The highs and lows of a wedding are played out in Bridesmaids, with a few more lows than should be expected. The hit movie portrays bride-to-be Lillian going through the usual pre-wedding events with her group of bridesmaids.
However, an unspoken rivalry develops between the maid of honor, Annie, and her new close friend, Helen, which is sparked by the latter bridesmaid. Helen is crafty with the belittling moves she makes on Annie, in an attempt to appear as the better friend to Lillian. Somehow, her antics are overlooked by most of the bridal party, allowing her to get away with a lot more than she ever should have.
When Annie Meets Helen
"They're Literally Joined At The Hip, Which Is Good Because So Are We."
Annie first meets Helen at Lillian's engagement party and her first impressions aren't the best. Lillian seems to think Helen is a good person to have around, but it's evident from the start that she isn't to be taken at face value.
Helen turns the conversation into making a point about how close she is to Lillian, knowing that Annie is the maid of honor and clearly has a close bond with the bride. It's an odd start to meeting someone and she shouldn't be trying to make Annie feel like less of a friend from the off.
Helen's Speech Sabotage
"So Let Me Just Say, Lillian, You're My Best Friend."
As maid of honor, Annie gives a short but dignified speech at the engagement party, focusing on the bride and groom's happiness. Helen then decides to give her own speech, which wasn't called for and became too much about her friendship with Lillian.
During this speech, she once again let people (mainly Annie) know that she regards Lillian as her best friend, which was unnecessary. Doing her own speech was an attempt to steal Annie's limelight and begins her mission of driving a wedge between the two friends.
Knowing Lillian
"She Certainly Enjoys Playing Tennis Now. It's Funny How People Change."
Annie and Helen hang out together to get to know each other and to please Lillian. Before they play tennis, they sit and chat, but once again it turns into a conversation of trying to one-up each other.
Annie made the point that Lillian wasn't really into sports, but Helen decides to say that she's changed, hinting that perhaps Annie doesn't know her as well as Helen. It's actually the other way around, considering Annie and Lillian grew up together. It was another unnecessary comment on a day that could've been the start of a friendly relationship.
Money Problems
"It's On Sale!"
For Helen, money is clearly no object, but that doesn't apply to everybody else, which she chooses to ignore. Upon arriving at a bridal shop, Helen notices a "Fritz Bernaise" dress that she immediately decides is the best choice for the bridesmaids. Annie is startled by the price and shows Helen to let her know it's too expensive. Unfortunately, Helen's response isn't the one Annie was looking for, as she thinks it's a fair enough price.
It was wrong of Helen to assume the budget of each bridesmaid, especially as Annie was trying to point out that she couldn't afford it. Her inconsiderate side really began to show from this moment onwards.
When Helen Contacts Megan Before Annie Could
"Helen Called You, Didn't She."
The bachelorette party is one of the main pre-wedding events and is usually arranged by the maid of honor, which of course, would've been Annie in this case. But that was wishful thinking.
Annie's suggestion of going to a lake cabin where Lillian spent her childhood was shunned by none other than Helen, who thought Vegas to be a better idea. She beat Annie to the punch by contacting Megan, (played by Melissa McCarthy, who has some of the best quotes in Bridesmaids,) which she didn't have the right to do, so staying at the lake house was unfairly out of the question. Annie was opting for a nostalgic (and money-conscious) trip, whilst Helen, again, chose flashiness.
Annie's Flight Nerves
"Why Don't You Take My Scotch?"
Another reason Annie wasn't keen on going to Vegas was because she has a fear of flying, but that wasn't taken into consideration. Her panic sets in straight away and to calm her down, Helen gives her some tablets, later followed by some of her scotch, which patently wasn't a good idea.
Helen could've had good intentions, thinking that the scotch would work well with the pills. But it wouldn't be wrong for audiences to view the situation with a little skepticism, considering Helen's track record. Annie's bout of insanity results in mayhem on the plane, which wasn't really her fault, although this scene in Bridesmaids did produce some hilarious memes. Sure, she didn't have to drink the scotch, but her anxiety took over and she trusted Helen to help. Not a good move.
When Helen Stole Annie's Paris Idea
"I Told You About Paris, Helen! I Told You About This Whole Idea!"
The bridal shower had the potential to be the party that allowed the dust to settle after the Vegas debacle. It may have been one of the funniest scenes in Bridesmaids, but Helen chose to rub salt in the wound and organize the event in the French style that Annie had suggested, but was voted against.
Later on, it's discovered that Helen went even further, by gifting Lillian a trip to Paris, an idea that came from Annie, causing her to flip out. Annie comes off as the bad person in the whole scenario when it's Helen's constant attitude that pushes her. Annie's contributions to the celebrations were constantly pushed aside, only for Helen to then claim the ideas as her own and try to take credit.
Tracking Down Lillian
"I Have Organized Everything To The Last Final Detail."
On the day of the wedding, Helen can't find Lillian, so she turns to Annie for help. When her whereabouts is eventually sussed out, Helen breaks down to Annie, explaining that she doesn't understand why she's hidden away.
Even as Helen says she organized everything, it still doesn't occur to her that the way she took over the wedding arrangements might just be the reason that Lillian has felt overwhelmed. Helen didn't take the time to step back and find out exactly what would be to Lillian's taste, proving that Annie really did know Lillian better all along.
Expensive Wedding
"My Dad Can't Afford The Wedding."
After Lillian is found in her home, Annie goes in alone to speak to her. She reveals to Annie how much she's missed her and that Helen has taken over everything, to the point of not having her own preferences in any part of the wedding and her dad not being able to afford it.
It's not the first time that Helen hadn't considered money constraints, as she proved with Annie's money struggles. Seemingly, Helen is materialistic and her actions give one of the life lessons in Bridesmaids, that big and expensive doesn't make any event better. Her short friendship with Lillian wasn't enough for Helen to truly understand what her friend would like.
The Famous Wedding Singers
"Here With Us Tonight Is Lillian's Favorite Band, Singing Her Favorite Song, Put Your Hands Together For Wilson Phillips!"
Helen may have realized her mistakes before the wedding day, but by then it was too late, as her plans had already extended to booking Wilson Phillips to appear at the big day.
Wilson Phillips is a band that Lillian and Annie both love, so it would've been more appropriate for Annie to book the duo, instead of Helen. Yet again, she wanted to appear as the more caring person, fighting for Lillian's approval. But by this point, even Helen knew that she probably shouldn't have done it.