In 1989, Shelley along with Sela Ward, Brooke Adams and Stephanie Faracy starred in the telefilm Bridesmaids. It was about a group of friends who were reunited after a number of years at another friend's wedding. Because their bride-friend was so busy with wedding preparations, the four were left to catch up and discover new things about each other. The film wasn't just about the many things that binds friends together such as humorous anecdotes, common experiences, and secrets; but it also explored the varied and changing roles women were coming to terms with at the time - such as civil service official Kimberly's (Shelley Hack) dilemma of either having a baby or ending her marriage, self-made career woman Caryl's (Sela Ward) choice of becoming a single mother, Pat's (Brooke Adams) acceptance of the challenge that she could bring up her children well on her own, and Beth's (Stephanie Faracy) guilt of having unintentionally betrayed a friend's trust.