Bridesmaid dress prices

scurtis07 · July 2010

What is the average dress price for a bridesmaid? I have been a maid in one other wedding and was recently asked to be one in another. The bride sent all the bridesmaids the dress she wants us to wear over email, and it was $350.00. The last wedding I was in the dress was $80.00. Not to mention this new bride wants us all to wear Jessica Simpson shoes for $75.00. Though I'll wear the shoes all the time, I am still taken aback by the price of these things! Is that a reasonable price? I can afford both the dress and the shoes, and from what I know of the other maids/matrons they shouldn't have a hard time paying for them either, but it is the principle of the thing..and what would I say anyways even is I couldn't afford them...? But that just seems a bit inconsiderate.. considering the other maids and I still have to throw a shower, bachelorette party, and get a gift for them...I'm thinking this is gonna cost me around $1000.

Maybe this is normal pricing? And I am just a thrifty planner, and so was my previous good friend bride? I myself haven't even begun looking for bridesmaid dresses, since I have too much time to change my mind!

**A bit of background on the girl and our friendship, she and I have been on the same equestrian team for about 6 years, and she is from a semi-wealthy family...like...decent home...but would rather spend their money on horses and family trips...and apparently weddings. She actually introduced me to my FI so, there ya go.**

Thank You!!

temerityjane · July 2010

I've been agonizing over keeping the prices as low as possible for our wedding party. However, you have to keep in mind that different people have different ideas of what a reasonable price is. The bride may be acting on her experience with other weddings, or may be acting based on the fact that she knows her wedding party well and feels it's affordable.

However, in my personal opinion, that's pretty high. That's higher than I would be comfortable asking someone to pay. There are plenty of lovely dresses available in significantly lower price ranges, and you're going to get 800 people in here talking about how they didn't require their bridesmaids to wear specific shoes or how they gave their girls a color and told them to wear any dress they liked, or how they don't even care if their girls show up naked because they're so laid back they plan on wearing a bathrobe.

The truth, I think, lies somewhere between your friend and the "I don't care what my bridesmaids wear because I am a super evolved way laid back candidate for best bride ever (in my mind)" types.

temerityjane · July 2010

Oh, hi. Jet lag. I has it. And it manifests itself in paragraph-long responses to simple questions.

tenofcups4me · July 2010

I agree that what's reasonable depends on the crowd, but wow -- $350 for a bridesmaid dress seems like an awful lot to me! I didn't ask my BMs to buy any specific dress (yes, I AM that wonderful

), but if I were a BM, I think I would probably find anything up to about $200 reasonable. And I'm certain that there are others who would find that far too much too.

[Deleted User] · July 2010

I wouldn't be in that wedding. I couldn't afford a $350 dress and $75 shoes. That is absurd. My MOH's dress was $125, but I bought it for her, and she bought new shoes though I told her she could wear flip-flops for all I cared.

I think the bride should have asked your budget before sending out that email. She needs to consider everyone in her WP, not just the rich ones.

aMrsin09 · July 2010

Does dress pricing vary by region?

When I was looking for BM dresses most of the ones I liked fell into the $130-$180 range. I wasn't seeing the $250+ until I got into the Jim Helm type lines.

rubyjem00 · July 2010

I personally find $350 to be ridiculous. I didn't spend that on my wedding dress so perhaps I am just a thrifty shopper like you. But I would have to decline being in that wedding because I wouldn't be able to afford that dress or those shoes.

It sounds though, based on the info you gave us, that $350 would seem reasonable to the bride. Do you even like the dress?

michaelandjulie2 · July 2010

I can't see myself buying any dress for $350, even one I could wear again and again. I guess the exception was my wedding dress. I might ask my friend if we could look for dresses that were closer to what you had expected. I think that under $200 is reasonable, but it all depends on what everyone can afford.

I would have felt awful asking my closest friends to spend even $200 on a dress, not to mention $350. If you don't want to risk causing conflict and you can afford it, I might not say anything, otherwise I don't think it is unreasonable to mention that you think that dress price is a little high. I would be trying to catch it on sale if possible.

I would probably spend $75 on shoes if they were cute and I would wear them again. I love cute shoes.

Manwaithiel · July 2010

Honestly, that's the price of decent wedding dress. Designer, please?

I didn't pick a specific dress. I wanted to, but my BM's all started liking different things (mostly different shades of blue). I live with 2 of them, go to class every day with 1 of them, and another one is my sister. I would never hear the end of it if I put just one of them in something they didn't like. Thus, I gave them some guidelines and we're all going to go on a big shopping trip in a couple weeks.

Only one of my BMs would be able to afford a $350 dress (that I know of). The rest would most likely think I'd taken a few crazy pills. I don't think I'VE ever spent $75 on shoes, so I wouldn't ask my BMs to do so. I'm telling them silver shoes. They're all fashion friendly ladies so I'm sure they'll look gorgeous.

So to the point, I think that's an obscene amount, especially with the parties you are planning on throwing. That's my take.

danieliza1127 · July 2010

I think about $150-200 is the average price. I tried to stay at $150 or below when I was a bride looking for BM dresses.

I do know that when I was MOH for my best friend, even though my dress was in that range, I still probably spent $1,000 on her wedding with plane tickets home for her shower and wedding and actually hosting the shower mostly on my own, and gifts.

rak123 · July 2010

I have been in 8 weddings. The dresses ranged from $100 to $160.

What brand is it? You can probably find it a lot cheaper online. There is no way in hell I would spend $350 on a bridesmaid dress.

aragx6 · July 2010

I wouldn't really bat an eyelash at a BM dress under $200, but I do think $350 is really quite high. And asking you all to wear matching shoes is just stupid IMO.

That said, if I could afford it and she was a close friend, I would probably just pay it with a smile. Doesn't sound worth being pissy over.

I think the dress when I was a BM was about $180 but because the bride also bought her dress at the same shop they gave us all a 10% discount. You might see if her shop would be willing to do something similar.

andyandhillary · July 2010

I've only been in one wedding besides my own but the average I've seen is $100-$200. My girls paid $165 plus shipping and could wear whatever shoes they wanted. Maybe this sounds bad, but it depends on the dress for me. If I will never wear the dress again (i.e. orange shiny strapless) I wouldn't want to pay more than $100. If it's a versatile color and style I'd pay $200 for it.

waltzingmatilda13 · July 2010

That's way too high, IMHO. I wouldn't expect anyone to pay over $150 unless I already confirmed that a higher price was okay. And I certainly wouldn't make someone buy a specific pair of shoes for a wedding.

heyimbren · July 2010

i think that's really high. that's before taxes right? yikes.

for my friend's wedding, we got our dreses for $30 (YES!). we had set a budget of $150 (seeing as half of us are students, and all under 21 years old) but most of the dresses we looked at in the boutiques were $150-$250. i think pricing varies by region.

the bridal party should set a budget that every person is okay with before deciding on dresses. then you look at dresses in that price range. it CAN be done.

i'd spend $75 on shoes if i could wear them again. my friend wanted us all in matching dresses and shoes (her pick, not mine) and the shoes were $45. but i can wear them again. and since the dress was so cheap, i decided to let the shoe thing go. they ARE cute after all.

i'd say for $350 you better find a lot of occasions to re-wear that dress

RosenB · July 2010

<div align="left">In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_bridesmaid-dress-prices?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:462c560f-82e4-45f5-93c0-e4de4742b2c4Post:bb6f402c-d421-4d91-a5a5-affef1856403">Re: Bridesmaid dress prices</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong><em>I wouldn't really bat an eyelash at a BM dress under $200</em></strong>, but I do think $350 is really quite high. And asking you all to wear matching shoes is just stupid IMO. That said, if I could afford it and she was a close friend, <strong>I would probably just pay it with a smile.</strong>Doesn't sound worth being pissy over. I think the dress when I was a BM was about $180 but because the bride also bought her dress at the same shop they gave us all a 10% discount. You might see if her shop would be willing to do something similar.
Posted by aragx6[/QUOTE]

I'm curious to know what exactly you mean by that statement (in the bold) because it can be taken 1 of 2 ways..

I'm reading it as:
a) you think all bridesmaid dresses under $200 are not even worth it because they couldn't possibly be nice enough
OR
b) paying $200 for a dress you may never wear again isn't a lot of money.

Also yes she said she can afford it now, but no one truly knows what their financial situation may be like months from now... so what may be affordable today wont necessarily be affordable later. I would definitely be letting the bride know that $350 is WAY too much for a dress. I would never had the nerve to ask BM's to pay that much for a dress they will wear for 4-6 hours.</div>

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

That's an awful lot, considering you have to pay for alterations as well. If you couldn't afford it, I would email her back and say, "I'm sorry, my budget for dress, shoes and alterations is only $200. I found these similar dresses that are cheaper." I'm sure she doesn't realize that not everyone is willing to spend that. If I could afford it, I'd let it slide... maybe. That's still an awful lot to pay for a dress.

AutumnFair · July 2010

Yep, too expensive for my blood even if it was my BFF or own sister's wedding.

pooh8402 · July 2010

way too much. I would never ask my friends to pay this much money for me.

polichik · July 2010

If you let us know what the designer and style is, I wouldn't mind helping you look online. Unless it's a Fall 2010 or Spring 2011 style, you might be able to find it online for a decent price.

I've never been a BM, and none of my friends are married yet, but I'd say I'd be comfortable spending up to $200 on a dress. I think it also make a difference how much advance notice the bride gives you. If I knew two years out that she wanted us to buy $350 dresses, it's easy to put away a few bucks a month. But only a few months out? I would have a hard time scraping that together.

The shoe thing would bug me on top of the price, but I'd wear them for the ceremony and promply change after. Then again, I have weird feet.

mags0607 · July 2010

I think it is steep for a bridesmaid dress, but knowing myself, if I could afford it, I would pay it.

I have friends that span a wide range of economic backgrounds with myself falling somewhere in the middle. So, I can see why, if she comes from money and is used to buying $400 dresses everyday, as are her friends, then she wouldn't think the price was outrageous. Then again, if she is from a family that isn't as well-off, I can see her not expecting such a financial commitment from her friends.

Also, what kind of wedding is she having? I would feel more comfortable spending that much on a BM dress if I knew her wedding dress was couture and she was having an expensive wedding. If the BM dress was almost the same price as her dress or this was a tight budget wedding, then I would have a huge problem buying such an expensive dress.

I say anything under $200 is fair, if everyone can afford it, but maybe see if she would look at things closer to that range if you are uncomfortable.

What designer is she asking you to buy?

ETA: holy wall of text. I'm nervous today and it shows in my rambling.

scurtis07 · July 2010

Sorry to leave everyone at the edge of their seatssss!!!

The designer is the same as her dress, Saison Blanche...??? I haven't heard of he/she/them before now, but the dresses are pretty.

I looked on the website for the designer and of course they don't list prices of dresses right there...but other websites have listed the dresses for cheaper, although I don't know if these are legit sites or not. Since it was a facebook message, to all the bridesmaids, anyone who responded sent a message that went out to all of us, and one of the maids told the bride she was asking for a bit much, and said if she had looked at all sorts of dresses and just HAD TO HAVE those dresses she would buy it (so what do you think bride will answer) but otherwise to keep shopping. I will totally wear the shoes again, infact if she ends up changing her mind I would get the shoes anyways lol. The dress can be warn again, like I go to the horse races a lot, so I could wear it there...or to a nice dinner...although I go to the races with half of the ther bridesmaids so...that'd be interesting.

Yes I can afford the dress, because I work hard, and make a comfortable amount. But that doesn't mean I am just looking for things to spend my money on. I responded to the message with a "you're lucky we love you". I'll live. Thanks everyone!

This is the dress

http://www.saisonblanche.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_32&products_id=228

and the shoes

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3099359?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=predictivesearch&keyword=jessica+simpson+women%27s+shoes&origin=searchresults

thesuninherhead · July 2010

I've spend $330 on a BM dress before, but the shoes etc were all chosen at our discretion so I was ok with that. I don't think it's very considerate of your friend to not- at the least- ask if you can afford the cost.

Goldlie11 · July 2010

The dress is cute. I personally don't like the shoes. Then again, I don't wear heels that high.

I'm assuming that she must think that you can afford the dress. $350 does seem high to me.

Bridesmaid dress prices

Re: Bridesmaid dress prices

Choose Another Board

Search Boards