Bridesmaids Paying for Dresses?

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Great tips! I didn't even think about colors being discontinued or weight fluctuation. I've already gotten my dress and I plan to get it altered about 6-8 weeks before the wedding. I guess with BM dresses they will be buying them in their sizes with no alterations needed. I appreciate it Judith!

They should pay for their own dresses. I've been in a few weddings and always bought my own. I'm having my bridesmaids pay for theirs. We have enough things we need to worry about paying. They just have to buy the same dress in the same colors.

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That was my initial worry was that the BMs wouldn't be able to afford it. I also wasn't aware of "normal" price ranges for the dresses so I didn't know what to look for.

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Glad you brought up costs for the bach party! I figured everyone would pay for their flight (assuming we go out-of-state) and we would split lodging accommodations.

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OH NO! lol. That's why I felt I should ask the experts here; I didn't want everyone to look at me crazy if I found something I liked and it was super expensive. Glad you found dresses that worked for everyone! Hope I can find some for that good of a price.

What a great question. Here is what I did. When I did the proposal I sent them an email that I had them read before they said yes. I made them think about it for at least 24hrs. In the email I let them know all their roles and my expectations. I also let them know how much I expect them to spend as a whole. My wedding is really fashion forward so I looked at dresses before hand to get a feel of what I wanted them to wear so I could get an idea of the price. I told them they need to pay $150 on their dress and I would pick up the rest but then they need to pay for alterations.

I didn’t want my BM to look like minions, so I liked the new idea of the same color scheme , but different dresses. I told them that I wanted them to get a affordable dress and and showed them how much it costs . I think it’s unfair in a way since us brides are paying a lot already.

I’ve always paid for my own dress when I’ve been a bridesmaid! It’s expected IMO. I’m just giving my bridesmaids the color I want and letting them choose their own dresses based on their budget and personal preference!

I bargain hunted and found mine on eBay for £20 each. I bought one just to check and demo on one of the girls. The quality was good so I ordered the rest and advised I'd pay for the dresses but any amendments that needed doing was up to them. I hope this helps.

I think most people would expect to pay for their own bridesmaid dress. For my ladies I’m only paying for jewelry and makeup. They are responsible for their dresses/alterations, shoes, and hair.

I offered to buy their dresses but two out of the three refused to let me. We got ours from Azazie. I chose a color and added a ton of styles with various price tags for them to choose from. They each wore a different style dress, same color. It worked well

I was super ready to pay for my MOH's dress (she's my only bridesmaid) but then I realized how expensive weddings were and saving wherever we could just made sense. It is VERY usual for bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, so I'd say have them pay and then you can offset costs elsewhere as your budget allows. If you pay for the dresses but then decide you want them all to have their hair done the same way and realize your budget is stretched more than you thought, you'll have a harder time saying "you need to pay for a hairstyle because I paid for your dress". Also, keep in mind the bridesmaid get to keep their dresses after the wedding, so asking them to pay for something that they can keep and reuse (or resell if they want) makes more sense then asking them to pay for temporary things that only last for the wedding itself (like hair, makeup, flowers, etc).

Because I only have my MOH and she lives out of state, she's not planning any parties for me, so her costs are pretty minimal. She picked out and paid for her dress (I gave her some guidelines but let her pick her own dress so it's something she really likes and feels she will wear again, and it fit her budget), and she can wear shoes and jewelry of her choice. We're having her stay with us in an AirBnB on site for the wedding, so all she is paying for is her dress and travel (but she's driving up with my mom and back with her boyfriend so probably won't even pay for gas), and maybe some food the days before the wedding. I think she wants to have her hair, makeup, and nails done with me but I'm not requiring it, so she's expecting to pay for those, but I wouldn't be surprised if my mom just covered the salon bill.

As for cost, budgets are different for different people, but I'd say $100-$150 is reasonable for a bridesmaids dress. However you can find dresses on sites like Lulu's and such in the $50-$80 range, so if your maids are on a budget, you can give them options or choose a less expensive dress. The more money you expect your maids to spend, the more versatile and flattering the dress should be, that way they really like it and can wear it again. Most maids will be less reluctant to spend more if they really like the dress, but if you are asking them to spend a lot on something they would never choose for themselves, they are going to balk at the price much faster. It's always helpful to have a discussion with your maids early on about expectations and budget.

I believe it's normal for them to pay for their own dresses so it shouldn't be a surprise being they agreed to be a bridesmaid. My girls paid for the own dress. I picked several that I liked in our color and they got to pick from those options. I got mine from David's bridal. They had sales 3x and I encouraged them to buy it during that time frame. Only one bridesmaid and my MOH did which they ended up getting it for about $30 cheaper. My other bridesmaid s ended up paying full price which was about $130-150. I will be paying for everything else.

I kind of knew my bridesmaids budget. So with that, I chose a few options from Azazie with different prices and let them choose. I then asked for half payment of their dress and paid it on my credit card. Once the dresses were shipped and handed out, I asked for the other half. It helped my bridesmaids budget and not feel like they paid around 100$ at one time. They really appreciated this because some just won't remember they ordered a dress.

You’re right! Weddings are expensive. What I did was set a price with the bridesmaids input. I tried to get everyone to pick their own dresses but finally I just decided they would wear. I told them if some of them needed help I would go half, but not pay completely for it. And they would have to let me know in advance. Maybe you can do the same thing but don’t stress yourself about. You have enough to worry about

View Quoted Comment My girls are getting theirs from azazie too!

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Good idea! I was thinking about this as well because David's Bridal has a credit card with interest free financing on certain orders. I will look more into this since you had a good experience. Thanks!

I wouldn't pay for the bridesmaid dresses myself; or at least I didn't' when I got married. And every wedding I've been part of, or heard about, the bridesmaids pay for their own dress. I definitely don't think it's unreasonable to expect them to do so. Now if there's someone you really want to be part of your day but they can't afford it, maybe offer to pay for the dress for them? Just be upfront on the cost and you shouldn't have any issues. I think most women expect to pay for the dress themselves anyway. Another option is to look at dresses on Amazon (which can be cheaper) or a rental service (like RentTheRunway). I think it's most reasonable to keep the cost of the dress under $200.

Of course you should have them pay for their own dresses. When you asked them to be bridesmaids they should expected to pay for them but it’s always good to mention it just in case. When I attended my sisters wedding our dresses were 120$ and I thought that was a reasonable price.

I’m having my bridesmaids pay for their own dresses but I’m also giving them many options. As long as their dress is floor length & the right color them they can get any style. David’s bridal has so many options at very different price points so they can decide what they want to spend on it.