[Tippiechick]

YES, YES, YES!!! If money is the big issue keeping you from committing one way or another and you think you might have to back out later, PLEASE tell her now.

I had to replace one of my bridesmaids three months before my wedding because one backed out. (It was the spouse of one of my husband's groomsmen who had thrown a FIT when she wasn't asked at first... Keep in mind I had only met her six months before the engagement!) Luckily, one of my cousins happily filled in. But, it is stressful enough to plan a wedding.

If she didn't ask you at first, it may have been a situation like mine. Maybe she was "forced" into asking someone else because she felt she had to ask a certain person. If that's the case, maybe you should look at it as if you aren't a replacement, but the one she knew she could count on in a pinch. My cousin that "took over" was my saving grace and someone that I SHOULD have asked in the first place.