Professional bridesmaid Kerstyn Walsh reveals the secrets of her unusual job

A professional bridesmaid-for-hire has spoken about the weird and wonderful aspects of her job as a hired wedding guest.

Australian woman Kerstyn Walsh is the country's first professional bridesmaid and runs her own business for brides who need a little extra help (or friendship) on their wedding day.

Speaking on Today Extra, Kerstyn says this year her business has exploded after the pandemic saw 2 in 5 couples postpone their wedding more than once thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"We had 22 weddings in March, alone," Kerstyn, the founder and director of Hire a Bridesmaid reveals. "We're all seeing a huge influx in weddings this year."

Kerstyn can be hired as a bridesmaid for women who want to bulk up their wedding party and also acts as a wedding planner or MC on the day.

She says some couples aren't shy about admitting they paid for a bridesmaid, while others prefer to keep it under wraps.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no," she said when asked about whether couples tell their guests about her.

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"I depends on what the couple want. Sometimes they are more than happy to say 'yep this is somebody we have hired to be here, not only to be my bridesmaid but also to do all the jobs'."

She says some brides want her to pretend to be an old friend and they need to come up with an alibi for their curious guests.

"Other times, nobody has any idea and we come up with a little backstory and I'm just there to support the couple," she says.

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"Usually something really simple, just for the simple fact it can be hard to remember a whole lot of detail. We usually talk about how we met and how we got to the day."

Kerstyn says she treats her clients like a "friend" when she is paid to be a bridesmaid on their big day.

But she isn't immune to the wrath of nit-picky brides who want everything to be perfect.

"It's that line between, are you my friend or are you a paid professional? And that's what we ty to do, we will treat you like a friend, but we will also do all those jobs and never complain about it," she continues.

As for any weird requests from the bride? "As a bridesmaid I've been asked to cut my hair and if I can dye my hair," she laughs.