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.
What do you call a 300 lb. bridesmaid at the wedding reception with a condom in her purse?
1/2 ton pick up with a bed liner...
Still drunk this morning?
LOL!
Whoa....I just went backwards for some of those rants.
LOL!
This one is a real piece of, um er ....work!
Come check out this fruitloop!
Dang Tom, reel that one in slow on 6 pound test line and it might be a record for biggest nutjob landed on a fly rod!
A kilt with a Prince Charlie coatee is actually the equivalent of WHITE TIE, so you'll one-up everybody there.
LOL!
Gotta run and give TheMom a beating because she took so long getting my breakfast this morning.
Just how damn long does it take to pour a beer over cornflakes?
LOL!
A good time was had by all!
The Mom didn’t hurt ya did she ?........:o)
A former co-worker of mine got married in some old Scottish castle (I forget the name) some ten years ago. I recall him talking about something of this sort way back then - apparently the wedding planner in the U.K. suggested it to his bride-to-be, but he talked her out of the silly idea.
I'd never heard of such a thing west of the Atlantic, and just prior to that wedding I'd been to about eight weddings for friends and family (funny how they cluster together). No mention of the "Don't Get Fat" contract. I dispute the writer's assertion that this is American in origin.
LOL!
I got $50 that says you'll wish you had 4 M-1's tied to yer privates instead of trying that.
Wear some big ol’ cowboyboots and go for the blacktie and boots theme.
Since these brides are so concerned about a wide range of behavior I wonder why the title of the article specifies “weight contract”? Probably a silly try at getting people stirred up to click on it. Stupid.
You had fun because you had your priorities straight. I wish you the best for you and your family
I’ve had a different experience with the poster so I’ll go by that.
Thanks. It’s odd watching these shows, weddings and sweet 16 parties (hey I watch cos I have kids, lol). It was starting to get bad back in the 80’s and today, whoa. All the fun has been taken out of the weddings.
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