Will you marry my wedding?

Really, you're supposed to put a ton of thought, tape, and cardboard stock in order to ask your friends to be a bridesmaid or your Maid/Matron of Honor? Man, no one tells me anything.

All I did was get really excited and the day after we got engaged call up my good friends and ask them. My MOH and flower girl were a no brainer. It'd be impossible to imagine anyone else helping me by making me go dress shopping, getting all excited and finding lots of stuff for me to look through, helping to make the biggest disaster since the Hindenburg, and also willing to just chill and forget about all the wedding crap for a while.

But apparently I really messed up and was supposed to spend a few days trying to think of something really cute and clever and different and alcoholic (okay forget the last one) to ask them.

Here's just a sample of the ideas out there

• About.com's creative ways to ask
• Wedaholic.com (there's that drinking again)
• Foreverwed1.com (which is a really weird name)
• The Knot's take on it all

Some of these ideas seem almost more far fetched and plan intensive than some proposals (and I'm not the only one seeing that). When did it become such a big money maker to just ask your near and dear to stand up for you, wear a dress, sign a piece of paper, and get blind stinking drunk (I think this is the booze post)?

Perusing random wedding stuff catalogs you'll find lots of things you can buy just to give to someone in order to ask them. There's even a cookie. It's no wonder there are so many bridesmaid and brides getting frustrated. How can you say no to a cookie if you really don't want to stand up?

I say there is nothing wrong with just asking someone, maybe buying them one of those ice cream cups you got as a kid if you live in the same town, and then just chatting about how much wedding planning sucks.