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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.

Bao Bei'er and the bridesmaids. [Photo/chinanews.com]

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.

Some reported bridesmaids' stories:

1.

Liu Fei (her name changed on her request), a woman from Hengshui, Hebei province, who had her wedding in the beginning of 2016, has a vivid memory of what her bridesmaids went through.

According to her, a group of male guests grabbed the legs and arms of two of her bridesmaids and threw the women on the bed in the bride's chamber. Then they came up with the idea to throw the bridesmaids on the best man.

Both bridesmaids were startled and scared by the incident.

She witnessed another game in another wedding that left her "shocked".

Bunch of people dragged the bridesmaids into a bedroom and intended to rip off their gowns. "Fortunately they didn't do it as the bridesmaids weren't married," said Liu.

But that was not the end.

Liu said after some basic games with bridesmaids, someone brought a pack of raw eggs, took one and stuffed into the woman's strapless gown down her chest and smashed it in the gown.

2.

A recent case that hit the headlines occurred at the wedding of Bao Bei'er's, a Chinese entertainment star, and Bao Wenjing on March 30.

Lots of showbiz friends were invited and one of them, Liu Yan, a celebrity known for her sexy looks, was one of their bridesmaids.

During the ceremony, several male guests carried Liu Yan and almost threw her into a nearby lake.

Liu Yan screamed but no one came to her help. The other bridesmaid noticed Liu Yan's unwillingness and tried her best to stop the game.

A video clip of the incident was uploaded online and went viral. It generated lots of condemnation and anger.

3.

A woman in Wuhan, Hubei province, who saw the video clip of Liu Yan's decided not to become a bridesmaid for her best friend wedding a month before the event.

She said she was afraid that she will be tricked into something like that, so didn't want to be a bridesmaid anymore.

The bride-to-be persuaded her that she will not allow any horseplay on her.

The woman asked the bride to sign a contract with the fiancé's family which stipulates that no male will physically touch the bridesmaid, not ask the bridesmaid to do anything beneath her dignity, and no one will force the bridesmaid to drink alcohol.

However, the future mother-in-law became furious. She said all the games are just for fun and celebration, and should not be treated as a big deal.

4.

Another case that caught the headlines occurred in Tai'an, Shandong province, in 2013. All the clothes of a 16-year-old bridesmaid were ripped off and several men touched her body. Six of the culprits were given prison sentence ranging from one to three years.

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