Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet??

Pharo47 · April 2011

Hi everyone,

My fiance is behind on picking out the bridemaids dresses so it's crunch time. She's looking for a deep red either strapless or one shoulder. She's looking for a boutique that would fit the budget of around $200 max. She bought her dress at Hollywood Bridal in Kenilworth but I don't think she's going to find something in that range. I believe I saw flower gril dresses going for $180. Any suggesstions? We live in Old Bridge and all of our vendors are up in the Rutherford/Saddle Brook and Paramus area but the constant trips up there are starting to wear us out. Anything further south would be a little easier for all the girls to get up there. Of course if you really love a place in that area, feel free to put in the suggestion. Thanks!!

K&J64 · April 2011

Try Arlene's in Bloomfield, they have a ton of dresses under $200. Tell her designers like Alfred Angelo, B2 or Impressions are a good place to start looking as they're all rather affordable. I got Alfred Angelo dresses for my girls at Arlene's in two styles one for about $165 the other under $110!

akmackay · April 2011

There are a few places in the Red Bank area- Barefoot Bride and Mustillo's. Also Cinderella Bridal and True Love (although I believe Cinderella had a much larger selection) in Matawan. I got mine where I got my dress (Priscilla of Boston) and the girls got a discount. Maybe Hollywood offers this? My girls' dresses from POB were around$170 I believe.

mbcdefg · April 2011

You could try ordering from a department store:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/alex-evenings-one-shoulder-gown/2952482

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=531731&CategoryID=5449&LinkType=#fn=COLOR%3DRed%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D29

maddie7 · April 2011

Russells in Linden! Mine were $135! Alfred Angelo! Great place to work with and their prices are great!
http://www.alfredangelo.com/Collections/ProductDisplay.aspx?productID=707b85e7-8eb7-41ad-8b12-4e54980b26a2&categoryID=772f03c9-de43-4942-bfa0-da77e21ebd65&pg=1&colorId1=

Hollywood Bridal was much more pricey!

felicia220 · April 2011

Dream Dresses in Old Bridge on Rt 9. The place can get a little nuts with prom and all, but we had a good experience getting my mom's dress there.

asweet21 · April 2011

Try Hearts for You in Manalapan on route 9. We went there for mother of the bride/groom dresses and they were really nice. I was looking at BM dresses and they were reasonably priced. I think I am going to go there and look for my BMs.

JoBell123 · April 2011

I can't help with store suggestions (I got my BM dresses at Bijou in Paramus), but I went for Jasmine dresses that were under $200 (Bellsoie and B2 lines). You can see where down by you they sell them.

http://www.jasminebridal.com/

Denise91980 · April 2011

I got mine from Russell's in Linden. They were B2 and were $145. For flowergirl dresses try cutieclothes.com.

kristen8040 · April 2011

I would try eden bridesmaid dresses, the highest cost of the girls dresses were $180/ Not sure where they are located though.

cindyn9178 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_bridesmaid-dresses-dont-cripple-bridal-partys-wallet?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6af26ca6-9e27-4c5b-99bc-dd63780c2717Post:10a3b456-4b4b-432b-8da1-b34a8e37bb88">Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet??</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi everyone, My fiance is behind on picking out the bridemaids dresses so it's crunch time. She's looking for a deep red either strapless or one shoulder. She's looking for a boutique that would fit the budget of around $200 max. She bought her dress at Hollywood Bridal in Kenilworth but I don't think she's going to find something in that range. I believe I saw flower gril dresses going for $180. Any suggesstions? We live in Old Bridge and all of our vendors are up in the Rutherford/Saddle Brook and Paramus area but the constant trips up there are starting to wear us out. Anything further south would be a little easier for all the girls to get up there. Of course if you really love a place in that area, feel free to put in the suggestion. Thanks!!
Posted by Pharo47[/QUOTE]
I bought my dress from Hollywood Bridal also, and my girls got their BM dresses there. they were Bill Levkoff and they were $200. Plus, don't forget, Hollywood doesn't charge for alterations. I shopped around for the same dresses at other places, and Hollywood still ended up being the best price. I called multiple places including Russels, and Hollywood beat other prices on every dress we were interested in.
My mom also got her dress there and got it for $150 less than anywhere else she could find it.
Also, if your FI doesn't see a particular style there that she sees somewhere else, definitely ask them, because they can order it anyway, as long as they carry that designer. (that's what I did with my gown, and my mom's as well).

And also, some designers are more expensive than others. Alfred Angelo seem to be on the less expensive side, while something like Bill Levkoff tends to be more expensive.
(I do agree the Flower Girl dresses there are expensive, but everything else is very reasonable)

*Edit* - not sure how much some of the other salons charge for alterations, but I was a BM in a wedding last year and we got our dresses from Nordstrom for $100, but then I had to get it altered somewhere and the best price I could find was $75 (for a hem only). So it ended up costing $175 in the end. For me, it would've been more convenient to just get it from salon and have the alterations done there as well, rather than having to find someone to alter it.

diamondx423 · April 2011

Ditto Cinderella in Matwan and True Love in Marlboro (both on 34). Cinderella has a much larger selection but True Love is cheaper, so she could always look at Cinderella and purchase at True Love.

cutiepie12702 · April 2011

Me, my bridesmaids, and my flower girls got our dresses from Russell's in Linden - they have a huge selection and I think my girls paid around $165. My mom just got her dress from True Love Bridals in Matawan/Aberdeen (on Route 34) - she originally found the dress somewhere else for $650 and this place was selling it for only $500, so they seem to have good bargains there.

akcrrr · April 2011

I would suggest Lord & Taylor (they just opened a new wedding shop in Paramus), Macy's, or David's Bridal. They all have a lot of dresses under $200. You can also try Group USA in Secaucus or Elizabeth.

altimat873 · April 2011

East west bridals in secacus carries a lot of jasmine bridal BM dresses - very affordable and most under $200
We went with this one (in black) and it was $155 (it has pockets and comes with straps that you can make halter or spaghetti straps), so very reasonable to ask of your BMs considering Ive spent as much as $280 on an ugly brown dress lol

eleven29 · April 2011

My girls got their dresses from Castle Couture on Route 9 in Marlboro. They were right around $200.

jcg98 · April 2011

I'm going with Russell's also, since I got my gown there my girls are getting 10% off plus free alterations. But their prices seem to be in the ballpark. I am considering Alfred Angelo, which has a beautiful deep red called claret. Unfortunately the AA prices have gone up over the last couple of years, but for the most part they are under $200. Plus, apparently AA is the only designer out there that does not charge for extra fabric if any of the girls need a larger size. The other designer(s) I am considering are Impressions and DaVinci, because they share a factory so the colors are the same, thus doubling the dress options! The price points for both range from $120-$200.

Tara2316 · April 2011

My girls got their BM dresses at Bijou Bridal in Paramus. They wore Jasmine Bridal Belsoie and it was $180. They also got 10% off because I got my dress there as well.

smw42 · April 2011

I 2nd Cindy about Hollywood Bridal- and it just isnt' worth saving $10-20 going elsewhere and then paying crazy amounts for alterations. They do have dresses under $200 also! My girls wore Bill Levkoff full length gowns as well and their gowns came to about $180 after the discount for tuxedos.

peaches178 · April 2011

Another vote for Russell's!

sgdc2011 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_bridesmaid-dresses-dont-cripple-bridal-partys-wallet?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6af26ca6-9e27-4c5b-99bc-dd63780c2717Post:83e270ff-128d-4c85-a3b7-fe6c2c94329a">Re: Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet??</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet?? : I bought my dress from Hollywood Bridal also, and my girls got their BM dresses there. they were Bill Levkoff and they were $200. Plus, don't forget, Hollywood doesn't charge for alterations. I shopped around for the same dresses at other places, and Hollywood still ended up being the best price.
Posted by cindyn9178[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Similar.. Mine were Saison Blanche and were $170 including alterations.</div>

mmontroni · April 2011

Allure Bridesmaids- if you're in Paramus, stop at Martha's Place on Rt. 4 behind the Loehmann's- same prom-season deal, but the dresses were around the $180 mark. I found my BM dresses there but ordered them from Bridals by Roma since I had a discount after I bought my dress there- 15% off.

RamsKR01 · April 2011

I've gotten a BM dress from Hearts for You on Route 9 - Pretty decent selection at Cinderella in Matawan and I would also recommend Delores Bridal in Edison (right next to Menlo Park Mall). Someone else told me about the place my girls and mom all got their dresses their. The girls dresses were about $15-20 more than Cinderella but at Delores the price on them includes ALL alterations. I think my girls dresses were $170-200 each (they all got a different style).

gymchick05 · April 2011

I recommend taking a trip to Nonchalance in Morristown- we got our bridesmaid dresses for $120 each- Alfred Angelo. they gave us I believe a 20% discount cause we had at least 4 people.

I would also recommend Arlene's bridal- my wedding dress is from there and they are priced very well.

I was very against any expensive dresses for my girls too and found these stores to be great.

cindyn9178 · April 2011

Just keep in mind that many of these places charge for alterations. Some of them have a set fee, and some of them depend on what you need to have done.. so while a dress might only be $150 at one of these places, they could also charge $65 or $75 for alterations, and then you're not really saving any money.
For example, I had checked into Nonchalance for the dress we wanted, and even with that 20% discount, it was still cheaper going with Hollywood. (I don't believe Nonchalance does alterations but has a place next door that they use?)

StefaniBel · April 2011

I picked the dress of my bridesmaids at David's bridal. I believed they were 110 dollars each with the discount they gave us. I have a picture of two of my three bridesmaids wearing the dresses. The dresses were just to check their dress sizes, so they are in different colors in the picture, none of them is the color I picked.

On my search for bridesmaids dresses I also went to Arlene's in Bloomfield. They had nice dresses bellow 200 dollars. I just suggest not to go there on a weekend if possible. The place is not that big and when I went on a Saturday was super crowded.

smw42 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_bridesmaid-dresses-dont-cripple-bridal-partys-wallet?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:6af26ca6-9e27-4c5b-99bc-dd63780c2717Post:562719b8-d461-485e-8a90-d10060e2304c">Re: Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet??</a>:
[QUOTE]I've gotten a BM dress from Hearts for You on Route 9 - Pretty decent selection at Cinderella in Matawan and I would also recommend Delores Bridal in Edison (right next to Menlo Park Mall). Someone else told me about the place my girls and mom all got their dresses their. The girls dresses were about $15-20 more than Cinderella but at Delores the price on them includes ALL alterations. I think my girls dresses were $170-200 each (they all got a different style).
Posted by RamsKR01[/QUOTE]

Have you gone to Dolores yourself? Because when I went there I was totally totally turned off. The gowns were so dirty and had sweat and makeup stains all over them. It isn't worth saving $15 to deal with that type of environment.

maddie7 · April 2011

Dolores was filthy! I walked out, even the gowns were stained. I wouldnt rec. anyone go there. If you need that area, Menlo Park Bridal section of Macys.

Bridesmaid dresses that don't cripple the bridal party's wallet??

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