Bridesmaid dress?

[Shells]

Do the bridesmaids buy their own dresses? I have always bought mine when I was in a wedding but I was just wondering if the brides where being cheap!! lol

[KristinGriffin]

In most cases BM's will buy their own dresses, shoes and pay for fittings. GM will rent their own tuxes. I don't think the brides were being cheap, it's generally expected that bridal party outfits themselves, although some couples with a large budget, or a small wedding party may feel generous enough to pay for the bridal party attire...

It's really up to you and your budget, but I doubt your party will be offended when asked to buy their dresses - although you may want to keep them in mind as you decide on what they will be wearing... How expensive are the dresses you're looking at? Will they be able to select any aspect of the dresses (some brides pick a color and let the BM's select the style of top/skirt)? How likely are they to wear the dress again (very formal gowns don't get as much repeat wear as others)? Are you BM's in a good financial situation (not unemployed, full-time students with no support, etc)? These are all things I'd keep in mind as you select their outfits and ask them to pay for it...

And of course, you'll want to thank them for the support they offer being in your wedding party, helping with the planning/setup, purchasing their own gowns and throwing you a bridal shower with a small gift to show your appreciation. Couples also usually get gifts for their parents as well, especially if they are contributing financially to the wedding! Most brides will also get a groom's gift (and visa versa, as well). But I'm sure there are threads here about bridal party gifts - I'm off topic...

Good luck with your planning.

[WebLady]

Yep, Kristin pretty much covered it ;)

Unless it is agreed upon otherwise the wedding party is responsible for their attire (including hair and makeup) and travel expenses. This is one of the reasons brides give attendant gifts, as a thank you for all they do.

Many times BM's and GM spend 100's of dollars to be in a wedding. Brides should consider people's finances when asking and choosing things and people in general should consider the cost and what will be expected of them when being asked and accepting the role of a BM or GM too.

[joraye]

Sadly, most of my girls were a little cash strapped, so I paid for their dresses.

FI is doing the same thing for his guys, even though they are older and in better finances than the girls, he's had to rent a tux at the last minute before, so he wanted to pick up the cost himself.

The 2 weddings I have been in, the dress was bought for me, and those two girls are in my wedding, so I figured I'd also just return the favor. But etiquette wise, it seems the girls pay for their dresses.

[RosieAngel]

I've always paid for my dresses when I was a bridesmaid, but since my girls were dead broke, I told them to just wear little black dresses they already owned. It saved them a lot of money and me a lot of stress! :bbcool:

But yeah, they should be prepared to pay for whatever you pick out for them. It's part of what being a bridesmaid is about!

[tangled_poison_ivy]

most bridesmaids buy their own dress, but if you're going to ask them to buy extremely expensive ones, then you should offer to help with the cost. I kept it so that the Bridesmaids won't have to spend more than 100 dollars.

[Chubear]

i wanted to do the little black dress idea, butin the end i chose a silver dress that was quite expensive.
Since i knew my sister couldnt afford it i chose to buy hers, but then felt guilty asking for my other BM to pay for hers so i bought both...$800 later.....

[lilmsjess]

i'm paying for my dress in my friends wedding, but since they are going to florida for our wedding, we girls are riding together and i'm splitting travel cash, and guys are splitting, and i'm paying for her gown, and fh for friends suit....

my MOH, is buying her dress, and paying to get her there, she will pay to get home, and i'm paing 2/3 of her hotel costs...but she is also a single mom, with 2 kids and that's how bad i want her there ;) if she was taking off 2 more days on top of her 2 days, she'd lost $ and wouldnt be able to come otherwise!

but, in the old days, the brides parents paid for that....nowadays its tradition for us MOH/BM's to buy our own dresses....

[lilmsjess]

my MOH, is buying her dress, and paying to get her there, she will pay to get home, and i'm paing 2/3 of her hotel costs...but she is also a single mom, with 2 kids and that's how bad i want her there ;) if she was taking off 2 more days on top of her 2 days, she'd lost $ and wouldnt be able to come otherwise!....

should say, she is paying her way down and her dress, i'm getting hotel and paying her way back! im' such a ding-dong sometimes!

[savepaws]

My bridesmaids are paying for their dress material. When I got engaged, one of my bridesmaids was unemployed and desperately trying to find work and another always pretty much lives paycheck to paycheck so I decided to have my FMIL make the dresses so all the girls would have to pay for is the material. But because of having to run all over to get the material & patterns & being so nervous about if they will get done in time and how they will look (FMIL has barely even started on them yet!!!), if I had to do it over again, I would have gone through a bridal shop, even if it meant the dresses would be more expensive.

[Kay]

I've been in several weddings and always bought my own dress. One time the bride bought a bunch of fabric on sale and had the dresses made so we only had to pay for the shoes. My BMs are all paying for their dresses. They will receive very nice gifts and a wonderful, private rehearsal dinner, too.

[sandy03]

I paid for my girls' dresses and am letting them stay with me so they won't have to pay for a hotel. They are responsible for getting the dress altered if they need it and providing their own black shoes and jewelry (I told them they could wear some they already had.)

[mj512]

My bridesmaids paid for their own