Bao Bei'er and the bridesmaids. (Photo/chinanews.com)
With the duties of bridesmaids expanding, and in many cases bordering on vulgarity, many women are simply opting out and in their place females who don't mind carrying out the different tasks are stepping in, reported chinanews.com on Tuesday.
China has a long tradition of horseplay on the newlyweds on wedding night to spice up the atmosphere.
But in recent years, the target has expanded to the bridesmaids and in some cases to best men, too.
Bridesmaids' job went from accompanying the bride to gradually being asked to light cigarettes and feed fruits to guest to having physical contact with guests and even being asked to take off their clothes in front of everyone in some rare cases.
Sometimes a happy celebration turns into a headache due to the games played on bridesmaids.
The addition of games and accompanying humiliation has scared away the real bridesmaids who usually used to be the friends and relatives of the bride.
And that is where females who don't have qualms about vulgarity are stepping in to earn extra money.
In Hengshui, North China's Hebei province, a new trend is emerging where brides are hiring women from wedding management companies to play the role of bridesmaids instead of asking their friends or relatives.
Those young women are college students or in some cases even escorts and prostitutes.
According to a local wedding planner, the market price for one bridesmaid ranges from 300 yuan ($48) to 1,000 yuan.
A wedding dresser said many women see bridesmaid as a part-time job.
Liu, a local resident in Hengshui, said in many local weddings guests will be told beforehand if the bridesmaids are professional. If they are, the guests will play harder.
"Sometimes the games are too crazy, even hired bridesmaids feel hurt. They sometimes leave without even taking the money, or asked for double price after the wedding," Liu said.
