Wedding dress shop threatens bride with £450 fine unless she shed weight

A bride has allegedly been forced to sign a waiver from a wedding dress shop promising to go on a diet to lose around a stone or else pay an extra £450 for a bigger size

A woman says she’s been left horrified by the “toxic” waiver her friend has signed with a wedding dress shop. She claims her pal, who is about to get married, has agreed to lose around one stone in just four months, or else pay an extra £450. According to this alarmed friend, the bride-to-be has bought “a very expensive wedding dress from a well-known designer”, ahead of her big day, and went to get measured up this week.

During her appointment, she was advised that, as she was in between dress sizes, she would need to pay an additional £450 to have it fitted to her exact size or else “sign a waiver agreeing to lose around a stone before her final fitting.”

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Taking to Mumsnet, where she goes by the username @MotherofGoats, the “shocked” woman remarked that she found the waiver to be “horrifying and toxic”, and asked others whether this was a normal procedure for such pricey purchases.

She added: “She was expecting to have to pay £200 for alterations but the shop is saying because she’s in between sizes she needs to pay £450 for an in-between size. Surely the point about going to a bridal designer is that your dress is made to measure? Or am I just old-fashioned?”

People were divided as to whether or not the policy was fair. While some felt it was quite harsh, others argued that the shop must have been “stung before” by brides wanting cancellations or refunds, and were just out to protect themselves.

One person commented: “I worked in this industry for years. This is completely normal. She’s asked for a size smaller and therefore is agreeing to lose weight to fit into the dress. It cannot be the dress shop’s fault if she doesn’t.

“It costs them money and time to order it from the supplier. It’s absolutely right that they shouldn’t lose out if she doesn’t fit into the size she orders. She has the option to buy a bigger size. She is choosing not to. What do you think would be a preferable solution from the dress shop?”

Another said: “The better option would be to decline to sell a dress that does not fit at the time of agreeing to buy it. We all know people, both women, and men, who vow to lose a given level of weight and never achieve it.”

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