Acceptable Bridesmaid Price Range

bishoma · October 2010

I have been in 4 weddings this past year. I have paid anywhere from $140-$240 for dresses. And for the $240 dress I also bought $60 dollar shoes and alterations. It was for a good friend, however to spend over $300 for everything all in all I thought it was a little much. I was still in college at the time and hated asking my parents for help.

I think a reasonable price would be something around $200 if your bridesmaids are normal people with average incomes. You can find beautiful dresses for that price range that do not look cheap. All in all, if they really care about you they won't mind to spend the money, but it is important to keep them in mind.

SeptemberFall2011 · October 2010

I just asked my bridesmaids what they wanted to spend and as luck would have it the dress I wanted was under their budget!!

JloveB · October 2010

I say ask them and also even if a woman is well off...doesn't mean she wants to spend 400 on a dress she will probably wear once or spend that much on a dress period, not all people have the same shopping habits...I let my girls find a dress on their own with in a few rules...I didn't hold them to a price because they all are looking for something in the price range they can afford that looks how I want it...before buying the dress, they do have to send me a picture of them in the dress so I can approve of the purchase. My MOH for example found a dress perfect for the wedding on sale at BCBG from $164 to $40 dollars. My younger sister was looking at dressing that cost around 200 but she has no children and no major bills so it is her choice to spend that much but I wouldn't expect the other women to. Like it has been said...think about the other cost they will incurr for the wedding, traveling cost if they live out of town, hosting parties for you like the bridal shower.

beanz702 · October 2010

I am getting married next June and we just ordered our bridesmaid dresses. We got them off Victoria Secret online shopping...i did not know they have clothes! (And they are not skanky...just to put that out there =p) But they do, the dresses are gorgeous, and the ones we got are only $89!!! Then we can alter them how we want when they come.

Most of the dresses you can pick them in different colors (whichever color suits your wedding best) and they have tons of styles. Might wanna check it out

YukiAndJason · October 2010

My bridesmaid dresses are from J. Crew-- I have a range of incomes, ranging from the wife of an investment banker to a special ed teacher. J Crew worked great.

I specified a color and let them choose a style. With the fall sale, MoH's $225 silk dress was marked down to $42. They have great sales and the quality is good. And, you really CAN wear them afterwards.

kk942716 · October 2010

I went to davids bridal, chose the color i wanted and told my BMs to choose any long dress they wanted in that color. That way it was their choice on how much they spent. Also since i chose long dresses i said i wanted everyone to have silver shoes, but they could pick what ever they wanted since they wont really be seen. For the BM present i bought all the girls necklaces so they had one thing that matched.

I Want Cake · October 2010

I'm giving my BMs a color and a length (plum for BMs, light aqua for Jr. BM) and telling them to go for it. One of them is spending about $100 on her dress, MOH may be sewing her own. Jr. BM's dress will hopefully be less than $50 (she's only 12 and I don't need her in anything very fancy and I don't want to put her parents out too much). They'll all wear silver shoes (I'll probably pay for them) and I've made matching jewelry sets for each of them. I'm really not that concerned with the colors matching exactly, I just want to avoid making them go to bridal salons to spend too much on a dress they willl literally never ever wear again. I'd rather they shop from places they'd normally go to increase the chance of them not throwing away their money for the sake of one day.

For a general price range, it's all subjective, but I personally woudn't spend more than $150, and that's a stretch.

vbrooksutk · October 2010

I went with Alexia bridesmaids dresses (fabulous cuts, fabulous colors) and they were under $150. The jr. bridesmaids dress (ordered in flower girl size) was slightly less. I felt bad asking them to spend that much, and we're in the NYC area... the norm seems to be quite a bit higher around here.

brunettepride00 · October 2010

I would look at it from their position. If you were one of them, how much would you want to spend?

Another great option that I chose to do is getting the dresses made by a local seamstress. My bridesmaids are only going to have to spend $135, and they're going to be custom-made to their measurements and everything. That way you can choose the same consistent fabrics for your girls to choose-keeping the colors matching!

Good luck!!

Shorty4eva84 · October 2010

I agree with everyone else pretty much it's what your bridesmaids can afford. Some people now a days give their bridesmaids a color and let them pick a dress. For me, I got my wedding dress at Alfred Angelo and my bridesmaid dress is from there as well so they get $25 off since I got my wedding dress there. Total the dress is $115 after tax (before alterations if needed).

la108606 · October 2010

All of the bridal stores I've been to in my area (David's Bridal and local places) give the bridesmaids a discount on their dresses and accessories if their dresses come from the same store that you bought your wedding dress. This was a major help for my bridesmaids! The dress (after the discount) was only $99! This definitely helps since they do have so many other expenses to pay for (one of my bridesmaids is flying in from Colorado!)
I just thought I'd share this tidbit. It might be something to consider if money is a little tight.

matt&dana · October 2010

I had found a shop that rented not only tuxes but also the ENTIRE wedding party. after checking around I found a dress style at JC Penny for $85, and the rental for $113. I asked my girls which they preferred to do. The JC Penny option was for JUST the dress. The rental option was for the dress, shoes, corset and slip. They all agreed that they wanted the rental option. I set up the rental agreement back in February. I'm getting married December 04. That would give 9 full months to pay on the rental right? Less than $25 per month to have it done. Not a horrible amount to get ahold of. My sister of all people, waited until LAST SATURDAY to tell me that the reason she hadn't bothered to get fitted or anything is because she's not going to have the money and doesn't know how she would come up with it "AT THE LAST MINUTE". !!!!! I wanted to KILL HER! The downside of a rental contract is that you're STUCK with at least the number of dresses/tuxes that you sign for. So, I had to ask my sister - in - law to step in basically at the last minute because my sister was so inconsiderate. NO CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR HER!!!! But, the rental idea is still a good one because they don't have to worry about getting all the other things. It's kindof nice.

Moniqque · October 2010

This is something to consider...
if you can find a dress that can later be altered to tea lenght, they may not mind spending a little more on a dress they WILL use again ..
We found a perfect dress "Venus line" in egg plant/plum that also has junior bridemaid line to co-ordinate with materials..!!
Dress was 172$ ... plus alterations .. Juniors bride $121!

mby82266 · October 2010

JC Penny has a beautiful selection of formal dresses. they range from 70$ to 100$. They don't do alterations so you are on your own in that department. It is a great alternative to the bridal salons.

lavonashea · October 2010

It's great that you're sensitive to your friends' budgets and feelings, and if you relay your concerns to them, they will surely appreciate it. When I was deciding on dresses, I asked my sisters and friends how much their BM dresses were to get an idea of the average cost. I found that it seemed to be anywhere between $150 on the low end, to $250+ on the high end. When I talked price with my friends, they all kindly said "Get whatever you want, I'm just happy to be a part of it!" I ended up finding a Liz Fields dress that a local retailer sells for $150 that my girls will be wearing. Before finding that, I had some other ideas of how to keep everyone happy.
1. Pick a designer and color you like, then let your bridesmaids choose their own dresses. You'll be sure they all go together by color, and they can spend as little or as much as they want. Have them show you their picks before they order and let them know you have "veto" power, in case the dress is way off base with the others.
2. Short dresses are usually $20-30 cheaper than long ones.
3. Department stores carry great dresses that often go on sale. The risk though is not having all sizes available when they do get discounted.
4. Find a style you like, then find similar ones with other designers that you would also be happy with, and compare the price. You might find a match for a $300 dress for half the price.
And a big one:
5. SHOP AROUND FOR RETAILERS. All my BM's are getting their dresses through a retailer in Jefferson City, MO (Victoria's Bridal) even though some of them live out of state. One of my BM's in North Carolina tried on the dress at a store in her town, and the price they quoted her was almost $100 more than the boutique in Jeff City. It's going to be cheaper for her to have it shipped than to buy it locally. Find a dress you like and call all your local retailers to see if one of them is significantly less expensive, and even check smaller surrounding towns. You'd be surprised the difference it can make on the price of the BM dresses, and even your wedding dress.

Good luck! And try not to stress too much. Your friends are happy to be a part of your big day, the pricetag is secondary. Remember, you can always get them a thoughtful bridesmaid gift to show your appreciation.

nancylynn11 · October 2010

My sister bought her wedding dress and the bridemaids dresses from the JCPenney catalog. Shop around, sometimes "off the rack" really does work.

kenyataml · October 2010

All of my 11 bridesmaids are wearing different dresses with same material and color. I allowed them to choose their own dresses, which meant that they would choose their own price as well. It has worked out well because everyone has chose a dress that is within their budget.

crazylyssa07 · November 2010

Mine were $266, plus $20 for extra length for 2 of my bridesmaids. It was higher than I'd wanted, but the dresses are gorgeous, they can wear them again, and the alterations are only $30ish because the dresses are simple. I still felt bad, but none of them complained

lgrither · November 2010

The dresses that I have had to purchase in the past to wear in weddings were any where from $100 to $130 plus alterations if needed. I didn't think that was too bad. The dresses that I am currently looking at for my bridesmaids are in the same price range. I've also picked out dresses that can be altered and be worn again as just a party dress. I think thats best. I know that one of my BM's is greatful that she will be able to wear this dress again.

snowflake350 · November 2010

My bridesmaids got their dresses at Alfred Angelo and they were all under 150 and that's for floor length (that's with a 25 dollar discount from me buying my dress there) I let my bridesmaids choose the style of dress, I just choose the length and color. We had an excellent experience at Alfred Angelo, both with shopping for my dress and for my bridesmaid dresses.

awarm014 · November 2010

I think most people will go for the cheaper the dress the better, but you should still consider what your maids look best in. I have found that the dresses from David's didn't fit any of my girls or myself nearly as well as the others. I think if you can find dresses from a department store, that would work really well, you should go for that.

Acceptable Bridesmaid Price Range

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