Weddings are supposed to be about love, family, and maybe one or two regrettable dance moves. But somehow, between cake tasting and choosing napkin colors, some brides forget that their bridal party isn’t a curated Pinterest board.
When friendship gets weighed against waistlines, things can get out of hand faster than you can say “bridezilla.” And when body image becomes the unofficial wedding theme, you know it’s going to get spicy.
One Redditor found herself blindsided by the world’s least romantic gift ever, a diet plan she never wanted, courtesy of a bride who apparently thinks Photoshop is so last season.
More info: Reddit
Some brides ask you to wear a pink dress for their big day, while others ask you to count your calories before the wedding
Image credits: Bradley Dunn / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Woman backs out of maid of honor role after fitness coach bride “gifts” her a diet and workout plan to “help” her lose weight before the wedding
Image credits: Natalie Runnerstrom / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The woman is a US size 10, with a clean bill of health from her doctor, but her friend thinks she should drop 30 pounds for the wedding
Image credits: Evelyn Verdín / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The bride and her fiancé come up with a fitness plan for the woman, expecting her to reach a size 4 so their photos will be more “symmetrical”
Image credits: Joel Lee / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The woman ditches the maid of honor role, planning to attend the wedding as a guest
Image credits: CoCoOhNoThrowaway
The woman reconsiders her friendship with the bride, who confesses that she wanted to use her as a “before and after” ad for her fitness business
The OP (original poster) had been besties with the bride since they were 5. The bride and her fiancé are both gym rats with shaker bottles for emotional support. The OP, however, is a proud mom of three, rocking a US size 10 like the queen she is, living a happy, healthy life. No body issues, no complaints, just doing her thing, with a clean bill of health from her doc.
So, when the bride rang her up, giddy with “exciting” wedding updates, the OP probably expected a chat about flowers or seating charts. Instead, she got hit with a surprise fitness plan designed to help her lose 30 pounds before the wedding. And all because she didn’t fit into the bride’s Instagram aesthetic. Apparently, if she dropped some pounds, their wedding pics would be more “symmetrical.”
Yep, this lady wasn’t trying to help her friend get healthy; she just wanted the bridal party to look like a protein shake ad. And she delivered this announcement with the enthusiasm of someone giving out party favors, not demanding a complete body transformation.
The OP was shocked, to say the least. To be clear, she never expressed insecurity and a desire to change. She was confident in her own skin, and honestly, good for her. But suddenly, she was being treated like a fixer-upper project. So, the OP declined the maid of honor role, because she’s not a prop, she’s human.
A healthy relationship is built on mutual respect, not conditions or silent judgments, and body-shaming your best friend is not part of the mix. Body-shaming can hide behind the disguise of “just looking out for you,” but it’s about control and image. Appearance-based criticism can lead to long-term issues like low self-esteem, disordered eating, and even depression.
Image credits: Oleg Lekhnitsky / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
What makes it worse is when it comes from people we trust. In this case, the bride disguised body-policing as a “favor,” but it was really a message: conform or be excluded. The pros would call that conditional regard (acceptance) – when someone gives approval only when certain expectations are met, like weight, appearance, or behavior.
Conditional regard teaches people they are only lovable if they perform a certain version of themselves. It damages self-worth and creates anxiety around being one’s authentic self. But the problem isn’t someone’s weight; it’s society’s obsession with thinness as the gold standard. And netizens tend to agree, because this Reddit post exploded, and so did the bride’s business.
Turns out bragging about turning your friend into a walking “before” photo wasn’t the branding move she thought it was. Clients pieced it together and dropped her like a hot dumbbell. Because after a long chat, she confessed it was never about health; it was about showing off a “fit mom transformation” in crop-top dresses.
And the fiancé? A true gem. He muttered that “anything over a size 4 is disgusting.” Ah, the sweet sound of toxic masculinity in its natural habitat.
At the end of the day, if your friends can’t love you at your comfortable, happy, and healthy size, you might need to reassess your relationships.
What do you think of this story? Should the poster try to save her friendship, or was her friend totally out of line with her plan? Drop your thoughts and comments below!
Netizens are shocked by the bride’s behavior, saying she and her fiancé were out of line
