Acceptable Bridesmaid Price Range

PatientIris · October 2010

I have never been in a wedding so I really don't know. How much is acceptable to ask my bridesmaids to pay for a dress? None of us are made of money. I am planning on just picking a color and letting them pick their own style, and of course in doing so they kind of pick their own cost. But it depends upon where I go of course.
My future sister in law's bridesmaid dresses were $300, plus at least another $100 for alterations. When I heard this I just about had a heart attack. I know there must be cheaper, like Davids Bridal and the Alfred Angelo line. But I want to pick a price range that's pretty standard. Under $200? Just trying to get some ideas.
Thanks...

opalsky007 · October 2010

The acceptable range is what your bridesmaids feel comfortable spending. You need to approach each bridesmaid separately and ask what she's expecting to spend, since everyone's finances are different. Then, once you have that information in hand, choose a designer with options in those price ranges.

If you can't find a designer with options in the price ranges they mention, it's okay to choose a more expensive one, and subsidize the costs somehow.

aerinpegadrak · October 2010

It depends on if you want to pick a designer or not. I just told them to wear black, so they could get them from anywhere. (The only one who went with a bridal designer found it at a thrift store.) But if you're asking them to choose a dress from a specific designer, you need to make sure it's in their price range. Ask each one beforehand what they're comfortable spending, then find a designer who has options within the lowest number. If the numbers are too low for you to work with, plan on either chipping in toward each dress, or letting them get a dress from anywhere.

sister2groom · October 2010

Agreed, completely depends. If they're poor college kids versus high-powered work friends they're going to have different price ranges. And even if they do make a lot of money, you can't really assume they'd want to spend it on a BM for your wedding.

katanne9 · October 2010

Talk to your BMs about it. In general, the less $$ the more your BMs will appreciate it.

FWIW, my dresses were $50 from Macy's on sale and they really appreciated the cost savings.

lalap69 · October 2010

This is a question you should be asking your BMs, not us. Approach each girl privately and ask her what her budget is for a BM dress. The smallest budget becomes the ceiling for what the BM dresses can cost.

topchef33 · October 2010

I wouldn't ask them to spend more than $150....and I wouldn't want to pay any more than that either.

punkybrew612 · October 2010

I actually work at a bridesmaid's salon. usually for larger bridal parties there is a discount given. Which should contribute to a considerable savings. Try designers like Alfred Angelo and Jordan, they have very reasonable prices and TONS of colors. Bari Jay has sophisticated styling (read- dresses you might actually wear again) and also good prices. Try a line called Jasmine, it's new and all their styles retail for around $150 or less. Happy shopping!

christine825_us · October 2010

Also - please eep in mind the other expenses your BM's will incur...
Travel (if from OOT)
Hotel (if from OOT)
Hair
Shoes
Bachelorette party expenses
Showers
Gifts
Babysitters
Nails

Most of the time they will discuss the expense issue between themselves but won't to the bride because "it's her wedding and we don't want to complain"

Try to make it the most cost effective you can, even if you think money is not a big concern, it almost always is.

SoldierLovesSailor · October 2010

I was the MOH at my best friends wedding and I spent $150.00 on my dress plus another $50.00 on the undergarmet courset and shoes.

I am planning my wedding now and my MOH will be 8 months pregnant at the time of the wedding. I am opting to pay $50.00 to go for her dress and she can choose whatever she wants as long as it fits the color scheme.

fallingwater · October 2010

Ugh, I took my girls to alfred angelo - it was the most horrible experience. Not to mention that the beautiful dreses you see online are really made of chinsy material that look crappy in person. I say no to AA. Haven't been to david's bridal so I can't say on that experience. My girl's dresses were about $150, plus about $30 for alterations, and $25 for shoes. I bought jewelry, paid for them to get their nails done, they did their own makeup, and they had their hair done for $70. Its really all about what your girls can afford. Ask them for what they find reasonable, but FIRST ask them to look at websites so they can see what dresses are going for. If they say $75 for a dress, you know that you're going to have to do a little extra work to get to her level.

aerinpegadrak · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_acceptable-bridesmaid-price-range?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:20c0c134-aaf8-420d-9325-8c70c184fad9Post:439e65fe-9fef-4c91-b4e1-d46f6484cc0e">Re: Acceptable Bridesmaid Price Range</a>:
[QUOTE]Ugh, I took my girls to alfred angelo - it was the most horrible experience. Not to mention that the beautiful dreses you see online are really made of chinsy material that look crappy in person. I say no to AA. Haven't been to david's bridal so I can't say on that experience. My girl's dresses were about $150, plus about $30 for alterations, and $25 for shoes. I bought jewelry, paid for them to get their nails done, they did their own makeup, and they had their hair done for $70. Its really all about what your girls can afford. Ask them for what they find reasonable, but FIRST ask them to look at websites so they can see what dresses are going for. If they say $75 for a dress, you know that you're going to have to do a little extra work to get to her level.
Posted by fallingwater[/QUOTE]
I don't think they're the ones that need to do research beforehand. If anything, knowing that the average for a BM dress is around $150 is most likely to cause a girl who doesn't have the money to agree to the cost just not to make waves, and then the drama comes when the money hasn't magically materialized when it's time to order dresses. It saves a lot of headache down the road if the girls can be honest when naming their price ranges up front, and that means no leading questions from the bride. Just "What's the total you're comfortable spending on the dress?"

traffael · October 2010

I choose a designer that had a color that fits our wedding. I made sure the color would look good on all skin types. I gave my bm's 5 different styles to choose from. The prices all varied and it allowed the girls to choose the dress they felt most comfortable in. I then purchased them wraps in the same fabric, different color, so they did not have to purchase a sweater or something to keep them warm. Are wedding is in 2 weeks but I like the idea that the bm's had a choice and got to choose the style and price they were comfortable with, plus they are not all cookie cutters and neither are there dresses!

BoxOfRocks · October 2010

If you're going to go with a bridal designer for the BM gowns, check out the online retailers. My BMs' dresses (Alfred Angelo) came from Pearl's Place, and were 1/3 off of retail.

uagrad1993 · October 2010

I found it a little difficult to talk to my bridesmaids about money. They kept saying "whatever you want", even though I assume they probably have an opinion.

I am a teacher, my maid of honor is a teacher/single mother of three, bridesmaid #2 is a teacher/married mother of 3, and bridesmaid number #3 could afford to buy all of their bridesmaid dresses. Since I am also a teacher, I thought about how much I would want to pay and tried to stay in that price range.

The problem is, like Christine said, there are so many other things for them to pay for. In my case, two of the bridesmaids are plus sizes and had to pay $30 more for the plus size dress. Honestly, I felt bad, but I know I have to not worry!

So, I guess my advice is, if they won't give you a straight answer, try to put yourself if their shoes regarding money

UDangel529 · October 2010

I feel it's unacceptable to ask my family & friends to spend more on a dress than I would want to if I was a bridesmaid. For the one wedding I was in the bride picked the designer & color & we picked the actual dress. It worked out fine.

If you're going to allow the girls to pick our their own styles, I'd suggest going that route. Giving them too much freedome can actual backfire & cause more stress for you, plus I agree with whomever posted about each designer having a slightly different hue for the color you pick.

3 of my bridesmaids ae teachers, who by trade dont make a lot of $, I'm keeping that in mind with everything I'm having them purchase. My budget for the dress after tax before alterations is $150. I hope to keep it around $130. I also don't plan on forcing my BMs to get matching shoes & will probably allow them to wear black so they dont have to buy new shoes.

Hope this helps. Also...my opinions: Stay away from David's Bridal. They dresses are extremely poorly made & could stat coming apart during your ceremony. My bridesmaid dress (for the wedding I was in) as an Alfred Angelo -- it didnt cost alot but when I got it altered the seamstress said it was put together wrong & she had to completely re-sew it. Just be careful.

Depending on your style you can definitely look at Nordstroms, Macy's & J-Crew. They'll have great dresses & if you find them on sale you can definitely get a great deal!

marissa_claire · October 2010

1) We really aren't the people to tell you. You need to either ask them what their budget is or....

2) I would suggest choosing three dresses from three price ranges. Say one under $100, one up to $200, and one higher. All of a similar style. See what they go for, because odds are they won't tell you they love a $400 dress if they can't afford it.

goetzr19 · October 2010

It's all based on your BM's spending abilities. Talk to them, and if they are low, but you want a more expensive dress, pay the difference.

patriciamfox · October 2010

I persoanally feel that I don't want them to be spending over about $160 or so on their dresses... they will have other expenses and more then likely will never wear the dress again! If I was in a wedding I wouldn't want to spend more then that either! I decided to go with David's Bridal for my girls dresses... They have options and are picking their dresses from several I gave them to choose from. Each girl will have a different dress. I think the most expensive one is my Maid of Honors dress which i think is about $160 and the cheapest was $140 I think! I choose long dresses and I think this was the cheapest for a decent looking long dress that I was able to find... I was able to find short dresses at a cheaper price but i didn't want them in short dresses!

hoofbeats95 · October 2010

The dresses for my wedding are cost my BM's about $150. I refused to go over $200. They will never wear the dress again.

mLouden · October 2010

In response to what bridesmaids are supposed to pay for, they are NOT supposed to pay for their own hotel room. It's proper etiquette for the Bride or the Bride's family to provide lodging/hotel rooms for the bridal party if they are out of town. It's not fair to ask your attendants to book 2 nights in a hotel, PLUS a dress/shoes/hair/accessories, PLUS the bridal shower, PLUS a bachelorette party, PLUS a gift.

Arielfaith · October 2010

In my opinion I think its really uneccessary to go through a bridal company to get your BM dresses. You can find more unique, cuter and affordable dresses through Forever 21, Charlotte Ruesse etc. I found mine for 20 bucks on a asian clothing site. I loved the style of the dress and I found it kind of rude to make my BM pay a butt load of money for a dress they will probably only wear once. So look somewhere off the beaten path so to speak, and I think you like what you find. They are cheap, cute and most likely going to be more unique than your typical David's Bridal dress.

shelbywelch · October 2010

I gave my girls months to shoot each other emails with links to dresses they liked. (I let them choose the dress and the color)....finally we ALL went to the bridal shop together and they pulled dresses in their price range that they liked from the racks, paraded them out in front of me and I narrowed it down to 2 dresses - together they made the final decision on dress, price and color. It was actually very easy. - BUT, I'm lucky in that I have very honest BM's who voiced that they ddin't want to spend over $250. Their dresses were $189 from Dessy.

wakele · October 2010

I struggled with this too since I've been a BM in 4 weddings and all the dress prices were dramatically different. I think there are alot of things to consider - such as the $100 alteration, $50 matching shoes (if you exect your bridesmaid to match), and wedding day up-do that they will also fund. I wanted a particular gown for them though, so I paid the $200 each and used that as their gift for being in the wedding. I mean do they really want any memorabilia with my wedding date on it anyway?? (I still will engrave their champagne glasses for the sentimental ones.) I also picked a style that can be hemmed short for a stunning cocktail dress - I think they also appreciate that.

blackmandana · October 2010

my wedding is in may, my bm dresses are a cute wear-again style from davids bridal, they are $135 and their shoes were $62

jestrad2 · October 2010

I have bridesmaids from all over the money spectrum...two are full time graduate students (one being my MOH), two other ones have full time jobs and the other my future sister in law is a stay at home mother with a husband who is in the army. I totally looked around at David's and Alfred Angelo but none of those dresses where the style that I was looking for and plus they totally look soooo BM. I ended up having my girls go to JCrew for the dresses and just told them the color I was wanting and let them pick the style. While those dresses were a little bit above the price of the cheaper bridal stores and either on par or over that the boutiques cost, these are dresses that can be used again for nice events or just a night out. Another thing that was nice is that my girls had a long time and knew about the dresses way early in the process and didn't have to order their dresses till about 3 months out...so money never became an issue. Hope this helps and totally check out JCrew.

MissGideon123 · October 2010

I bought mine from chadwicks www.chadwicks.com for $27 on sale. they are fully lined and the girls really like them. they have many to choose from.

aileenchen · October 2010

I also agree that you should be conscious of what your bridesmaids can afford.

I ended up getting my bridesmaids dresses from www.Ideeli.com, when they had a Max & Cleo sale on dresses (it's the more affordable line from BCBG Max Azria). What would've normally been a $150 dress was only $55, and I was able to buy all 5 dresses at the same time. Luckily, I have my BMs on IM, so I sent them the picture of the dress to get their "blessing" before purchasing the dresses.

Luckily, the sizes fit them perfectly (with some minor alterations needed for some), but I'm sure my BMs don't mind paying for the alterations with the money they saved on the actual dress

Good luck with your BM dress shopping!

lesommeil · October 2010

I found the bridesmaid dress shopping to be the most stress-filled part of the wedding planning so far. I originally went with my bridesmaids to Alfred Angelo and picked out dresses. The style was great, but the color was kind of meh. When my fiance got fitted for his tux, I was just going to do a black vest on the groomsman and an ivory vest on the groom, but it make him look like a funeral attendent, so we went with the color vest, which looked great, but totally clashed with the shade of the bridesmaid dress. AA doesn't make their dresses in the colour I would need, and David's bridal styles all seemed really cheap and poorly made and both of my BM's hated them. We went through every store in the mall with no luck. My MOH and I made plans to check out the much pricier boutiques about an hour away from us, but while I was waiting for her, I decided to drop into the Ross Dress for less and browse. I found a satin Calvin Klein cocktail dress in the exact shade of purple I needed, originally $179, now mine for $50! Granted I had to go to 4 Ross locations, one of them 37miles away from my house to find the sizes needed, but they are all fantastic and need the bare minimum of alteration.

nordke · October 2010

I agree with checking out J.Crew. That's where my BM got theirs from and were very excited about the price ($150) and the fact that they can wear them again. We ordered them on-line with no problem. They were easy to return too since one BM found out she was pregnant and knew she would need a bigger size by the time of the wedding. They have a lot of different styles in the same color so it works well with the idea of telling them the color and letting them pick out the style. I'm going to let my BM pick their own shoes, but tell them the color, since we all find different kinds of shoes comfortbale and that way they can decide how much to spend, if they even need to get new shoes in the first place.

lindseymckeen · October 2010

I just did the same thing for my wedding with allowing girls to pick the style and I picked the color, fabric and designer. However usually the dresses by a certain designer all fall in the same price range. I went with Impressions and the dresses ranged from $130-175 and all of my 8 bridesmaids were able to get a different style since the selection in satin is so big! I picked the designer with the most styles I liked, there was one other designer but the prices were about $100.00 more and just not worth it in my mind. Also I looked at color swatches of each designer to make sure I got the shade I wanted.

good luck!

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