500 Wedding Ideas

Brides, are you buying the bridesmaids dresses or are your bridesmaids footing the bill?

Almost every wedding I've heard of has gotten the bridesmaids to pay for the dresses. I am thinking of keeping mine at a reasonable price, around $200. But I am having my bridesmaids be responsible for buying them. What are you guys doing?

Public Comments

1. They are def buying there own dresses. I have enough to pay for with out adding that. And they love me and don't mind.
2. They bought the dress for about $200 and I let them wear any shoes they wanted. I gave them jewerly as a gift and I paid for them to get their hair and make up done. So they paid $200 and I paid $200 per person for the hair and makeup.
3. they always buy their own dresses!
4. You almost never hear of the bride footing the bill for the bridesmaids' attire. Buying the dresses is part of their responsibility as a bridesmaid, one which they are aware of when they accept that position. Unless the bride is extremely wealthy or wants super expensive dresses that noone can afford, the bridesmaids should always pay for their own dresses. After all, if you are just a guest at a wedding you are probably going to buy a new dress anyway, right? Good luck with your wedding and congratulations!
5. I paid for mine. They were around $150, and I only had 3. I also bought tea-length dresses, so the girls wouldn't have to pay $75 to get them hemmed. This is a cost some brides don't think of. Alterations, undergarments, shoes, hair, makeup. I would offer to pay for one of these.
6. Typically the bridesmaids are responsible for the cost of the dress.
7. I've been a bridesmaid 10 times (yes, I could have been in that movie), and all but once I paid for my own dress. When I got married I offered to buy the dresses for my bridesmaids, but I only had 2. One let me buy it, the other did not. I had the extra money in my budget and they were both having to fly in so I thought I'd help them out.
8. My girls bought their own dresses, they were around $125-150 each. I'm not made of money. =)
9. I only had a maid of honor. and she paid for hers. But I have heard of the bride and groom paying for them, it would be up to you I guess..
10. I'm helping my sister plan and she's not paying for their dresses. We told them what color and gave them a sample cloth... they are all different sizes so we wanted them to find what they would feel most comfortable in. All the girls are compromising about style so that it all stays relatively consistent.
11. Wow, I think $200 is a lot. I do expect my BMs to pay for their own dress, but I looked at BM dresses and felt bad about asking them to pay for a $150 dress. Plus I had some logistical and fit problems. Then someone on YA suggested I let them wear black dresses and tie a sash around their waists in the color of our wedding. At first I didn't like the idea of black, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made. So now I am letting them pick out their own black dresses. The only thing I asked was for them all to be the same length. They loved the idea because that way they could get something within their own budget, in a style they like and they will be able to get a lot of wear from it afterwards.
12. In order to attend our wedding, our Bridesmaids & Groomsmen will have to stay at a hotel for a 2 night minimum (rehearsal dinner is Friday, wedding is Saturday). We realized that paying for their hotel would pose a problem because family size might require 2 rooms rather than 1 or a room with just 1 bed versus 2 beds would have different costs. SO we decided to pay for the dresses and tux rentals BUT the bridesmaids are responsible for alteration costs on the dresses. We figured it was as "happy medium" as we could get since we are aware that most people do buy their dresses, pay for alterations, etc.
13. They bought their own dresses but I put a little toward them as well. Also, they got to pick their own dress so they had control over the price too.
14. The bridesmaids usually pay for their own dresses. I think it depends on your circle of friends. To some $200 is quite reasonable while others may feel it's a lot. I'm trying to keep mine at a reasonable price so that they won't have an issue with being able to afford them. Some pockets aren't as deep as others...
15. My bms are paying for their dresses, but I will definitely keep the price reasonable. Also, I am not requiring them to wear specific shoes or jewelery, just any silver shoes they already own. If they want to buy a new pair, they can.
16. I only have a maid of honor at my wedding and she is paying for her own dress. Because she is the only one, I don't care what style or particular dress she gets, I have only specified the color. I trust her to pick something tasteful!
17. Honestly you can find bridesmaids dresses much cheaper than that online. http://www.lightinthebox.com/wholesale-Bridesmaids-Dresses_c1773?gclid=CN3fg_zFtpcCFQxKGgodwTkBjg
18. I've been in three weddings in the past two years, and each time I've been responsible for buying my own dress and shoes. This is par for the course in the United States. In two cases, the bride picked a reasonably priced dress (under $150) and let us wear shoes of our choosing in the color she picked. In one case, the bride asked us to choose our own black cocktail dresses, so I could spend whatever amount I thought appropriate. Again, we could wear our own shoes. All three brides paid for a hairstylist to come do the bridesmaids, and gave jewelry to be worn during the ceremony as a gift to each bridesmaid (that's pretty traditional where I live). Your bridesmaids probably expect to pay for their dresses. But do keep their pocketbooks in mind when picking something out. There are a lot of other expenses that come with being in a wedding (travel, gifts, etc), so try to keep the dress price reasonable.
19. My mother offered to buy the dresses for my bridesmaids however had she not made this offer they would have had to buy them themselves. It is pretty much expected for BMs to buy their own dress, at least in the US, so long as you are keeping the price reasonable.
20. My girls are buying their own, but i'm letting them pick out any dress they like, as long as it's pink or black. I don't really care much for matching and i would rather they pick out a dress they can wear again. we will go shopping together, so we'll be sure that the dresses go well together, but i'm a pretty laid-back bride and i just want them to be comfortable and beautiful. also, i think that 200 dollars for a bridesmaid's dress is a bit much. this isn't factoring in alterations, shoes, etc. at the very least, pay for the alterations and make sure the dress is one they could maybe wear again...
21. My bridesmaids bought their dresses. They picked out the dresses together, so we were sure that they really liked them. They were under $200 each.
22. I had four bridesmaids, and I paid for all of their dresses and alterations. Two of them lived close to me, and 2 lived across the country in NYC. They are doing this to show there love and support for me, so I feel very guilty making them pay. In this kind of economy, $200 plus nails, hair, and makeup, not to mention your bachelorette party and shower can be a huge financial burden. Add to that any transportation or hotel costs for a bridesmaid coming from a far...that is just way too much, in my opinion.
23. This has to be a regional thing because no brides ever buy the bridesmaid dresses around here. I have been in several weddings and never once have I assumed the bride would be paying.
24. Uch. I blame The Knot for making brides feel that they need to buy bridesmaid dresses. As long as you're being respectful of the fact your bridesmaids aren't made of money (and it sounds like you are) then you've done all you need to do. When someone says "yes" to being a bridesmaid, they agree to buy the dress.
25. I paid $50 of each of the bridesmaid's $200 dresses just as a nice gesture. But when they accept your invitation to be in the wedding, they should know it comes with expenses :)