Bridesmaids

Is this strictly speaking for the wedding and not including any pre wedding events? And did you have to travel? Cause for me I have to spend $100 just for flights to get to the wedding I’m a bridesmaid for. $400 seems ok to me cause I’ve legit seen people on here spend $200-300 just on the bridesmaid dress omg

I don’t think that there really is an average, it’s different for every wedding and bridal party. The only thing they technically have to pay for is a dress, everything else is optional.

I think it depends because every wedding is different. I think a couplet hundred is normal but $400 seems a bit much

I feel like I've seen $1000 as an average, but I think that includes every wedding related expense including prewedding events, travel, and gifts. Since every wedding/location/social group is different, there's a huge range. Typically bridesmaids are expected to pay for their dresses and alterations and any travel/hotel expenses necessary for attending the wedding. The bride shouldn't realistically be asking for more than that, but other expenses could be related to the bridal shower and/or bachelorette party. If the bride is requiring you to have your hair and makeup done professionally, she should pay for it. If it's optional, it's probably on you, but you also have the option to do your own and not pay for it.

This is for pre wedding and wedding. My dress alone was $190. Everyone has to have the same hair, shoes, earrings, nails, and makeup. The only thing I didn’t have to buy was the earrings because the grooms mother bought them. I guess I have the mindset that if the bride is going to require something, then she needs to pay for it or at least contribute?

I think it really depends on the wedding and what all you're counting towards the total. Bridesmaids dress/alterations, shoes, and hair/makeup only? Or all of those plus pre-wedding events (bridal shower/bachelorette party), hotel/travel expenses, wedding gift, bridal shower gift, etc.? It definitely adds up, but costs can also be drastically different per wedding. Hair/makeup may be cheaper for one wedding, and more expensive for another. One wedding might have a destination bachelorette party over an entire weekend, while another one might do just a night out on the local town. I think it'd be tough to determine an average cost for bridesmaids.

View Quoted Comment If the bride is requiring you to have your hair, makeup and nails done, then yes, she should be footing the bill for those items!

It depends. I’m in a wedding and the hotel alone is nearly $200 for one night. Add the dress, hair, makeup, nails, wedding gift, shower expenses, shower gift, engagement gift, and bachelorette expenses and it’s a pricey undertaking. Being in a wedding is expensive. That’s part of why it’s such a big deal.


That said, hair, makeup, and nails should be optional unless the bride is paying for it. Bridesmaids should only be obligated to show up at the correct time and wear the agreed upon attire. Anything beyond that is just a bonus!

I think it really depends on the bride and the wedding. The first wedding I was in my dress alone was $320, then hair and make up was another $120, but that was all I had to pay for. The second wedding I need to travel, so I had a plane ticket and hotel in their and I probably spent closer to $1000 with everything. Then the last wedding I was in I was responsible for the bridal shower and got very limited help, so it was much more expensive. Being a bridesmaid is a major commitment, I was very upfront with my expectations and I told them if they’re having a problem to come to be privately so we could find a solution without causing any major sirs in the group. Being in a wedding is expensive!

I was recently in a wedding. They covered my nights of lodging which was helpful being out of town.
Dress - 100$
Certain shoes 20$Hair and makeup 130$Gift for wedding/bridal shower - 130$ Gift for bachelorette and contribution $50 So without traveling costs included and them covering lodging- I spent 420$

It depends. Bridesmaid pay for dress, shoes, hair and make up. Keeping their cost within reason. It is correct etiquette for the bride to purchase the jewelry. To help bridesmaids financially I was able to give find a coupon to help with % off of dress. With Covid some bridal shops are having nice sales.

The least expensive wedding party experience was about $600 total. This includes contributions to the bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding that were local.

It just depends. For one of my friend's weddings, she allowed the girls to pick their own dresses (and they all wore dresses they already owned) and hair and makeup was totally up to them. It's possible those girls paid $0 to be in that wedding.

Typically a bridesmaid at least pays for a dress (usually $50-$350, but I think around $100-$150 is appropriate and the most I would feel comfortable paying or asking someone to pay). Some brides do request certain accessories or more expensive dresses though. Usually if hair/make-up is required the bride will pay but if you want to have them done and it's not required its up to the maids to pay.

Then you need to factor in contributions to a bridal shower and bachelorette (if those events are happening) as well as a gift.

I was trying to figure this out too

I think this really depends on the bride. I’ve seen averages of $1000 (all in) but I’ve also been in weddings where I’ve spent less. The bride should also establish what her expectations are. That would help the bridal party. I would assume if there isn’t a weekend bachelorette event, it would be less. The cost really depends on what is being planned.

There is no average. It depends on the pricetag of what the bride has chosen for dresses, etc and what she is able/willing to cover vs what the bridesmaids' expenses are. Most everything can be done at a lower cost if you think outside the box. Let the bride know if you are having difficulty paying for something because it can be worked out.


Bridesmaids will cover costs among each other for pre-wedding parties (shower, bachelorette) without going in debt. Even those can be simple to keep costs down without lacking in elegance.
If all you can afford is a $30 registry gift, that's between you and the store and it's no one else's business. It's the thought that counts, not the pricetag.