What is the rule of thumb on how much a bridesmaids dress should be??

Question

I am in a wedding for yes the crazy friend and she is picking out bridemaids dress. Isn't their a scale for them??.. like the bridemaids dress shouldn't be more the wedding dress? I just think it's rude that if your wedding dress only cost $200 to have the bridemaids be more money. Am I the only one??

Answer 1

i think it is extremely rude. personally i just told my girls (only two) to buy whatever black dress they wanted to get that they felt comfortable in. i have had friends who have had crazy ridiculous ugly/ expensive dresses and i think it is selfish. the wedding is theirs but unless they are paying for the dress they should take into consideration that not everybody is rich.
i actually had one friend who asked me if i was going to dye my hair a "normal" color for her wedding and i wasn't even in it!!! they really do think the world revolves around them!!

Answer 2

No, I agree with you. I am getting married and I was super cautious not to have the bridesmaids buy an expensive dress. I don't think there is a rule on how much the dresses should be, but I didn't want my girls spending too much money b/c I knew after buying the dress they'd be paying for alterations, shoes, accessories, and before the wedding they want to get their hair/makeup done and manicures/pedicures so it does get very costly! I've been in 3 weddings so far, and the average price I've paid is around $130 for the dress. I shopped around for my girls and was able to find a store that gave them a 30% discount if 3+ girls ordered from them and also let them pay 50% up front and the other 50% when the dress arrived. Is the dress at least one you will be able to wear again??

Answer 3

I understand your pain. I let my bridesmaids pick out their dresses, for a big selection, so they would like the color and style and hopefully wear it again. Those dresses cost between 125-170. One of my bridesmaids in getting married, this is her 3rd marriage, and her dress is going to cost me over $200 and I will never wear it again. The thing people will tell you is that it is the bride's day and she gets to pick everything out and if you don't think you can pay for anything then you should accept the invitation to be in the wedding. The catch is is that when you accept to be in the wedding the bride doesn't tell you how much the dress costs or what other accesories you'll have to buy. And how are you to know if she is going to be a bridezilla????? Don't you just love weddings???? All you can do is not do the same for your wedding.

Answer 4

I don't think there's a "rule" or a "scale", but I do think that the bride should be considerate of her bridesmaids, and realize that they are forking out the dough for the dress, and to not pick the most expensive dress out there, just because it HAS to be that dress. Unless, of course, the bride wants to buy the dresses, then she can get whatever dress she wants. But there are PLENTY of very nice bridesmaids dresses out there for under $200 each. Heck, if you get creative, you can find them for around $100 each.

Is there anyway you can talk to her about this? Simply explain that while you'd love to be in her wedding, the dress she's choosing is just completely out of your budget. Offer similar dresses that are less expensive as a compromise. I know she's being way psycho, so that probably won't work, but I'm pretty sure it would with a sane person. Good luck with her!!
p.s. let us know what happens with this!

Answer 5

There is no rule of thumb for the bridesmaid dress regarding price.I think the dress should be rather inexpensive say around $100 considering that the bridesmaid have to do the dress, shoes,hair and nails, etc. And the cost of the dress should be something that every BM can afford.I don't think the dress should cost more than the wedding gown unless like said earlier, the bride found a great deal. the bridesmaid dress should compliment the wedding gown, not overbear it.

Answer 6

I have never heard of a rule of thumb for prices of the bridesmaids dresses. but you know what, my mom is a seamstress and I cant count the times ladies have gone to my mom with a dress that they're supposed to wear to a wedding, but they instead bring a borrowed one from another bridesmaid and my mom makes them the exact dress for 1/2 the cost than at a wedding shop. Why not do that?

Answer 7

this girl is nuts, bubbles, you need to run for your life! My rule of thumb is that their is no reason for a bridesmaid dress to cost more that 200 period...beyond that and I think your asking too much of a person who odds are isn't even getting to pick it out, or at least has very little freedom in it. Other HUGE rule of thumb, yea, they shouldn't cost more that the wedding dress! Yikes! If you wouldn't want to pay it, I don't think you should expect your friends too! Thats the best rule I can possibly think of....long story short, no....your NOT the only one!

Answer 8

I would think that usually a dress under $100 is an okay number for most bridesmaids to deal with. It's about the same cost as the guys will pay for their tux rentals; at least the girls get to keep the dress. Now whether they wear it again or not, is another story for another day....

Answer 9

it does seem just a tad bit unfair since you're the one picking up the cost, but maybe she was able to get a really great deal on her dress...so if it's a 200$ dress that would normally be 800$, then paying 300$ for a bridesmaid dress isn't technically bad. it WOULD be nice to find dresses that cost less/are on sale. you should go over price issues with the rest of the bridesmaids and find out if everyone agrees on a maximum price, and let the bride know you're only willing to spend X-amount of dollars on your dresses (REGARDLESS of how much her dress cost).

Answer 10

My bridesmaid dresses were about $180, plus alterations. But my dress is $800. I wouldn't ask a bridesmaid to pay more than $200. And since mine are on the expensive side, I'm letting them buy whatever shoes they want.

Answer 11

Most bridesmaid dresses on-line tend to run between $100 & $200. If someone wanted me to spend $300 or $400 on a bridesmaid dress, I would graciously decline the position.