As the perpetual bridesmaid in "27 Dresses," Katherine Heigl has 27 wedding stories to tell and a lot of colorful fabric in her closet. We asked who among our readers had been a bridesmaid the most times, and we heard from 21 readers, whose numbers range from four to a trio at 14 -- about half as much as that big-screen character but still plenty for real-life perpetual bridesmaids Beth Ann Gardner of Upper St. Clair, Faith Stipanovich of Mt. Lebanon and Celena Welsh of Burgettstown, who will be a bridesmaid again later this year.

We put the names of those three brave, loyal ladies in a hat and pulled out the name: Faith Stipanovich.

She will receive a Visa card loaded with $50.

In her essay, Ms. Stipanovich said of being a bridesmaid:

"Looking back, I would not have turned down any of the opportunities I had to participate in my friends' weddings even though there are some couples I haven't seen in quite sometime. Each wedding has its own unique memory."

And then she added:
• Number of times a bridesmaid: 14.
• Cost of bridesmaid dresses: $2,800.
• Number of paper plate ribbon bouquets: Hundreds.
• Lasting friendships, wedding memories and photos in bridesmaid dresses: Priceless.

Other entrants, in order of "times a bridesmaid":

• Fay Corey of Pittsburgh: 13

• Maria Matchett of Cranberry: 12

• Kathleen Schmidt of Oakdale: 11 with 3 in '08

• Jessa Gabler of Pittsburgh: 10

• Sara L. Sjoberg of Pittsburgh: 10

• Pam Simard of Allison Park: 8

• Rebecca Maddas of Uniontown: 8

• Alison Kay Huettner of Pittsburgh: 7

• Marlene Petrich of Plum: 7

• Nancy Mullen of North Fayette: 7

• Katy Gresh of Harrisburg (by way of Indiana, Pa.): 7 with 1 in '08

• Jennifer Johnson of Crafton: 6

• Kristi Herman of Pineville, N.C.: 5 with 1 in '08

• Megan Balsley of Pittsburgh: 5 with 1 in '08

• Sharon Cubarney of Pittsburgh: 5

• Priya Krishna of Pittsburgh: 5

• Tonya Dowdy of Pittsburgh: 4

• Stephanie Monyak of Washington 1 (lots of bridal bouquets caught, though)

Below are the essays offered by the entrants.

Thank you to everyone who entered.

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I have been a bridesmaid 14 times and will be a bridesmaid in April which will make a total of 15 times. The dress colors are a variation of different shades of red, green, silver, blue and black. And from my experience, no matter how nice the dress is.you will never wear it again!!

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Yes, I'm the 47-year-old bridesmaid. As I anticipated the opening of the movie "27 Dresses," I began reflecting on the 14 times that I have been a bridesmaid. Of the 14 weddings I've been in, I was maid of honor 3 times, only 3 of the couples have ended in divorce and yes, I've caught the bouquet 3 times. No two dresses were alike. I've worn green, green/white, black, silver, blue, pink, mauve and even a red, white and blue gown. I was able to re-wear 3 or 4 of the dresses and ended up donating the remaining dresses to resale shops and high school theater groups. I think I've played every bridal shower game around, danced to the Hokey Pokey, Twist, Chicken Dance and Electric Slide more times than I care to count.

Every time I was a bridesmaid since I turned 18, I kept thinking I was closer to my own wedding. As the 12th time I was asked to be in a wedding arrived, I was determined that my own wedding would definitely be lucky 13 for me. Alas, that day did not happen for me and when I was asked to be a bridesmaid for the 13th time, I hesitated, knowing that I was saving that trip down the aisle for my own wedding. Of course, I gave in, was a bridesmaid one time and then one more time after that.

Looking back, I would not have turned down any of the opportunities I had to participate in my friends weddings even though there are some couples I haven't seen in quite sometime. Each wedding has its own unique memory.

Number of times a bridesmaid: 14

Cost of bridesmaid dresses: $2,800

Number of paper plate Ribbon Bouquets: Hundreds

Lasting friendships, wedding memories and photos in bridesmaid dresses: Priceless

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Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The infamous saying girls don't want to hear. I've been married twice, still happily. One thing's for sure, planning weddings became a habit of mine. I've been in 14 weddings, that's right 14. The weddings were for 3 sisters, 2 brothers, 1 sister-in-law, 1 cousin, 6 girlfriends all of whom I've known for 30+ years (4 I'm still close with) and 1 girlfriend from high school.

In my first wedding, I was a 7-year-old flower girl. My last wedding I was 8 months pregnant and 36 years old. I've been maid-of-honor twice. I can't even remember. The largest bridal party consisted of 34 attendants. The dress colors varied. Some I still have, some were sold, few were reworn. I loved unique, fun, comfortable dresses. It didn't always turn out that way. Thank heaven my mom was my seamstress. (All those dresses) put a hole in the wallet. I don't think girls understand it's OK to decline if one cannot afford it. Most complain instead. Remember, IT'S THE BRIDE'S DAY.

The stories I could tell are endless.Things happen that aren't planned. For example: Dresses are missized or no one cares for the dress, bridesmaids fall for groomsmen, hair appointments are mixed up, and relatives are disagreeing over everything. I could write a book. But, when the day's done, everything goes without a hitch.

There are 3 reasons I love being a bridesmaid. The first is that I love to help plan the weddings. Second, the bachelorette party. It's a time to spend with the bride over dinner, a movie or dancing; again great stories. And most of all I love to be a part of the brides'/grooms' most important day of their lives. The word lives up to its name. You are the Maid to the Bride.

As I turn 40, no more weddings. I'm a cosmetologist and always give my clients advice not only for their hair but for all the planning. I love to tell my stories. I'm sure I'll continue until I retire.

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I have been a bridesmaid 6 times. I have to say that the worst dress I wore was in my sister Cindy's wedding. It was fluffy and fuschia and we had to wear big flowers in our hair. As I put it, "Why do I have to wear this garden in my hair?" In three of the weddings we wore black, which I don't know what that is saying about the wedding. Well, at least black made me look skinny, unlike the purple velvet dress I wore in my friend Jen's wedding that made me look like I had an inner tube around my stomach!

I was engaged once before 7 years ago, but that never happened. … I just recently got engaged on Christmas Day and feel pretty confident that this will end my streak of "Always a Bridesmaid and Never a Bride!"

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I was 13 the first time I was asked to be a bridesmaid (in my brother's wedding). As a sign of the times I wore a banana clip in my hair (it was 1988). My dress was teal and I couldn't have been happier. Since then (20 years -- yikes!) I've worn periwinkle, 2 navy, 2 hunter green, black, black & white, yellow, mauve, wine, and a red dress. That makes 12 weddings total! These days have held many memories. Some of them are unplanned incidents, including a brother changing a flat tire on his wedding day, power outages, florists running late, photographers trying out new comedy routines and organists imposing their will.

However, these items seem fairly unimportant compared to the beautiful photos with the ocean in the background, gorgeous fall foliage, and cloudless summer days that were custom-made for weddings. Unlike the common complaint, I have been able to use some of my dresses more than once and I swear I'll wear all of them at some point (which is why I still have them all). One thing I have definitely learned from all of these weddings is if you ask a bride what kind of jewelry you should wear and she responds "Oh whatever, it doesn't matter," that means you are getting a necklace, earrings and possibly a bracelet at the rehearsal dinner. More than anything I feel incredibly blessed to have been asked to stand beside family and friends on the most important day of their life.

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I have been a bridesmaid 8 times. For 7 of them, they fell within a 6-year timespan (1989, 2 in 1990, 1992, 1994, and 2 in 1995).Things got a little crazy, and expensive as many were out of town. It got so nuts that one of the brides had to change her wedding date as I was already in a wedding on the date that she had initially picked. For a while I, too, thought, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride," as I was not married until 33.

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My friend thought of me when she heard about this movie. While I have not been a bridesmaid many times -- only once in 1985 -- I do hold the Guiness world record for catching bridal bouquets: 12-13 times, I forget. So that may qualify for a "pity" award or something.

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Well were do I begin … there are five of us "girlfriends," all of whom are now married … .EXCEPT ME!!! I love these ladies and consider them my sisters, but I DO NOT WANT TO BE ANOTHER BRIDESMAID!!! I have been a bridesmaid, maid of honor, on the clean up committee, responsible to get the bride to the church, the dress to the church and have done just about every other responsibility that goes along with being a bridesmaid that there is, including having my foot run over by the very car I was helping the bride out of. Weddings are wonderful, they are even better when you enjoy them as a guest and I'm betting that it's the ultimate when you are actually the bride, but I have yet to find out. I have gowns that, you guessed it, I wouldn't be caught in again, that are cluttering up my closet and I can not even give away at this point so I'm stuck with them as souviners. It's very special when someone wants you to share their day with them, but from this point on I want to be the BRIDE or a GUEST!!! I'm hanging up my bridesmaid hat and it also helps that there's no one else to be married but me anyway. So …

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Grand total of seven! I was a bridesmaid for all three of my sisters-in-law, three college friends and a cousin. Weddings ranged from sweet on-a-shoestring, the day after college graduation, to a grand society affair at the National Cathedral, to a cheesy package deal at a wedding palace. (No correlation with the success of the marriages -- four of the couples are still married, three divorced. I declined officiating again when one of the friends remarried.)

Anyway, I have this dress collection. Four of 'em are floor-length blue chiffon -- NOT wearable again, ugh! -- along with a frou-frou pink floral number, a green Laura Ashley and a blue silk suit. Oh, and the little keepsakes, let's see, I have two pearl pendants, a brooch shaped like a dragon, a cloisonne pen, and, oh, I forget.

The funny thing is, I'm not the marrying type myself. So I've never exacted the Bridesmaid's Revenge, where you get to stuff the erstwhile bride into an ugly cocktail dress and make HER watch YOU swan around like Princess Puffinstuff. Oh, well! Maybe I'll impose a dress code at my funeral. :-)

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My bridesmaid career started at the age of 5 (flower girl if you wish) with my 6-year-old brother as my partner. Then another wedding for a friend and neighbor at the age of 6. This followed with 7 more weddings from the age of 19 to 22. Not many dresses were purchased, as traded, borrowed, and used again in other weddings. I was a student, then newly graduated nurse on a limited budget. We were all very thrifty at the time, as was necessary. I will always remember the weddings, as all of the brides were very close friends (and roommates).

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Five with one in '08: Hubba Bubba-Bubblelicious bubble-gum describes the pink satin color of the first bridesmaid dress I wore. To be honest, I did wear it again. I turned it into a Southern bell Halloween costume the very next year. After that episode I had begun to think that all brides put us in unreasonable dresses that they describe as simple or idea and reusable just so they look better in their wedding photos.

In the next two weddings I was in the dresses which looked too old for me. The first was of course some shade of pink with lace everywhere! The other baby blue, but this time it was satin which would be OK if it wasn't during the hottest summer month so you sweat and are wrinkled before the pictures even start.

Finally the last two dresses were lovely. Neither of them actually looked like a bridesmaid dress! They were designed in light frothy materials. The first in a divine mocha shade and the next in sea foam green with just the right amount of beadwork and laces. An of course both were beach weddings. so they looked heavenly and were accented by the sandy tones and aqua waters.

I have another one coming up in the '08 that I'm excited to wear. Here's the kicker -- I picked it! Maybe that is why I like it. I've decide that I'll be putting all of these brides and all the future brides in the dresses I wore in each of their weddings. The brides that were kind with the nice dress will appreciate it. The others that thought they chose the best dress ever will have bows on their butts and ruffles all over and will look fantastic in my photo album.

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I will probably not win the contest with being in the most weddings because so far I have only been in 5, plus one more coming up this summer. However, I am not out of my prime bridesmaid decade yet. You'd think after attending 20 weddings in the past three years I would have run out of friends. But no, there are still 4-6 of my good friends whose weddings I may be in the future plus the plethora of people I keep meeting during their prime dating/getting married period of life. I joked this past year that I'm going to start putting "professional wedding attendee" on my resume. I'm not sure exactly what that would tell employers except that most of my weekends are booked with attending showers, bachelorette parties, and of course the big day. It may say that I'm very loyal friend. Anyway, I do enjoy having these occasions as a reason for a reunion. I, myself, am in no hurry to walk down the aisle in a white dress, unless it's for the right person. So for now, I'll continue celebrating with my friends.

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Being in weddings is a favorite pastime of mine. Not only have I had the honor of being a bridesmaid 5 times, but I have also played the music at 3, sung at one and been a guestbook attendant, usher or reader at numerous others. I have participated in weddings of many faiths, so many (I've attended upwards of 40) that I could start my own wedding planning business. Now all I need are some Jewish friends of marriageable age. I have contemplated hiring myself out as a professional bridesmaid/attendant/usher
/reader/musician/vocalist-for all your wedding needs. I think there is some serious money to be made out there.

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I have been in 7 weddings in 20 years (1971-1991). I actually wore one of the dresses again -- to the 25th wedding anniversary party for the couple!

I always said if I ever got married, I would make the people whose wedding I was in wear the dress I wore in their wedding in my wedding! Well, 17 years after last being a bridesmaid, I am finally the bride!! And yes, I have asked all the women whose weddings I was a bridesmaid in to be a bridesmaid in my wedding if they wear the dress I wore!! All have said yes (and a few comments about my idea!). I have also asked my friend who without her I would have never met my fiance and his sister to be bridesmaids. I told them not to go out and buy a new dress but to wear a former bridesmaid dress. No two dresses are the same color so this will be one colorful wedding. My fiance told me he would work with me, not against me. The groomsmen will wear shirts that match the color of the bridesmaid's dresses.

In the true spirit of dress recycling, I am wearing my mother's wedding dress from 1947!

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I'm 29 years old, I've been in 10 weddings, and I'm still single. To many women 29, 10, and solo sounds like nightmarish statistics -- a decade's worth of "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride." Dresses of every shade of red lining my closet could resemble a blood bath of Bridezillas past, battling for their perfect day with unruly in-laws and ungrateful bridesmaids. We've all heard those horror stories. Fortunately, I've been in enough weddings now that I've come to enjoy the chaotic process of marrying off a loved one. So, you want me to wear taffeta? You got it! You prefer tea-length now? I know a good seamstress. You want me to write a poem?

Here's a haiku:

You want me to fly to England, ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or wear watermelon (surprisingly, a gorgeous color actually)? Done, done, and done.

I do it because my family and friends have asked me to be a part of their fairy-tale day. Sure, I could sit here and calculate the hefty dent the decade of nuptials have left on my bank account. But when everyone is still happily married, you can't really put a price tag on it. Instead, I've come to realize that I'm now patiently single because of my "career" as a now international bridesmaid aficionado. After witnessing how much it takes to pull off a wedding, let alone sustain a marriage, I've learned to hold out for my own fairy-tale. And I, of course, reserve the right to make my day as "perfect" as humanly possible. Besides, I'm sure if I ask nicely, all of my friends will be more than happy to re-wear my bridesmaid dresses when that day comes!

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When I was 9 and my godsister, Jill, asked me to be her flower girl for her wedding, I thought it was awesome. I was a flower girl twice, for Jill and for my cousin, Patti. When my friend, Kris, asked me to be a bridesmaid in 1990, I felt like I'd graduated into the majors. I didn't realize then that being a bridesmaid would similarly become a kind of career. Next were my brother Jon and Karen, July 4, 1992, and my brother Lee and Cynthia in August 1993. My sorority sister, Katie married Tim in 1995, friend Jenn married Mark in 1999, and another sorority sister, Olivia, married Casey June 1, 2002. I decided then that six times as a bridesmaid was enough, and I let my friends know that I hoped not to be asked again.

My best friend, Alicia, whom I've known since I was 4, asked me to be her maid-of-honor for her marriage to Adam in July 2006. This was a request I could not refuse. I tried, but she wouldn't let me. So, I was back in business. I think Emma was afraid to ask me, because she knew how I felt, but I stood up for her and Keith regardless April 14, 2007 in my periwinkle satin gown. The ninth time, I traveled to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Aug. 11, 2007 for Gabriela's wedding to John. Gaby always said she would never get married; happily, she was wrong.

I preferred the Mexican approach of my friend, Manuel, in Rio Bravo. In 1997, he asked me to be one of the madrinas, a godmother to the couple. Instead of wasting money on a dress I'd never wear again, I gave them the gift of the band for their reception and just enjoyed the party.

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(Grew up in Indiana, Pa., and lived there and Pittsburgh until three years ago.) I'm one of those girls who some people think is crazy because I love being a bridesmaid. Who doesn't delight in a wedding -- especially when it's not your own? Free-flowing champagne, cute groomsmen, swanky hairdos … what's not to love? You can have all the fun and only a tiny fraction of the hassle the bride endures. I've been a bridesmaid seven times, including three stints as maid of honor, and have another experience coming up this summer. I cherish all my friendships with the women who have given me the privilege (it really is a privilege, after all) of being a part of their bridal party, and I'll certainly always cherish the memories and pictures -- especially the candid ones. In fact, I've actually adored all the dresses I've been asked to wear. Seriously! I've even worn some of them for other events -- well, one of them.

As an only child, I think of my girlfriends as my sisters, and I'm thrilled that I've had the chance to be a part of such special occasions in their lives. It's a chance not only to dress up and have fun, but also to support those friends -- with bustling, bobby-pinning, busting up arguments, whatever the day holds in store. I'm 28, so while many of my friends are married, there are still more weddings to come (including my own … eventually) -- and I look forward to them all. So, clang your silverware against that crystal and let's raise our glasses to perpetual bridesmaids everywhere!

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"Lucky 13"

I never thought of myself as a "professional bridesmaid" until a friend stated, "If you are not walking down the aisle of the wedding I am attending, I think I am at the wrong church!" It was indeed an honor to be asked to be in 12 weddings and a bigger honor to have two brides agree to have thier attendants wear the same gowns so I could be a bridesmaid in both weddings.

Formaility, long gowns, high bodices, hats, gloves, best describes the attire of the 1960's and '70's. And can you believe I helped to pay my way through college by being a florist wedding assistant and was around weddings and lots of bridesmaids most every weekends. I just could not stay away from all that fuss! Ironically, when it came time for me to become a bride, I eloped to Virginia complete with flowers, attendants, rings, minister et al. How could I possibly choose just a few bridesmaids from among those dear 12 friends, and just for the record, wore a simple silk dress.

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My friends coincidentally call me the "perpetual bridesmaid," which has been an outstanding joke among my friends and family for several years now. Because of this, one of the former brides felt it was fitting to send this contest to me via email titled, "just for you." I must say the joke is getting old, but I don't mind. I'll go along with the fun.

Within the past 31\u20442 years, I have been a bridesmaid seven times and have a collection of eight dresses. If you do the math, it doesn't add up. Unfortunately, one wedding was cancelled, so I am left with a rather expensive dress that has been collecting dust in my closet for about two years now - a downside of being a bridesmaid -- the dress! Since that time, I have purchased another gown of similar color for the same bride. Each time the brides picked out the bridesmaid dress, I heard the infamous words "you'll be able to wear it again," but I have not wore any of the dresses since the wedding days.

On the upside of being a bridesmaid, I have had the opportunity to be a part of amazing wedding celebrations, most of which were traditional. Two of the weddings were held in my hometown, Uniontown, while another two were located in Morgantown, W.Va., and Belle Vernon, PA. Two others were held in the city of Pittsburgh in which one was featured in Whirl Magazine's Top Ten Weddings of 2007. The seventh wedding was the only nontraditional wedding, and it was located in Las Vegas.

Overall, I feel blessed to have been a bridesmaid seven times. To me, it is not about the dress, the location or the expense; it is about the friendship that comes before the role of being a bridesmaid.

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I'm 28, have been in 11 weddings, and have 3 on deck for this year, for a total of 14 weddings. For me the wedding madness began in 2001, with my sister's wedding, followed by a few cousins, my brother, and friends' weddings. I've been maid of honor three times, two of which I've had the honor of picking the bridesmaid gown, which I naturally picked ones that looked good on me! I've even been in a wedding where the bride gave us maids free reign to wear OUR CHOICE of a black dress -- any black dress we wanted! Yes, the expenses have added up, but I wouldn't take back any of the experiences I had. I had the option to say yes or no when asked to be a bridesmaid, and for me, the answer was always yes, of course.