Who pays for bridesmaid dresses?

lindseysilva2009

I have 4 bridesmaids and 1 MOH who are in LA, Boston, and Philly. I was initally planning to split the cost and pay for half of the bridesmaids dresses since the dresses I like are ~$200 (Vera Wang dresses).  Does the bridesmaid still pay for the dress or are brides now splitting the cost with their bridesmaids.  I really don't want to have matchy bridesmaid dresses that you only wear once because they look like bridesmaid dresses (ie. David's Bridal). However, if my bridesmaids pay for the dress themselves, the dresses will need to be no more than $100 (and probably buy from David's Bridal). Any thoughts?

jeannigirl

Your wedding party pays for their own dresses. $200 is a lot for a dress that they would wear once. First did you ask them individually what they could spend for a dress? If you didn't then you need to do that, separately not has a group. Because most people will do with a yes because they don't want people to know that they couldn't afford that.

gottahavashorti

Normally the bridesmaids cover the dress, but sometimes the bride opts to.  If you want the $200 Vera Wang dresses and their budget is $100, I think you should cover the difference.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Traditionally its the BMs, but it's a very nice gesture to offer to cover all or part of the cost, especially since some are travelling and incurring additional costs for your wedding.

mags0607

I know one of my bridesmaids probably will not be able to afford her dress, and therefore told her I would cover it.

 It is a very sweet gesture to pay for some of the dress, if not all of it. But, only if you can afford it. If you like a dress that seems to be out of the BM budget, then I would offer to pay the difference if you really want that dress.

banana468

Generally the BMs pay for their dresses but they also have input into the cost.

megk8oz

From what I know, the BMs pay for their gowns, BUT the bride is supposed to ask each BM individually what she can afford before selecting attire.

If I fell in love with a $200 dress but 1 (Or all of my girls) could only afford $100, I'd either find a new dress (That met their budget) or I'd cover the difference.

If somebody can't afford, please find utilize one of these compromises. A friend of mine was asked to be a BM when the bride picked the dress before she picked the BP. When she asked everybody and told them what the dress cost (Basically it went "Will you be my BM? This is the dress, it costs x"). My friend immediately told her "I can't afford that", to which the bride replied "Oh, well, I guess you won't be in the wedding after all" ... needless to say, the friendship didn't survive that conversation.

Blusieme

Traditionally BM pay for their own attire but if they cant afford it, and you really want them in your wedding, then something has to give. If you can, offer for half of each girl's dress. Would be a nice gesture. 

Since I am having a destination wedding I gave each of my BM $300 ea. - they can use it to cover their expenses such as their dress, travel & hotel stay for the weekend, etc. The bride is responsible to cover all lodging, but I was only able to afford $300 per BM & they can use that as they wish. 

PS: I thnk $200 for a vera wang is a steal! 

Best wishes to you...