Bridesmaids were told not to gain over 7 lbs because they’d look ‘plump’ in photos — and that wasn’t the contract’s strangest rule
'The entire experience was a nightmare from start to finish'
On September 7, 2026, a bride went viral online after a person (u/elladubai) disclosed an exhaustive contract she sent her bridesmaids before her wedding. The guest did not attend the wedding herself, but she heard from others that "the entire experience was a nightmare from start to finish." The woman posted a screenshot of the printed contract featuring 17 extraordinary demands the bride drafted for her 8 bridesmaids, including not gaining more than 7 lbs of weight and removing all jewelry to look like the bride's 'spiritual sisters.' Her post has amassed nearly 5,000 views. Moreover, the list has made people question the stereotypes of women’s body sizes and the peacocking nature of contemporary weddings.
No baby bumps allowed
The bride began her contract by thanking her bridesmaids for being part of her big day and explained how their collective support would help her minimize the wedding stress. She then laid down stringent instructions for the bridesmaids, many of which were excessively harsh. For instance, the bride made her bridesmaids promise not to gain weight before her wedding. "I will remain my current svelte self (although I may tone up a little more) because gaining more than 7 lbs (3 kg) may make me look plump in the photos that will be out there for all time and for strangers to look at (and I don’t want that! Lol)," the contract read.
Pregnancy was another concern for the bride. In Rule #7, she instructed the bridesmaids not to engage in unsafe s*x before the wedding "no matter how nice it may be or how much he promises to be careful." She also provided two reasons for making this demand. First and foremost, she couldn’t afford to buy a new dress in case the bridesmaid got pregnant. Secondly, the pregnant bridesmaid would make the wedding photos appear “lopsided.” The bride also asserted that the bridesmaids must contribute to wedding-related arrangements like reviewing her make-up throughout the day, setting the bouquet, and several other “scary and unpredictable things.”
The bridesmaids lost all say
Moreover, the bride listed several other rules that she expected her bridesmaids to follow. One pledge was not to “outdo the bride” in any way. She also demanded that ladies remove their personal accessories and look alike. The bridesmaids, whom the bride called her “Spiritual Sisters,” weren’t even allowed to keep a hairstyle until the bride approved the same. She even restricted the bridesmaids from consuming over 5 pints of alcohol. Last but not least, she also asked the bridesmaids to promise that they’d attend the wedding at any cost, unless a hurricane, monsoon, or tsunami prevented them.
Appearance is a big deal
The bride’s long-stretched list of demands sounds bizarre, especially the weight requirement, but shockingly enough, tons of brides across America do the same. A survey by Ivanka Prichard and Marika Tiggemann of 469 individuals (brides and bridesmaids) found that appearance and weight-related concerns are prevalent among many brides. For most, good wedding photos are a priority. In fact, 50% of respondents planned on losing weight before a wedding. Surprisingly, more than 10% of participants were asked by others to lose weight for the wedding. Similarly, in a Harris Poll of 2,073 US adults, published exclusively by Fast Company, 65% of people reported saying that the expectations from bridal party members are getting out of control.
'Frame this document'
Most of the Reddit readers said they’d tap out of the wedding, especially after reading the point about being “plump.” u/lilmemer3132 commented, “I do not like how much this bride is obsessing over other people's body sizes.” u/Spotzie27 said, “I'm going to pretend this is installation art, because I don't want to live in a world where it's real.” Others were left curious to know whether the bride actually got any bridesmaids after imposing so many conditions. The author hasn’t posted any updates on that yet.
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