Casual-Chic Bridesmaids

Casual-Chic Bridesmaids

September 21st, 2007 @ 2:26 pm by Mrs. Penguin
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If I could afford to pay for all my bridesmaids’ dresses, I would. An especially heart wrenching moment for me was when Mr. Penguin’s mom was asking Mr. Penguin’s sister what she wanted for her birthday, and she asked her mom if she would help pay for the $300 Vera Wang Bridesmaid Dress she was going to wear in an upcoming wedding.

www.verawang.com

A bridesmaid dress for her birthday? I almost passed out right then and there. Needless to say, Mr. Penguin and I will be buying his sister’s dress for our wedding. She’s a graduate student on loans, and…well, enough said.

My parents aren’t paying for my dress, and the added cost of having to pay for maids’ dresses as well would probably knock me over dead. Fortunately, custom dictates that its perfectly acceptable for your maids to pay for their own dresses. But this doesn’t mean I haven’t lost sleep over it. I set a budget of under $200 (including a reasonable tailoring cost) which meant that dresses over $150 were out of the question.

My favorite casual dress designer is Ella Moss. Ella Moss dresses are typically cotton, and they usually retail for around $160. Her dresses usually come in a variety of colors, perfect for a casual bridesmaid. The “re-wear ability” factor is very high. The best part about a cotton/jersey knit dress is that it usually doesn’t need hemming/tailoring. Here are a few from the Ella Moss Website:

Casual-Chic Bridesmaids : wedding bridesmaid dress sacramento Ellamos0311 ellamos03

Another great option for solid colored dresses are Velvet by Graham and Spencer. Their knit dresses are also very re-wearable. Here are some Velvet dresses from Anthropologie.com:

Casual-Chic Bridesmaids : wedding bridesmaid dress sacramento Velvet1011 velvet101

From top left: $118, $178, $118. $118

I figured that since we’ll be outside in June, something similar should work just fine, however, my wedding-savvy bridesmaid vetoed them, saying they might look a bit too informal next to my dress. Oh well. You can’t say I didn’t try.

How are you trying to cut your Bridesmaids costs?

Tags: bridesmaid-dress, sacramento |

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38 Responses to “Casual-Chic Bridesmaids”

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Guest

Keny

Honestly, I would try Macys if you’re looking for less expensive dresses. They have really pretty dresses that they could possibly wear again for better prices. Actually, you could try any of the department stores.

9/21/07 @ 2:38 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Hummingbird (message) 192 posts, Blushing bee

I completely feel you on this. My Maid of Honour is in grad school and Mr. Hummingbird’s Best Lady is not only in school (she just started her first year of midwifery school) but has two young kids, so the idea of having them spend a bunch of money on a dress seemed totally unfair.
Thankfully, I managed to find a seamstress who is able to replicate a style I like for a relatively inexpensive price. I am hoping that after I buy the fabric, the labour costs will be reasonable enough that it won’t be a financial burden on anyone.

9/21/07 @ 2:40 pm (reply)

Guest

Moi

I liked the bridesmaid dress my sister had recently worn in a friend’s wedding, so I had her re-wear it, and then had the other sister get something that went with it.

Seriously, for those who have been a BM in a bunch of recent weddings, see if any of them already has something appropriate that is re-wearable.

9/21/07 @ 2:42 pm (reply)

Guest

Angel

I only had a Maid of Honor, so that saved money for all involved. Then we went dress shopping and I pictched in for the rest of the “perfect” dress after a certain dollar amount. I think it was after $100.00. I thought that was fair since she wouldn’t have bought it for herself if there wasn’t a wedding. She ended up paying for tailoring costs since it fit perfectly at the time we bought it. I also didn’t care what shoes, jewelry, hair, makeup she had since I liked her personal style. Besides everyone would be looking at me

9/21/07 @ 2:42 pm (reply)

Guest

jen

I totally agree with you. Cost and re-wearability (gotta love that) were high on my list. I picked out little black dresses from nordstrom.com for my BMs. They were all very happy with the style and price tage: $118 + $5 shipping to your door. No need for fittings or alterations in a store. I don’t think it can get any more painless than that.

9/21/07 @ 2:47 pm (reply)

Guest

We let all our BMs picke their own dresses - all in black. Honestly it totally stressed me out but in the end they looked AMAZING - and SO much better than if we had dressed them.

9/21/07 @ 2:48 pm (reply)

Guest

starjas

Try the outlet stores. I went to the Jessica McClintock outlet in SF during their holiday weekend half off sale and lucked out with finding my color ($35 each) the second time I visited. I actually bought the dresses without them trying it on and bought them larger than their street size. I was able to then go back and look at their cheap rack of ‘ruined’ dresses (partial damage) and find 2 dresses of the same color to use as matching fabric for jr. bridesmaids dresses for $7 each.

9/21/07 @ 2:48 pm (reply)

Guest

Evelina

I’m not trying to be rude, it just seems to me that since most of us already spend so much money on our weddings- why not pay for the bridesmaid dresses if you feel that they will have difficulty affording it?
I chose the option of getting my bridesmaids a cheap dress that I liked and could afford, instead of having them pay for their own dresses. In the grand scheme of the wedding, it’s a very small cost.
With that said, I also want to point out that I am having a low-cost wedding since me and my fiance are paying for it by ourselves.

9/21/07 @ 2:50 pm (reply)

Guest

brenda

I have about 1000 worth of BM dresses in my closet that I will never wear. By the time I bought the dress, the shoes, got my hair and make up, all the pitching in of parties before the wedding and then the wedding gift. I was averaging at least $500 - $600 per wedding.
I decided for my BM’s I wouldn’t do that to them so I looked high and low for affordable dresses. I finally remembered the Jessica McClintock outlet in SF and I found their dresses there for $40.00 each. They are deep chocolate brown beautiful dresses that I later saw at Macy’s for $130.00!!!!

9/21/07 @ 2:52 pm (reply)

10.

Guest

Amy

i agree with #7. I am paying for my bridesmaids’ dresses b/c they are in MY wedding party so I felt it was the right thing to do. To quantify, for example, in a $25,000 wedding budget, $500 (for 3-4 girls) allocated to bridesmaid dresses equate to only 2%!

9/21/07 @ 2:56 pm (reply)

11.

Member

stargazerlily (message) 942 posts, Busy bee

Evelina - I totally feel what youre saying! Its not rude, and my maid of honor totally agrees with you (she will pay for her BM dresses at her wedding). I’m paying for my future SIL’s dress (shes in grad school) but the rest of my maids have good jobs (and I’ve already paid for my BM dress to be in one of their weddings…)

No one really has difficulties affording a $150 and under dress (except my FSIL) but to be honest, I’ve been in one of my BM’s weddings and paid for my bridesmaid dress then, and i anticipate that I’ll be in my other 2 maid’s weddings and pay for my bridesmaid dress then.

I think most bridesmaids are sympathetic at how much money brides are spending at the time for their wedding. Mr. Penguin and I will be paying for 1/3 of our wedding, not including my dress and rings which we’re also paying for.

9/21/07 @ 2:59 pm (reply)

12.

Guest

Evelina

Miss Penguin- I’m glad you understood my point. I think that as long as everybody are OK with who’s paying that’s fine.
I also think that it’s always nice to find your bridesmaids a cheap option, which you are doing.

9/21/07 @ 3:12 pm (reply)

13.

Member

VegasBride (message) 51 posts, Worker bee

My girls are getting this gorgeous strapless gown in black from Nordstrom.com for $88!!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2872098?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=shirred+strapless+gown+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

9/21/07 @ 3:14 pm (reply)

14.

Guest

I got Ann Taylor dresses and had them use a 20% online coupon…they 3 of them also said they would definitely wear it again..

9/21/07 @ 3:19 pm (reply)

15.

Guest

starkid

I bought all three of them their dresses & shoes & shawls — ON SALE at Ann Taylor : )
All of the above still cost around $150 per bridesmaid, and they don’t look cheap at all! The Ann Taylor Celebration line is great ; )

9/21/07 @ 3:41 pm (reply)

16.

Guest

bunnybride

We are doing a beach wedding and they don’t have to wear major shoes… bare feet, flip flops or nice sandals are fine. I am making the sashes. I made them their pearl & ribbon necklaces. And their dresses… white, strapless from the Isaac Mizrahi collection at Target… regularly $40, I bought them on sale for $30.

9/21/07 @ 3:43 pm (reply)

17.

Guest

Moi

I think it’s a little iffy to pay for some BMs’ dresses but not others. Could make for hard feelings if the other BMs found out.

9/21/07 @ 3:44 pm (reply)

18.

Guest

Jamie

I totally stressed over this for awhile too. I ended up selecting J. Crew dresses that were on clearance sale, so the total was about $130. Where it really starts to add up though, is making them buy certain shoes, get their hair done a certain way, manicures etc. I am taking care of those things so that the dress cost seems more reasonable. Also, don’t tell them they can “wear the dress again” - they won’t, and it was always infuriating to me to be told that as an excuse to spend more! Not having to hear that is priceless.

9/21/07 @ 3:48 pm (reply)

19.

Member

stargazerlily (message) 942 posts, Busy bee

Moi - Its not a pick and choose thing, its my FSIL. Shes family, and most of all, she cant afford it. I think its more than okay to pay for her dress especially under the circumstances…shes in grad school, the rest of my BMs are my best friends, have good jobs, and I’ll be/have been in their weddings and will pay for my own dress if they require it.

I know it sounds like picking and choosing but I really dont see it that way…and I know if we didnt pay for her dress, my FMIL would, and I dont want her to do that.

I guess everyone handles their BM situations differently!

9/21/07 @ 3:52 pm (reply)

20.

Guest

Jen

http://www.jasminebridal.com/html/en/web1_b2_3_a.asp?id=1111
I wore this dress in a recent wedding (different color) but it was very affordable (about $150) and looked really nice on 4 people with completely different bodies. It also comes with straps, if that makes you more comfortable. And i would definitely wear it again to the opera or symphony, and I am thinking ahead to the black tie New Year’s Eve that is coming up.

9/21/07 @ 3:56 pm (reply)

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