Bridesmaids Finances

We are paying for our bridesmaids. They're the people we've asked to stand by us on this huge day and have done/will be doing a lot for us in the run up. For us it was a no brainer. Though keep in mind we only have two girls to pay for! If money is tight, could you stretch your budget to cover one of these things?

View Quoted Comment Yea see my problem is that i have 8 bridesmaids 🤦🏾‍♀️ I screwed myself! 😩 i have to figure something out

View Quoted Comment I think i should be able to cover a few things but i know for sure not all of them. I got myself in a huge situation

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Okay well 8 girls means covering it all is out of the question. And that's fine!! Look, these girls love you and know its costing you A LOT to do this, they wouldn't have said yes if they didn't want to stand with you on your day. If you find you have any room in the budget to cover hair or make up, great. If not, that's fine too. I'd say write them a heartfelt note and maybe a small gift to say thank you. Or maybe even go for a makeup trial together and make it a girls day, then they can do eachothers makeup on the day from what you learnt?

My bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses and hair. I will be paying for their makeup, and have purchased them satin robes and a gift for the day. I think as long as you are open and honest with them about how much it will cost and whether they are okay with it- then it should be fine

If you’re requiring that they get their hair and makeup done, you should be paying for that. If you can’t afford that, make it an optional service and then they can pay for it if they want it done or they can do it themselves.

View Quoted Comment That’s a good idea! Thank you so much for your advice. Much appreciated and I’m definitely going to squeeze something in for them! They’ve been here through everything!

View Quoted Comment Yea that’s what i was thinking. Maybe take care of the makeup or the hair. They are both roughly around the same price! I’m actually in the process of ordering them robes and slippers! I want them to know that i do appreciate all of them! I’m super excited!

As Sarah said above - I think the general rule of thumb is that they cover their dress, and if you're requiring anything else (hair, makeup, nails, shoes, etc.), you should try to pay for it. But I totally get that it adds up quickly. I'm telling my girls that I can make hair and makeup appointments for them, but they're optional, and I'll pay 50% of the hair costs if they want to have their hair done. I think if I were in their shoes I'd want to do my own makeup since that's easier for me to practice, and get my hair done since that's not something I'm good at.

I'd have a one on one talk with each of them about budget and see what they say. If they say okay then don't sweat it

Everyone handles it differently! I have a large bridal party too so coveting everything would be difficult. Dresses were about 100-150 (they got to pick the style), and many of them are traveling so I decided to make the rest as easy and affordable as possible. Getting hair/makeup professionally done was optional, some people prefer to do their own anyways. And I told everyone to just wear black or nude shoes, whatever they already have. We’re providing breakfast/lunch the morning of the wedding. And since parking near my venue is sometimes tricky, I’m going to pay for them to park in the ramp across the street (probably only $7 pp and some of them will probably drive together anyways). Just a few examples of what you can do to make things easier on them

You should ask each of your bridesmaids, in private, what their budget is for a dress. That way you can choose one that is affordable for everyone. You could also give them a color and length and allow them to choose a style that they like and a dress within their budget. As far as hair, makeup, and accessories, you are only responsible for these if you're requiring them to wear their hair/makeup a certain way or wear specific jewelry. If you're leaving the options open, they can choose whether or not to pay for professional services.

Nobody ever paid for anything for me when I was a bridesmaid or MOH. I only had an MOH as an adult attendant. I didn't pay for her dress but I let her pick what she wanted. She could have chose a dress for 40 bucks if she wanted. I didn't make HMU mandatory. She did want to get her HMU done, so I paid for it as a gift to her. When people say yes to being in a BP, they know they will spend money. As long as your considerate of their budget, it will work out fine.

It's custom for your bridesmaids to pay for their dresses. Average BM dresses range from $100 - $150. Any specific accessories you want them to wear, you should pay for. But if you don't care what they wear, then they can handle their own. They can also pay for their own hair & make up, if they wish to get it professionally done, as long as you don't require they do. If you require them to get professional hair & make up, then you should pay for it. Hope that helps!

My bridesmaids paid for their own items. The costs I covered were their gifts. That being said, I gave them a store and a color and let them pick their own dress, didn't care what shoes, accessories or jewelry they wore, and I gave them the option to have their hair & makeup done at the salon with me. It was absolutely not a requirement. Had I required the hair and makeup be done by my stylists, I would have paid. Had I selected a specific dress, certain shoes, certain jewelry, etc - I would have paid.

My girls will be paying for their own dresses (and alterations) and their own way to fun events (BACH party and Bridal Shower) and their own way to required event (wedding weekend). However, I have been and will continue to buy them things to use at all events such as wine glasses, water bottles, jammies, socks, etc as well as paying for their hair and flowers. I have 7 Bridesmaids and a JBM (my daughter who obviously I’m paying everything for lol). I’ve taken full advantage of our engagement time and bought stuff here and there as I see things. Talk to your girls and let them know what is expected of them to ensure there are no miscommunications/misunderstandings. I’m sure they all anticipate paying for most of their things. I’ve made a spreadsheet of expenses for our entire wedding including wedding party members so I can give them an estimate on cost if they would need help.

Mine paid for their own because they got to decide everything themselves which meant they could have chosen something really cheap aha but I always offered to help them if they needed it, I certainly didn't mind. It is a lot of money especially if they have to travel. My moh and bridesman both had to travel to come to my wedding so it was a lot of added costs cause of that and I truly appreciate them for it.

One of my friends went to this bridal sale where bridesmaid dresses were only $30 each and she also had 7 girls. So she ended up just buying all 7 dresses there for them.

Typically the BMs are responsible for the cost of their dress/shoes/hair/makeup. If it's in the budget, obviously its a nice gesture for the bride to cover what she can, but definitely not required. If you are concerned with how much they have to pay, you can always make hair/makeup optional. Typically if its required by the bride, the bride should pay, but if you make it optional (and obviously trust your girls who opt out not to show up looking a hot mess) then those who want to save the $100+ bucks on those services have that choice.

I am not paying for anything for my bridesmaids. They have had the option to pick any dress they like that works for their budget as long as it’s the color I wanted. As far as hair and makeup it’s optional. So if they can’t afford it they don’t have to get it. I will be getting them gifts, but I couldn’t afford to make that big expense either cause I also have 7 in my bridal party. None of them had a problem with paying for everything.

My girls paid for their dresses and since I'm not requiring them to get pro hair and make up or their nails done so they will pay for that also if they choose to have those services. The only thing I will be paying for is their bridesmaid thank you gifts.