Bridesmaids-for-hire business booms

The market for hiring bridesmaids is substantial. Statistics from goofish.com, a secondhand goods platform, said the demand for hired bridesmaids during the May Day holiday in 2021 was more than 20 times higher than during the corresponding period two years earlier. The demand for hired groomsmen was 25 percent of that for hired bridesmaids.

A large wedding usually requires six bridesmaids and six groomsmen, while smaller weddings may have one to three of each. The fees for hiring bridesmaids vary, with top-tier bridesmaids charging 300 yuan ($42) to 1,000 yuan a wedding.

Hao Rongli, a 19-year-old nursing intern from a college in Qingdao, Shandong province, has ventured into the bridesmaid-for-hire business as a part-time job.

She has more than 300 bridesmaids available for hire and has bookings for months ahead.

As she tried to grab a bigger share of the booming market, she expanded her business network by visiting wedding planning companies in Qingdao to seek their cooperation.

Hao said there are several reasons the market will continue to flourish. One is that when a bride relocates to a different city to pursue her career and the wedding ceremony is held in the bridegroom's hometown, she may not have a close circle of friends there. Hiring professional bridesmaids allows her to avoid having to invite distant relatives or acquaintances.

"By paying for the service, the bride avoids any potential discomfort in asking people she isn't close to for assistance or feeling socially indebted to friends or family who come from a long way away," Hao said.

She added that a desire to avoid potential conflicts with the bride's zodiac sign was another reason couples opted to hire bridesmaids.

"According to traditional beliefs, it could potentially bring bad luck to the marriage if any bridesmaid has a zodiac sign that clashes with that of the bride," she said. "By hiring bridesmaids, couples can choose those with appropriately matched zodiac signs."