I hope you all had a great weekend. We all know that weddings can be a very expensive time for the bride and groom as well as their respectively families but many times we don't think twice about the Bridesmaids. Bridesmaids, Maid or Matron of Honor have very important roles in the wedding planning process as well as some wedding activities and wedding day. It is their job to throw your bachelorette party and possibly your bridal shower. I have also seen bridesmaids act as wedding planners, graphic artist, florist, bakers and a host of other things that take a considerable amount of time and money.
- Have an initial meeting with your bridesmaid whether individually or together to discuss how much they can actually commit to spend for their entire outfit for the wedding. This should include the dress, shoes, purse and possibly any jewelry.
- Once you have determined a price point give your bridesmaid a guideline to follow in terms of picking out their bridesmaid dresses. (Tip: No one wants to feel like they are spending their money without a say.) Examples of guidelines include tea length satin dress in plum or a strapless floor length dress with pick ups.
- If possible, allow your bridesmaids to use items they already have in their closet like silver sandals or pearl earrings and necklace.
- You may want to skip expensive bridal shops and head straight to department stores like David's Bridal, Macy*s and The Limited for economical options. I suggest department stores because you can use coupons on purchases or get a discount for the quanitity you purchase.
- If your bridesmaids have deep pockets, I would suggest companies like Two Birds Bridesmaids and Butter by Nadia who offer convertible dresses that your bridesmaids can wear again and again after your wedding.
Here are some great sites for affordable bridesmaid dresses:
www.davidsbridal.com - Bridesmaid dresses range between $99 - $155 with some dresses on sale for as low as $79.99
www.twobirdsbridesmaids.com - Prices range from $270 - $1375 a little steep; however, these dresses can be worn for years to come.
www.shopbutterbynadia.com - Prices range from $246 - $370 Convertible dress that can be worn 10 different ways.
www.anntaylor.com - Prices range from $185 - $395 most of these dresses can be worn again to church, weddings, Christmas party or a night out on the town.
www.thelimited.com - Currently they are only offering two styles priced at $89.50 and $98.
www.whitehouseblackmarket.com - Prices range from $168 - $398.
So Budget Brides, How did you decide on your bridesmaid dresses? Were you budget conscience or did you just pick and have them pay? Tell us your story.
3 comments:
Though I did ultimately choose the dresses with my maid of honor's input, I was careful to take the cost into consideration. The girls' Alfred Angelo dresses were under $200 each, which was affordable for the girls in a style the flattered everyone. I also let them choose their own silver shoes, and gifted them their earrings and necklaces.
i've never been a bride, but having been a bridesmaid, i have to say that i wish every bride would read this post. it amazes me how such an honor can also be such a burden. - after all us bridesmaids shelled out $200+ for our dresses, the bride wanted to take pictures after the ceremony in the rain in the park. every single one of our dresses got muddied and torn up. they all had to be thrown away after.
I am very soon to be a bridesmaid. My best friend is getting married and she is trying to keep everything very simple. Their budget is also very modest. These tips of yours might become very useful. I am going to pass this post to my friend so that she knew how much it is possible to save. It is very sad when finances are tight. I know some would go to apply for cash loans but I just do not think that it is right. It is better to wait a little and save up a required amount, but getting into a debt is something we all can’t afford for now.
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