How much is “too much” to ask your bridesmaids to spend on a dress?

If it’s beyond the budget of any of your bridesmaids you can offer to pay the difference.

You should be asking your bridesmaids what their budget is before choosing a dress. I don’t think $295 for a dress is anywhere near reasonable.

I agree with the PPs, you should ask everyone's budget and stick with that. If the dress you love is above one girl's budget, you need to pay the difference, not expect her to save money for it.

View Quoted Comment I would be more than willing! Just don’t want that to come off as being offensive. Like oh you can’t pay so I will.. I don’t want it to come off that way 😬

I mean she does have a good amount of time to save for it..
I also considered what my bridesmaids did for a living and what they have going on in their lives too before settling on a dress(es).
You could always try and offer to cover what ever shes unable to, or have her pay you back. I know its an uncomfortable conversation but sometimes at least talking about it, or offering makes a huge difference.

Yikes. I think that’s expensive. Ask the ladies their ideal budget and check out Azazie.

That’s definitely something you need to discuss with your bridesmaids. If it’s more than what they can afford, you should cover the additional costs if you can’t find anything else you like. Even though it’s two years away, many people live paycheck to paycheck and it still might be a stretch to save that much when they’re also helping with a shower and bachelorette party. Also, in two years you may find something else you like or could change your mind. Your girls may also change size one way or another, or the dress could be discontinued. It’s a little early to get bridesmaid dresses in general, but definitely a good time to start discussing budget.

Thanks everyone!
I just talked to her and everything is good!

I agree with PPs, ask your bridesmaids what amount their each comfortable spending and stick to dresses within that budget. I’ve been a bridesmaid many many times and I have never and would never spend $295 + tax on a dress. Keep in mind your bridesmaids are likely also paying for alterations, shoes, hair and make up, your Bachelorette party and helping with your shower and travel expenses if they aren’t local to you and your venue. Being a part of your special day shouldn’t cause a financial burden on your bridesmaids, so I’d definitely look for alternative options or offer to pay for their hair and makeup, shoes etc. to off set the costs

Will this dress look good on all of them?

How much are you willing to pay towards this 💲2️⃣9️⃣5️⃣⏺0️⃣0️⃣👗 and the alterations?

I provided a color and asked them to send me their selections for approval.

The ONLY requirements were to make sure that it was:
1. closely related in color
2. affordable
3. comfortable
4. re-wearable
5. covered up top

I had one that really tried me on points 1 and 5.

My neighbor had 5 girls in her wedding party. She also picked a dress over 200 because she loved it. My neighbor reached out to the girls and let them know that she was putting 500 down on the dresses wich left them each only paying 115.00. Everyone is happy!

Wow, $295 is high. I’d have to back out if I were one of those bridesmaids. And it’s far too early to be buying dresses anyway.

I know you said you reached out to her and it was all good...just be sure that it really is. I know that If a friend asked me to get a certain dress for a wedding I’d tell her it was ok just to avoid confrontation. Even if it meant financial stress for me. Personally, I wouldn’t want any of my bridesmaids to go into any sort of debt or financial Problwmw for my wedding (and I get the impression you feel the same. I like the PP idea about putting $500 down towards all the dresses leaving them to pay the difference. It would also be a bit unfair to pay some for one and not for all.

That’s really expensive. Could you get their input as to what they think is a fair price?

Jeez, that's pretty high. I feel bad even considering the $150 dresses, that's the max I'd ask them to pay. Even then, I feel like I should only ask them to pay $100 and I should cover the other $50 for each of them. $295 for a dress you wear one time for someone else's event is a little steep to me.

I think it's too much. I feel like sometimes us brides forget that this day is special for us and others are happy to celebrate with us but they have other things going on in their lives that are more important. Life is expensive in general and if I had to pay almost $300 on a dress for someone else's wedding, I wouldn't be happy. Some literally spend around that on their wedding dress. I chose a color, length, and fabric, and let them choose the gown. They'll all be a little different and they range in price from $80-$300. If you feel this dress is non-negotiable, I think you'd need to pay at least $100 toward each dress to knock the price down.

What do these dresses look like? My bridesmaid dress for my sisters wedding was around $200 and I hated it and was livid I had to pay $200 for a dress that I hated and looked like a balloon in.

I am also completely in love with a $295 Jenny Yoo velvet bridesmaid dress, but it’s just too much money to ask a friend to pay, in my opinion. I just have to change my expectations and find alternatives. You may have to do the same.

Yikes. I think I would be embarrassed to ask people to pay $295 for a dress - and that doesn't include alterations. For a dress they will never wear again. Even if someone has 2 years to "save up" that really isn't a reason to go with it - That's a lot of money and I am sure they all have other things they could use that money on.