical twin women, instead of a woman and a man.

Looking further down destroyed the illusion. My hairy chest showing above my vest was obviously male. My hands, specifically my fingernails, weren't right, But the bridesmaids would be wearing elbow length satin gloves until the reception.

Once the make up and wig had been sorted to their satisfaction, Tina put her dress on, and they put the bridesmaid dress back on me with the gloves. This time we looked like twin sisters.

Once I was back as myself, Anne and Tina hugged and kissed me. they knew they were asking a lot of me, but they thought they could get away with the substitution.

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At the dress rehearsal on the Friday evening, Brian and his Best Man were startled to see me as 'Toni' the bridesmaid. There was a lot of giggling at first, but I was grateful to Brian who insisted that I should be taken seriously as Toni. When Anne and Tina had first dressed ne as a bridesmaid I had practised walking. Wearing my own white trainers hidden under the skirt, I found walking fairly easy as long as I remembered just how wide the skirt spread.

At the dress rehearsal I carried Anne's train before sitting down gracefully before the rest of the mock service. Brian, Anne and Tina were pleased with my performance.

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On the wedding Day I went with Anne, Tina, and our father in the wedding limousine. We processed down the central aisle of the church, and I sat in the front pew on the bride's side. Brian and Anne had only eyes for each other. They didn't notice Tina, nor apparently did anyone else. After the service I was part of the wedding photos with Tina.

I went with Tina and our parents to the wedding reception. I was part of the receiving line. Tina said that I had a sore throat and therefore wouldn't use my voice. Everyone present seemed to accept that.

I didn't eat before we sat down for the speeches. I didn't want to take my gloves off. Our father's speech was conventional. The Best Man's speech had the usual groan-making jokes but just before the end he stopped.

"At the end of the Best Man's speech it is traditional to propose a toast to the Bridesmaids. But before I do that there are some things I should say."

He paused for effect.

"Some of you may know that Mary was supposed to be a bridesmaid, but because she had two broken legs, she couldn't be. Our thanks to Mary."

Mary was clapped. She nodded her head to acknowledge the claps.

"But since Mary couldn't be the bridesmaid, Anne need ed a substitute quickly who could wear Mary's dress, someone as tall as Tina. Who?"

"Some of you might also know that Tim, Tina's twin, couldn't attend today because he was at university in Edinburgh."

Some of guest looked puzzled. What had that to do with a toast to the bridesmaids?"

"Tim wanted to be here, so he was."

The guests looked even more puzzled. Tim couldn't be missed at six feet tall and Tina's twin, yet no one had seen him.

"So now I come to the toast to the Bridesmaids. Please would you stand up, Tina and Toni. The Bridesmaids!"

Everyone toasted the bridesmaids followed by clapping. The Best Man remained standing until the clapping had stopped. The bridesmaids had resumed their seats.

"But all is not what it seems. Anne wanted a substitute six-foot-tall bridesmaid. Someone, because they love Anne, and couldn't let her be disappointed, volunteered.

Please stand up, Toni."

I stood up.

"Toni, the last-minute substitute bridesmaid isn't really Toni. She..."

The Best man emphasised the 'she'.

"...Is actually Tim, Anne's brother and Tina's twin."

I pulled off the blond wig to show my short hair.

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Anne stood up and moved next to me. She gave me a hug.

"Thank you, Tim, for making my day perfect."

She kissed me on my cheek to cheers from the guests.

Now I could take off the gloves and eat but I was impeded because so many people wanted to talk to Toni/Tim. Most thought I was brave to do it and they had been completely fooled. But Mary's comment was the best.

"Thank you, Tim. I was worried that I had disappointed Anne, but you were a great bridesmaid. I know you did it because you love her, but most brothers wouldn't have."

Half an hour later, with Tina's help, I was Tim again, and very relieved to be. I love my sisters but that was hard.