Baby's Due Date Puts Bride's Day at Risk

Dear Laine,
I am getting married in January and have been planning my wedding for several months. My best friend since elementary school is my maid-of-honor and has done so much to help me with the planning and the little details. I am so grateful to her for all that work. She recently found out she is pregnant and due very close to the time of my upcoming wedding. My parents think I should ask her to step down as my maid-of-honor and choose someone else, but I don't want to damage my friendship with her at a time when we both should be our happiest.
I don't want my wedding ruined by not having a maid-of-honor or having her going into labor at the alter, but I can't imagine getting married without her there where she belongs either. HELP! What do I do?

Signed,
Bride-to-Be Friendless?

Dear Friendless?,
It sounds to me as if you have already answered your own question, you are just looking for someone to give you permission to follow your heart and act on it. If this girl is your friend, I'm surprised she has not offered to step aside as your maid-of-honor because I'm sure she has done the math as well.

What you could do is ask her if she thinks it would be a good idea for you to pick a 'stand-in' for her in case the baby has timing issues and shows up at a bad time. Let her pick the stand-in! Even get a photo of her blown up to life size and have a cardboard cut-out made so that in the event your friend cannot be in attendance at your wedding, she can still be represented there.

Do what your heart tells you is the RIGHT thing--even if others think it tacky! If you really want your friend there and can think of no one you'd rather has as your maid-of-honor, then either change the wedding date to insure it goes off without labor pains or run the risk of her not being there because she had a more pressing engagement.

Good luck and congrats on the upcoming nuptials! I wish you a long and happy marriage!

Blissfully,
Laine