Attire & Accessories Forum

Bridesmaid Dress Prices

How much did your BM's pay for their dresses?  I picked out a dress that's on the pricey side ($284) and I don't know if that's much higher than average.  I feel bad - I can't find anything cheaper that I like. 
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Re: Bridesmaid Dress Prices

  • Dang. That's preeetty high IMO. My girls payed between 139-154 (3 different styles).
  • jagore08jagore08 member
    Seventh Anniversary 5000 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited November 2010
    My girls dresses were between $120 and $160 (all picked their own styles).  I asked my ladies what they were comfortable spending and I found dresses in that price range.  I do think that $284 is a lot of money for a dress you'll only be wearing once.  Did you ask your BM what their budgets were individually?
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  • That is really expensive for something they will most likely never wear again.

    Did you ask them their budgets before you chose a dress? We used DB and all of the dresses were between $100-130. And the nice thing is they could wear them again if they wanted.

    You could always have them chose a black dress in any style and do a sash or something for a pop of color.
  • No, we never discussed their budgets.  I should have brought it up before.  I went shopping with my MOH yesterday and she could tell I didn't like any of the other dresses she was trying on.  I have really made an effort to find a cheaper dress, but I keep coming up empty.  This dress is made by the same designer as my wedding dress, and I think it will look really good... I just hope there arn't hard feelings about the price.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_bridesmaid-dress-prices?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:97f6b100-33b4-49e5-b791-79596e773081Post:1244428d-7b82-41e2-bd22-282a230f102e">Re: Bridesmaid Dress Prices</a>:
    [QUOTE]No, we never discussed their budgets.  I should have brought it up before.  I went shopping with my MOH yesterday and she could tell I didn't like any of the other dresses she was trying on.  I have really made an effort to find a cheaper dress, but I keep coming up empty.  This dress is made by the same designer as my wedding dress, and I think it will look really good... I just hope there arn't hard feelings about the price.
    Posted by asummerly[/QUOTE]

    The BM's dresses don't have to match or even be similar to your wedding dress. Mine girls weren't and it still looked just fine in pics.

    You definitely don't want to lose friends bc the cost of their dresses was too much for them to afford. Have any of them mentioned they cannot afford them? At least they do have awhile to save for them, but if they cannot afford them and you are dead set on staying with that same dress, then you should be prepared to help pick up the remaining tab.
  • You need to ask your girls for their budgets on the double. It's unreasonable to ask them to spend that much on a gown unless they've already given you clearance for it. The way I see it, you can pick another dress (I'm having trouble believing you can't find something else you like at a more affordable price point.) or subsidize the cost yourself if you can't come up with something else. In answer to your original question, the dresses for my wedding were $150 and most of them got them cheaper on sale or eBay. I have never spent more than $200 on a dress and was pretty upset about that.
  • Yeah, I would definitely refuse to pay that much as a bridesmaid.  Have all of your girls even had the chance to try the dress on?  You might not like it as much on them, and they should be given a chance to try it on and weigh in before being forced to buy.

    If you're really dead set on this dress, you need to go to each of them, ask the max they're willing to spend, and pay the difference.  Just picking an expensive dress off a model and telling them to shell out for it is pretty much exactly the wrong way to go about it.

    Personally, my girls spent anywhere from $150 to nothing (already owned something suitable).  I would say that $150 is the max that I'd be willing to spend on two yards of fabric that will be worn for five hours and then buried in the closet, no matter how much the bride likes it.
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    Sometimes I feel like people think that brides are delicate little flower princesses who get all dressed up and pretty for one special moment of their dreams, when really they're just normal people who just happen to be getting married. Things shouldn't have to be sugar-coated for grown-ass women. -mstar284
  • Kate504Kate504 member
    100 Comments
    edited November 2010
    That is about what I paid for the dress in my sister's wedding. That was including extra length and including extra for being "plus sized" so adding $50 on to the originial cost. We got alterations for free. My sister also help pay for part of a friend's dress who couldn't afford it.

    The last wedding I was in a paid $125 from Davids and was't impressed with the dress.

    I know everyone is going to say that look at J crew (they are expensive as well)

    I have even seen people suggest Modcloth, Target, etc. That is just not me. To be honest, I was never asked about what I could afford when i was a BM in a wedding, the only reason the last wedding the she was trying to keep the dress price down was because it was last minute (a 4 month engagement). The cheapest dress i had was $80 and the girl's dad donated the fabric to us b/c he owns a fabric store and we paid to have them made, thank god b/c they were hiddious and hot pink!

    When my cousin got a Vera BM dress and she thought it was expensive she asked everyone and everyone agreed that it was ok. I guess in my circle we all agree that it is the bride's decision, not saying that any of us would pick a $500 dress. I think the $280 is a lot if you still have to pay for alterations and extra length, etc. We were lucky and got our alterations for free. I think you should factor in other costs for your BMs, such as alterations and extra length, "plus size" charge, etc. b/c that could raise the price of the dress really high.

    I'm not trying to sound snotty, it is just my opinion. I'm not saying things that i stated look bad, but it is not my style and not everyone can fit in a dress from those stores.

    A side note, there are a lot of designers that make similar dresses so it maybe easy to find a dress that looks similar at a cheaper coast.
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  • Three out of the five have tried it on and it is everyone's favorite.  I saw it on the rack before I saw it in a picture - If I originally saw the picture I probably wouldn't have expected it to be very flattering on anyone other than a model. 

    I spoke with my consultant when I was at the boutique yesterday and she said that they will give the wedding party and extra 10% off - so they would have the option of 10% + free alterations, or 30% cash and carry (and they would have alterations done elsewhere). 

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  • About $120
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  • Are you particular about what you want the girls to wear? If not, I would bring a bunch of them in the store to try on dresses. My BM's and I went to two stores, and the nine girls all tried on different dresses and amazingly they all agreed on one dress in particular at the price of $198. We got 15% off from Priscilla's of Boston since we were purchasing nine of them. Point is, the girls chose their dresses, I chose the color, and they were fully aware of the price.

    We don't know your BM's, and $284 may be fine with them. Don't tell them you found a dress they like, and see if anyone says they would pay up to $300. If they all say they would, then show them the dress that you really like. Let them be a part of the process.

  • That's expensive. I'd be pissed if a friend asked me to shell out that much cash for something that I'd only wear for one day.

    My BMs paid $129 each. I e-mailed them before we looked at dresses to ask what they'd be comfortable paying, and they both said that anything under $200 was good.

    You REALLY need to contact each of them, privately, and ask what they want to spend on a dress. Not, "The dress I love is $284, is that good?" You need to say, "What are you comfortable spending on a dress?" From there, decide whether the price works for everyone, whether you can chip in some money to each girl to bring down her price, or if you need to find something less expensive. The "perfect dress" is not worth putting a hardship on your friends.

    And keep in mind that the girls will likely have other expenses than the dress ... alterations, accessories, traveling to your wedding, maybe a hotel room, they'll probably want to get you a wedding gift and maybe a shower gift, and maybe they will want to throw a shower or bachelorette for you. There's probably zero chance that their ONLY expense for your wedding will be $284.

    Head over to the Bridal Party board and read stories from girls who are bridesmaids and are pissed that the bride never asked for their budgets and just picked pricey dresses for them. You don't want to do that to your friends.
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  • That is too much money for a bridesmaid dress-- unless, maybe, all your girls are successful professionals who would rather wear designer dresses. I'm guessing that's not the case.

    I think under $150 is ideal. There are many options out there. My bridesmaids are choosing their dress from DB-- whichever one they want, as long as it is long and Marine. That way they can decide if they want to spend $99 or $200. Plus I have 7 BM and there is no way one dress compliments 7 different people equally.
  • There's no reason it needs to be the same designer as the bride's dress, because often the bride's dress is much more expensive and nicer than the BMs. $260 is more than I would ever spend on a dress besides my wedding dress and if, for some random reason, I was going to spend that much I would not buy it in some random color/cut, it would have to pretty much perfectly fit my personal cut/color preferences.
  • Kate504Kate504 member
    100 Comments
    edited November 2010
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_bridesmaid-dress-prices?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:97f6b100-33b4-49e5-b791-79596e773081Post:5268e325-b547-4944-9d53-b2d9cc2d0b4d">Re: Bridesmaid Dress Prices</a>:
    [QUOTE]That is too much money for a bridesmaid dress-- unless, maybe, all your girls are successful professionals who would rather wear designer dresses. I'm guessing that's not the case. I think under $150 is ideal. There are many options out there.<strong> My bridesmaids are choosing their dress from DB-- whichever one they want, as long as it is long and Marine</strong>. That way they can decide if they want to spend $99 or $200. Plus I have 7 BM and there is no way one dress compliments 7 different people equally.
    Posted by Jookie77[/QUOTE]

    While this maybe good for you and your wedding, not everyone wants to go this route. Not everyone likes the dresses at Davids, they never called me when my dress was ready and they disregaurded the questions i had about alterations when i told them that i was losing weight and so I wound up with a dress that was falling off of me for a wedding I was in. A lot of people also like to a have a uniform look. For the record, I'm not doing the uniform thing.

    I'm not trying to down anyone, but I'm just saying that everyone on here gives this idea and while it may be good for some, it may not be good for everyone.
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  • I'm obviously in the minority, but I'm with Kate. I think it's perfectly alright to want matching dresses - within reason, though, and within your friends' budgets.

    The most I've ever paid for a bridesmaids' dress was $400 with alterations (a sweet friend, but a bride that had zero idea what normal people can afford - I was the only one that wasn't independently wealthy and I was 19 and too shy to speak up). At least it was gorgeous, and I wore it to a mardi gras bal a couple of years later. The cheapest I've bought was around $200. I've never had a friend do the "wear whatever you want" thing. That may work for some people, but for a formal wedding, it just doesn't. 

    Your number one priority right now should be to talk to them individually. Don't let them get sucked into a group dynamic - it's really hard to admit you can't afford something (or plain think it's too much) when everyone else is gung-ho. If they are all OK with it (and I mean no hesitating or hem-hawing) then fine. However, I think your second priority with these dresses is to seriously consider paying the deposit or some other portion for your friends if you want a dress this pricey. I think it's the gracious thing to do when you are dictating style/color/fabric at this price range. 
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_bridesmaid-dress-prices?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:97f6b100-33b4-49e5-b791-79596e773081Post:319ffaa9-bfee-4a61-83db-e5091a9c7eea">Re: Bridesmaid Dress Prices</a>:
    [QUOTE]I'm obviously in the minority, but I'm with Kate. I think it's perfectly alright to want matching dresses - within reason, though, and within your friends' budgets. The most I've ever paid for a bridesmaids' dress was $400 with alterations (a sweet friend, but a bride that had zero idea what normal people can afford - I was the only one that wasn't independently wealthy and I was 19 and too shy to speak up). At least it was gorgeous, and I wore it to a mardi gras bal a couple of years later. The cheapest I've bought was around $200. I've never had a friend do the "wear whatever you want" thing. <strong>That may work for some people, but for a formal wedding, it just doesn't. </strong> Your number one priority right now should be to talk to them individually. Don't let them get sucked into a group dynamic - it's really hard to admit you can't afford something (or plain think it's too much) when everyone else is gung-ho. If they are all OK with it (and I mean no hesitating or hem-hawing) then fine. However, I think your second priority with these dresses is to seriously consider paying the deposit or some other portion for your friends if you want a dress this pricey. I think it's the gracious thing to do when you are dictating style/color/fabric at this price range. 
    Posted by GeauxTigers17[/QUOTE]
    Sorry, but you're wrong.  Matching dresses do not imply a higher level of formality, not remotely.
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    Sometimes I feel like people think that brides are delicate little flower princesses who get all dressed up and pretty for one special moment of their dreams, when really they're just normal people who just happen to be getting married. Things shouldn't have to be sugar-coated for grown-ass women. -mstar284
  • The only time I've seen it done, that's the effect it had to me. They were all wearing different lengths and fabrics, and it just didn't look appropriate for wedding where the groomsmen had on tails. I DO think that looked less formal. I wasn't trying to imply that they all had to be the same style, but they definitely need to be in the same formality category (in terms of fabrics and lengths) and you are of course free to disagree with me. It's just an opinion, I'm not "wrong" for thinking it looks less formal.
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  • I was just referring to when people truly let you wear whatever the heck you want without parameters. Didn't mean to offend anyone. 
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  • $40 from Target.  They're matching.  It not quite what I wanted, but it looks great on the girls and they like it, so that's the most important thing.
  • I am in a wedding in March and the dresses are $184. Plus the shoes were around $35 dollars, which is not too much for me, but $284 for just the dress would have been pushing it. They probably won't say if that is too high because they won't want to hurt your feelings, but you may want to keep looking, or suggest they don't buy any wedding gifts for showers, etc and instead spend that money on the dress, if you love it that much and are willing to go without gifts :)
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