Should I pay for bridesmaid dresses?

BreeRote00

I think that you are going above and beyond making arrangements for the girls and paying for the travel to Spain. If you are not planning on buying them Bridesmaids gifts, then paying for the dress would be a very nice gesture. If you are planning on giving them each a nice gift for participating in the wedding then do that and let them pay for their own dresses. I think doing both would be too much. Save the extra money for your honeymoon!!!

maryalli

I am paying for my bridesmaid dresses. I think the custom of asking them to buy something you want them to wear for your wedding is not considerate. If I want them to stand with my at the altar and wear something in particular, then I belive it is the right, kind, considerate honoring thing to do.

vracioppi

i am actually paying for the dresses for the ones that are coming out of the country like my cousin in ITaly and in Canada, but they are the only ones just becasue they are coming out of the country.

heatherb84

Sorry ladies but I disagree with almost all of you. Regardless of how much the dress costs, your bridesmaid should be well aware of the costs of the day including dress, jewlery, shoes, make-up, hair, mani/ped, etc. and assisting with showers, etc in preparation for the day.

If they cannot afford to be in the wedding, it would be better for them to admit it rather than complain about it. If you as the bride are aware of someone's tight financial situation, talk to them about the expenses prior to asking them and making sure they are okay with it. If they can't afford it - have them do something else special at the wedding that won't cost them a few hundred dollars.

Wedding are extremly expensive and the last thing your bridesmaid should be doing is complaining about how much their dress is going to cost them! As to the original poster - you are giving them a free trip of a life time - if they can't afford a $200 dress, then I think there is a much bigger problem!

All the best in  your wedding planning & budgeting :-)

jeneye75

If I were you I would. We are paying for the bridesmaids attire and the mens tuxes. It just seemed wrong to us to ask our friends to give up so much of their time and then have them pay as well. If we going overseas I would try to pay for some of that as well. I don't think you have to. But like everyone else said it would be a nice gesture

katyalan

I know how expensive it is to marry someone from another country, I'm doing it! My bridesmaids paid for their own dresses. I would have loved to been able to help, but I can't. They didn't care at all, they're just so excited to be a part of my wedding! Good luck with yours!

edm2000

I've never understood how women can spend 25-30 thousand dollars on a wedding and have the nerve to ask their bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses. If you ask someone to be in your wedding party then you should fit the bill because you're the one who asked them to paricipate.
Pay for the dress and the bridesmaids can cover the cost of everything else such as shoes, etc.

eaglenightshade

I bought my bridesmaids everything apart from underwear and shoes and that was only because they are too personal to match.

can your girls afford to purchase the dresses themselves maybe instead if wedding gifts.

Speak to them and come to some arrangement.

But remember is you are asking them to pay you have to let them have some say in the dress style.

petesa01

I say no because you said you're paying for spa treatments. With my wedding party I am either paying for their hair/ake up or for their dresses. Since they weren't required to go it's fine that you're not paying for them. I was just part of a destination wedding and the fact that you arranged housing for them is really nice so I wouldn't worry about the dresses. Obviously, if you can find it in the budget it's always a great thing to do!

jkcampb

I agree that if you can afford to help, your bridesmaids would appreciate that. I am paying for my sister's dress because she has an 11 yr old and twins (one with major medical issues). She really can't afford to put money into travel or the dress but she hasn't made any complaints and said she would find a way to get here. My mom and I decided to help alleviate some stress that we're going to cover the cost of the dress. However, I am not paying for anybody elses dress because we just can't afford to on top of everything else. Since I am making them pay for their dresses I am putting them in two-piece dresses and letting them pick the top. I'm also making sure they are each in a color that compliments them so that they are more likely to wear it again.

If you haven't ordered the dresses yet and aren't set on a style you could consider letting them pick their own style so that they are more likely to wear it again. That way they won't be spending money on a dress they'll only wear once, on top of all the other costs.

paulykira

I don't think its traditionally required. Unless you decide on something super expensive, they should be able to decid if its in thier budgets. My maids are all paying for thier own attire, but I also let them choose thier attire so they were in control of what it cost and looked like. They just had to follow my color scheme.