Posted on 02/24/2008 5:23:22 AM PST by Huntress
Bridesmaids may soon be forced to sign contracts agreeing not to put on weight or get pregnant before a friend's wedding.
One in five brides-to-be is so concerned that her bridesmaids might let her down that she would ask her maid-of-honour to sign a written "pre-nuptial agreement", according to a new poll.
A bridesmaid contract is the latest American-style trend for brides
Despite the fact that 61 per cent of brides picked a best friend as their choice of bridesmaid and 49 per cent chose their sister, 48 per cent would sack a bridesmaid who failed to stick to the rules.
The survey of 1,000 women, commissioned by You & Your Wedding magazine, asked women which clauses they would put in their contract.
It found that respondents' biggest gripes were with bridesmaids who put on weight, became pregnant or changed their hairstyles before the big day.
A series of suggested clauses included that bridesmaids should not consume more than 10 units of alcohol or make any advances towards "inappropriate male guests" - or the groom.
Many women who had already married reported stories of their bridesmaids letting them down on their big day.
One woman said her maid-of-honour left her dress at a service station on the way to the wedding after deciding she didn't like it, while another revealed a bridesmaid had left 30 invitations unsent in her desk drawer.
Colette Harris, editor of You & Your Wedding magazine, said: "Planning weddings can be a stressful time for brides and while our contract is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, the survey demonstrates that issues with bridesmaids are of concern to many readers.
"Perhaps official contracts are the way forward for brides struggling to keep the peace."
Siobhàn Craven-Robins works with hundreds of brides a year in her role as wedding planner and has organised the weddings of celebrity clients including Joan Collins and Barbara Windsor.
"There has been a spoof contract like this on the internet in recent years but I'm not sure if the brides I know would actually use the real thing," she said.
The bridesmaid's contract is the latest American-style trend for brides. It follows the opening in Berkshire of the country's first bridal boot camp for women determined to shape up to fit into their dresses.
Trudy Dixon, the director of Bridal Boot Camp, said while many of the bridesmaids that work out at the boot camp had complained about the colour or style of the dresses chosen for them, few brides she knew would resort to such draconian measures to keep their ladies in line.
"I've been a bridesmaid several times and if I was presented with a contract, I would suggest they found another friend to do the job" she said.
I agree. Any bride who would make such a demand is sure to be a royal pain in the a$$.
HOW TACKY!
I kind of like the idea (I’m a male). If the groom approached me with one of these sort of contracts, I’d simply ask “how much are you willing to pay me?” That should end the conversation.
I just came back from Disney World. There was a huge waiting list of parents paying Disney $250 a pop to dress up their little girls like a princess-sorta like glamour shots. The dresses were embroidered with “little princess” on them. Parents were video taping their girls as they were doing their makeover.
Can’t wait to see what these girl are like when they grow up. We are raising a bunch of spoiled rotten kids.
You know you are a Bridezilla if you make your bridemaids sign a pre-numtual.
A bunch of shallow pathetic people if you ask me. They won’t stay married long if they can’t even have a close friend in their wedding without “issues”...
They wear ugly dresses, anyway: They're just there to make the bride look better.
Elope. It'll save so many things.
Goofy as this is, it's actually LESS goofy than the bride and groom themselves signing a legal contract before the wedding.
Our culture is trying to replace relationships with binding obligations.
The job of the bridesmaid is to make the bride look good. She should WANT bridesmaids that won’t upstage the bride.
ff
Well, my list of potential wives just got 20% shorter.
How about this, Miss Bride-To-Be? How about YOU sign a contract agreeing not to put on weight after we're married?
ping
I admit, I’ve watched “Bridezillas”.
In a way, its a little distressing to watch these women declare, “This is MY day!”, or “I am the princess, today. You all have to do what I say”. I wonder if any of these marriages last.
They don’t seem to have a clue what marriage is at all. Life is tough. Your marriage partner is there for you to help each other get through it in one piece and leave good behind.
for later
The root cause.
Consider that 1/2 the marriages end in 2 years the spoiled brats start again. There is now something called the, "starter wife".
No boinking of the best man until the other guests have finished dessert.
Any groom with a potentisl bride who has bridesmaid contracts should dump her immediately. She is never going to be worth the cost and effort.
It is black and white with no gray.Contract.....dump
I especially liked the one (or should that be ones) where the color theme was camouflage!
Mark
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.