Bride fires bridesmaid in email asking her to 'relinquish her duties'

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

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A bridesmaid who wasn’t fulfilling her bridal party role to the bride’s expectations was asked to “relinquish her duties” and return her wedding jumpsuit - to the dismay of the bridesmaid.

Courtney Duffy, one of the bridesmaids in the upcoming wedding for her friend Alex, had just booked her cross-country flights to the wedding when she received the email dismissing her from the obligation - so she begged JetBlue for a refund.

“SOS @Jetblue! Booked my X-C (cross-country) flights for a wedding then was asked ‘to relinquish’ my ‘duties as a bridesmaid and mail my bridesmaid outfit X-C so another girl could fill in and wear it (Happy bday to me!) I am laughing and crying and must avoid this wedding at all cost. Please help?” the dismissed bridesmaid wrote on Twitter, along with a copy of the email.

In the email, the bride-to-be wrote: “I’m so glad to hear you booked flights! I’m sorry classes are taking such a long time to sort out. I know how hard you’re working to be here for the wedding and it means so much to us!” before informing Duffy she needed her to do a “massive favour.”

Writing that this is “one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to ask anyone,” Alex then requested Duffy relinquish her duties as a bridesmaid.

According to the bride, when she’d asked Duffy to be a bridesmaid, she’d expected her to be available for all bridal party duties - including the bachelorette trip, prep, and the full night of the wedding.

“The whirlwind nature of what your travel has become just won’t work with the duties as a party member,” the bride-to-be wrote, referencing Duffy’s school obligations as an MBA student. “Please don’t feel you’re letting me down, I’m asking you to do this.”

The bride concluded the letter asking her former bridesmaid to “mail the jumpsuit” all the bridesmaids were required to wear to the wedding, a request she knows is “incredibly awkward,” but necessary - as she might have to ask someone else to fill the role.

“And if you’d like to chat on the phone, let me know! I promise we’re totally cool!” the bride wrote.

On Twitter, Duffy’s plea went viral - prompting people to weigh in on the tricky situation.

Many felt that the bride was asking too much of her bridesmaids.

“I’ve read this a half dozen times, and have yet to find any way that she could possibly think you will be ‘cool’ after this,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Brides need to stop treating their bridesmaids like unpaid interns. They’re not here to work for free. They want to celebrate with you and see you happy.”

Others took offence with the “jumpsuit” chosen for the bridesmaids and encouraged Duffy to do a photo shoot in the jumpsuit.

“Your bridesmaid outfit was a JUMPSUIT? Girl, that is a bullet dodged,” one person commented.

However, JetBlue is optimistic that the women will forgive each other in the future and remain friends.

In response to Duffy’s request, the airline wrote: “Hey Courtney, we’ve been thinking. The jumpsuit may have been borrowed, but we’ll bring the (Jet)Blue. When you’re ready to patch things up, we’d like to help make your old friendship feel like new. A future girls’ weekend is on us!”