Bridesmaid dress costs

The most I’ve ever spent was $350 not including alterations or shoes/accessories. Never worn any of the 14 dresses again.

View Quoted Comment Oh my goodness $350 for a dress feels pretty hefty to me!
You’ve been in so many bridal parties!

Mine was $160 and I’ve never worn it again.

I’ve only been a bridesmaid once and we chose our dresses as long as they were long and black. I got a dress on azazie for about $120. I’m a violinist so I can certainly wear a long black dress to performances. I’m planning to wear it to play at my brother’s wedding next year. But even if I never wore a bridesmaid dress again, that’s ok to me because it’s meant for a purpose for my friend’s special day. I’ve bought other occasion dresses I may or may not wear again so it doesn’t bother me.

Most I've spent was $175 on the dress, not including alterations. I've never been told I needed to buy certain accessories before (i.e. if the bride wanted our jewelry to all match, she purchased it for us). I've worn almost all of the dresses again, except for the one where the bride had all the girls in the same exact style. In my experience, when the bride allows her girls to select a style for their own body types, I am able to find a dress I like and will know I'll wear again

$350 as well but the majority were around $200. I’ve worn two on two different cruises.

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That's so cool you have and are planning to rewear yours again!

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Yeah, i agree. when i got married i let my girls choose whatever - i didn't even specify an exact color. i just said blush pink or in the realms of a light pink aha. it was in my hopes that they either found a dress they liked enough to rewear again or cheap enough to completely forget about and that would work for their budgets since they were allowed to decide.

i'm MOH now and the bride did the same thing which i was so grateful for! i found a dress that was both inexpensive but that i know i absolutely would wear again

I think the most I spent before alterations was $220, but every time I've been in a BP I've spent close to (if not over) $1000 between alterations, dress, hair/makeup, hotels, transportation. That's not even including bachelorette weekends. It's expensive to be a bridesmaid! That's why I bought everyone's dress, as well as hair and makeup for one of my bridesmaids who could not have afforded it. I wanted my best to feel beautiful on my wedding day!

And no, I've never worn a bridesmaid's dress again. The last time I was a bridesmaid, I just left the dress in the hotel trash can.

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Oh my gosh, you left it in the hotel trash? ahah that's a first!

why?

View Quoted Comment I have! Thankfully I think my bridesmaid days are done haha.

The most I’ve spent on the dress alone was $160 and that dress is one I can and may wear again, but I haven’t yet. However, money on jewelry, shoes, hair and makeup add up and the only thing I’ve reworn are the shoes.

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I hated it so much. The color was awful, the fabric was cheap and itchy and HOT (the wedding was July 5th) and it made me look 20 lbs heavier. I left it in the hotel trash so the hotel staff wouldn't have to touch it

I'll see if I can find a picture....

As a comparison, here's the bride as my bridesmaid at my wedding. She would look amazing in a potato sack though

I've only been in two weddings. The more expensive of the two was $150 for the dress + $75 for alterations + $150 hair and makeup (it was optional but we had to pay for it) + $30 shoes = $405, not including hotel/rental car/bachelorette/bridal shower/wedding gift/flight. My bridesmaids picked whatever shoes and jewelry they wanted, I paid for hair and makeup if they wanted it, and they picked their dress (I gave them 100ish options on Azazie) and they cost $89-$169.

I donated both dresses, no chance I'd wear them again. The only person I've heard of re-wearing them is one of my bridesmaids, her husband is a Marine so she wears longer ones to the USMC ball.

View Quoted Comment I think you look so pretty in it !!!

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That's because you're a sweetheart. And, while it was the only picture I could find of me in that dress online, it was also FOR SURE the most flattering, by FAR. It ended up being sort of an empire waist situation.

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I think that's a good idea you had of donating the dresses

$250 for dress, +alterations, +shoes+hair&makeup

I haven't been a bridesmaid since the 90s, so I don't really remember how much the dresses were. They did seem VERY expensive both for my budget at the time and for the quality of the dresses. And that was before the expense of alterations and accessories. There was also no possibility of ever wearing either dress again (one was pepto bismol pink!); they were both terribly unflattering.

Those experiences contributed to me having only one attendant when I got married. And I directed her to wear WHATEVER she wanted. I continue to be a strong advocate for asking people's budgets, privately, before choosing dresses. Even better, I think, is letting people choose their own dresses so they can ACTUALLY wear it again. I love that we have moved away from the match-matchy requirement of the past. It just looks so old fashioned today and is often quite hard on people's budgets.

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I completely agree with you about this! letting people get a dress that fits their body type and style is much better.