when getting married who pays for the bridesmaids dresses?

Question

Do the bridesmaids pay for it themselves or does the bride pay?

Or do they go half and half?

they are not being rented... they are being bought.


thank you very much

x

im not getting married...just saw the price of a bridesmaid dress today!

x

Answer 1

In my family, the bridesmaids pay for their own dresses, and they keep them. I guess it would just all depend on the bride to be. If she has a lot of money, sometimes she and her future husband will pick up the tab. If the bride and her fiance can't afford to buy all the bridesmaid's dresses, I would suggest picking the dress style and color out as early as possible (like months in advance). This will give the ladies (bridesmaids) who have to buy the dresses plenty of time to make payments on their own dress. This way the cost of the entire dress won't hit their pockets so hard. It will also allow them plenty of time to have the dresses fitted properly and in time for the wedding. Hope this helped!

Answer 2

If you are choosing the style of the dresses (so the bridesmaid gets little choice in what she wears), the bride should pay for them. If there is more choice - e.g. the bride tells them 'go and buy yourself a pretty red dress that you think would match well', then i would say depending on the finances of all involved, the bridesmaid should pay 1/2. Because if the bride is forcing the bridesmaid to wear a dress she probably wouldn't want to ever wear again, it's harsh to make the bridesmaid pay for something that is basically there to make the bride's entrance look good. But that's just my own opinion!

Answer 3

Traditionally, the bridesmaids pay for their dresses unless the bride has offered to pay. If you have been asked to stand up for a friend and buying the dress is a hardship, you must tell her so arrangements can be made. I am sure some girls rent dresses but these days, dresses are either made by a seamstress or bought. I was in 8 weddings, 2 for the same girl! Yikes! And yes, I bought each dress and only wore 1 of them again. And it's not just the dress, but shoes, hair & make up, any accessories, a gift for the bride, did I forget anything?

Answer 4

Ordinarily the bridesmaids pay for the dresses themselves. That's why I believe they should have a large vote in the style of the dress, since most dresses are pretty expensive. If they can choose something they all like they can wear them again. I've also known a few brides who either helped or payed in full for a bridesmaid dress if there was a financial problem & they really wanted the girl in their wedding.

Answer 5

I have been a bridesmaid in 2 weddings. I bought both of my dresses. As far as I know, bridesmaids pick up the cost of the dresses and any other "expenses" like shower gifts, shoes, etc.

If a bridesmaid cannot afford a dress and still wants to be in the wedding, the bride may be able to help with the cost.

Answer 6

That is a tough one. I have been bridesmaid in four different weddings and I always bought the dress but they were never more than $100.00-$200.00. If your dress is expensive, it would be nice if you bought it and made that your gift to your bridesmaids or at least go half and half. Please don't use the "you can wear it again" line on your girls. The bottom line, a bridesmaid's dress looks like a bridesmaid's dress and can rarely be worn again and even when it doesn't it isn't usually to every person's taste anyway.

Answer 7

Every wedding I have stood up in the bridesmaids paid for the dresses. I have heard of others paying, but I have never been to a wedding or stood up in one where the bridesmaids paid themselves. As mentioned, shoes, undergarments (strapless bras, corset etc) hair etc all add up as well.
When I got married the second time we had a destination wedding and a reception back home. I asked my bridesmaids to find a little black dress. Tank style sleeves and about knee length. They each found something within their budget and a dress they would wear again and again. One of the girls got hers on clearance for $12!! So many people commented on how nice they all looked and what a neat idea it was to have them do that. And they were all comfortable as they had things that fit their body type as well. I feel so bad for bridesmaids when one is 90 lbs and flat chested and one is 200 pounds and has a big bust and they are expected to wear the same style dress!!

Answer 8

When I married I paid for the dresses, they bought the shoes and had their hair done. The last wedding I was in, I bought the dress, the shoes and the hair do. I think if you are going to ask that your bridesmaids buy their own dresses, you should look at many dresses and try not to get too costly, like the bride of the wedding I was in over the summer. While it is an honor to be in a wedding it can get pretty expensive.

Answer 9

The brides maids buy their own gowns. But if you are dealing with ladies and some gents overseas in some little German villages where most of them have no etiquette (I am saying this because my friend had an American formal wedding and in the invitations it specified ties for all males or tux and long dresses for all females guests. And the German brides maid refused to buy a dress that they say they will wear only once so the bride end up buying those women dresses including the children's brides aids because their German mothers did not want to spend the money for something they are not going to wear again. It was horrendous, Horrible. This happened to a female soldier whom had just returned from Iraq and got married to her German Fiancee. But in America, England and most of the world the brides maids pay for their own dresses and accessories.

Answer 10

While it may be socially accepted to ask bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, I would never have asked mine to do that, especially since most bridesmaids dresses will never be worn again. Remember, the dresses are your taste, not theirs, and no matter how nice and versatile YOU think they are, they will probably end up in a consignment shop or the back of a closet.

I paid for dresses for my bridesmaids, especially since both were in grad school and had to drive a full day to be there. I did have them buy their own shoes, but it was a summer wedding and the dresses were cornflower blue so I asked them to just get white strappy sandals, which could definitely be worn again. Let me also note that this was definitely a wedding on a budget, but I still did not feel right asking my bridesmaids to pay. Your friends will love you for offering.