Bridesmaids Dresses Rent/buy?

Our bridesmaids are picking their own styles. We gave them a website, color, and length.

I actually didn't know you could rent bridesmaid dresses...

They bought their own. One of my bridesmaids got both a rental and bought one just to see. The issue with rentals is you can't alter them so I wouldn't suggest doing so.

I picked a colour and length on Azazie and am letting them pick whichever one they want. They have more than 200 choices as a result. They are buying them.

I'm planning on doing what your sister did. I found this website, Birdy Grey, and all of their dresses are $99, which personally I think is fair, and I know my girls will be fine with that price also. I didn't want to pick one specific dress for everyone because as you mentioned, I want everyone to be comfortable. I picked the color and length and other than that, I don't care.

I picked a color, fabric and length from Azazie and let all the girls buy their own dress (and pick the style). I prefer to buy as a bridesmaid because I'm short so I almost always need alterations.

My girls got their dresses from David's Bridal after we went to several bridal stores and none of them really had anything. I had them all wear the exact same dress except for my maid of honor. She had a problem with the dress so she got a different one a week before the wedding. I talked to each person before we went shopping to get an idea of what everyone's budget was. If I had to do it again, I would have told them the store to get the dress at and the color and length, but let them pick the style of the dress. Personally, I've never heard of renting a bridesmaids dress. We had a bridesman and groomsman in our wedding and the bridesman worn the same thing as the groomsmen and the groomswoman worn the same thing as the bridesmaids. My husband wanted me to pick the groomswoman's dress because she tends to not dress the most appropriate and he was worried what she would show up in. It was a valid concern since she picked out like heels that looked like something a hooker would wear despite us requesting that she wear appropriate footwear.

I guess I'm just concerned that $100 seems excessive to me for a dress that's for one particular occasion. I think I got my maid of honor dress for my sister's wedding at H&M for like $40. But... I guess that may just be my way of thinking and other people understand??

View Quoted Comment Hundred dollars is actually pretty cheap for a traditional bridesmaid's dress. My girls paid about $200 for their dresses. It differed because some people bought theirs at different times. H&M wouldn't be considered a traditional place to get a bridesmaid dress, but you sister must not have cared. The places people have suggested are traditional bridal shops which is why the pricing is more.

I gave my BMs a certain color I wanted, but they're free to choose any dress from anywhere in that color!

View Quoted Comment

True! She didn't care, so long as it was the right color. I'm actually aiming to have my wedding dress in the $150-$350 range, so in comparison, it just seemed really high.

Thanks for all the options! I do like Azazie's styles and convenience!

View Quoted Comment In my opinion I think it would be difficult for your bridal party to match colorwise if they are getting dresses from different stores because every designer has a different shade of each color. If that's your budget for your wedding then yes $100 is high, but I also think that is a very low budget for a wedding dress unless you plan on buying one that isn't from a bridal salon or one that is a sample.

I’m doing Azazie too!

i picked 20 of my favorite styles (in blushing pink) and asked my MOH and bridesmaids to select one from the 20. I will be paying for their dresses but any exchanges and alterations the will take care of.

View Quoted Comment

True; that's a good point. With my sister's wedding we all had a different shade, but it actually was a nice little gradient that just happened to work!

And I've been able to find some dresses in my price range, thankfully; it doesn't need to be from a bridal salon (especially because the majority are long dresses). Azazie and Unique Vintage (a shop at my mall carries some of their clothes!) have some that tickle my fancy.