In Which I Rant on the Internet

In Which I Rant on the Internet

December 7th, 2010 @ 10:26 am by Mrs. Prairie Dog
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It’s not normally my style, but…I’m going to vent via worldwide web. Yes, I know there are plenty of dresses to be found. Yes, I did find some. However, I must get the following off of my chest:

In perusing bridesmaid dresses online, my MOH found one that she liked. I liked it too—a lot. Twenty-seven Google searches later…it is $550. I would have loved to be told that up front. And regarding the price…um. What now? It was not couture or even a well-known brand, and the design and fabric didn’t seem especially complicated. As far as I can tell, there weren’t gold coins sewn into the hem. Even if I were a bridesmaid rolling around in money—a la Duck Tales—I still wouldn’t pay $550 for a dress for one-night-only dress that I didn’t even pick. I have no issue with shelling out moolah for high quality clothing, but really? $550 for a simple-enough bridesmaid dress? Color me balking.

(P.S. I’m really sorry if you are offended because your bridesmaids paid $550+ for their dresses. It’s great for you that your bridesmaids love you that much. Mine love me about $150 worth. And I take what I can get.)

I’ve decided that, if we love dresses that are over $150, I’ll pay the difference. So…if it’s $175, I’ll pony up $25/bridesmaid for $125 total. No biggie. Buying the $550 dresses would mean $400 per bridesmaid. I laughed so hard as I typed that. $2000?! Ha. Haha. I decided it would be funny to call my dad and ask for the cash, as a joke:

Dad: Hello?

Me: Hey Dad. Can I have $2000 to pay for the difference for bridesmaid dresses?

Dad: Who is this?

Me: Dad—seriously.

Dad: How did you get this number?

Me: Yes or no.

Dad: You know better than to call me at this time on Wednesday nights.

(Note: He and my mom are drinking wine and watching So You Think You Can Dance.)

Me: Sorry. So that’s a no?

Dad: That’s a no. Why don’t you have them wear any of the thousand dresses still hanging in your bedroom at our house?

Me: Um…

Dad: Yeah! The wedding theme can be “Revenge of the Early 2000s”

Me: (don’t worry, he knows I’m totally joking) DAD YOU’RE RUINING MY WEDDING

Dad: Gotta go. Mia Michaels routine coming up.

(click)

However, the price tag inspired me. No more dilly-dallying with the bridesmaid dress decisions. My chicas and I took to the stores to start the real search. We were really mature and well-behaved, too. NOT.

In Which I Rant on the Internet : wedding bridesmaid dress budget cincinnati 016 016

But more on that later. Did you have hardcore sticker shock for bridesmaid dresses?

Tags: bridesmaid-dress, budget, cincinnati |

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29 Responses to “In Which I Rant on the Internet”

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Member

eloquence08 (message) 113 posts, Blushing bee

Love this post! I appreciate your concern in making sure that the bridesmaids are not put out financially for a “one day” dress and the fact that you are not offended that $150 is their price point. My favorite is when the bride thinks that “you will totally be able to wear this dress again”. Really? Because I go to formal balls several times a year? Spare me.

12/7/10 @ 10:32 am (reply)

Member

upstatebroad (message) 342 posts, Helper bee

I love the convertible dresses. I came across the twobirds bridesmaid dresses a long time ago and almost died when I realized they were $310. My bridesmaids also only love me about $175 worth. So I found a person on etsy that is making them all for me!

12/7/10 @ 10:35 am (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Trail Mix (message) 6,328 posts, Bee Keeper

That is ridiculous! I had sticker shock too, especially for the quality of the dresses…

12/7/10 @ 10:35 am (reply)

Guest

micks_mandee

I know! BM dresses are WAY overpriced. My BMs are 1.expecting a child 4 months before the wedding, 2. just moved into a house with a small child and 3. starting a new career in a new state and will have to travel to get back to the wedding. They all love me, but have other (large) expenses, so I only get about $75 worth of love And that’s all I expect. My girls are all picking their own dresses (as long as they are black, knee-length and have a modest neckline) and we are all happy with that! My MOH got hers on sale @ JCPenney’s for $40!

12/7/10 @ 10:35 am (reply)

Member

Knubbsy-Wubbsy (message) 2,395 posts, Buzzing bee

When I still had an idea of having matching bridesmaids, I did… but now I decided I don’t care so much what they are spending as long as they are happy. I know one spent around 125, but she loves that dress ridiculously much and will wear it as much as possible, so I am happy for her. I just need my other two to pick dresses they like.

12/7/10 @ 10:35 am (reply)

Member

JillBill (message) 425 posts, Helper bee

the fact that you dad (a) knows who mia michaels is and (b) will shut you off in order to go watch her routine is beyond amaze-balls. Your dad rocks!

12/7/10 @ 10:41 am (reply)

Member

Hammertime (message) 46 posts, Newbee

wait until you start looking at flowergirl dresses…. found one I liked and it was $250! plus it’s nearly impossible to find them at a bridal shop under $100. I can’t imagine spending that much for a 7 year-old.

12/7/10 @ 10:43 am (reply)

Member

DeaconBride (message) 659 posts, Busy bee

Funny post. My ladies actually told me they had no problem spending $200 - $250. they are being custom made and costing about $200. I only wanted a specific material. They chose the design and both will match. I really only requested the dress be made out of my choice of material.
Even my mom shocked me and is paying more than I thought she would for a dress…that she picked. LOL

12/7/10 @ 10:44 am (reply)

Member

vtbride2010 (message) 152 posts, Blushing bee

FUNNIEST POST! I love that you and your dad can totally banter about such things! so.awesome. He sounds like a rockin’ good time! Drinking wine and watching So You Think You Can Dance? Excellent!

Anyways, I felt bad asking my bridesmaids to pay for their dresses at all - but they got to choose out of like 10 different dresses ranging from about $120 to $220 - surprisingly they chose the more expensive ones because those are the ones they looked better in! I am paying for all hair and make up, so I don’t feel THAT badly…..

But to answer your question - yes - Bridesmaid dresses are ridiculously expensive…..as are mother of the bride dresses….and bridal gowns….and veils…….and shoes……and jewelery….aaarrrrrgggghhh!!!

12/7/10 @ 10:48 am (reply)

10.

Member

Miss 1Cent (message) 168 posts, Blushing bee

Every BM dress I like comes in way too high. Most of them look like David’s Bridal dresses, but unfortunately DB does not have a color that I like. (Sapphire and Dark Green). It’s so redic what some of these dresses go for.

12/7/10 @ 10:48 am (reply)

11.

Bee

Miss Knitting (message) 1,072 posts, Bumble bee

Hahaha I love your dad.

12/7/10 @ 10:52 am (reply)

12.

Member

gill84 (message) 725 posts, Busy bee

your posts crack me up. also your parents are too cute - wine and SYTYCD? love it.

12/7/10 @ 10:55 am (reply)

13.

Member

Golden139 (message) 1,768 posts, Buzzing bee

Love this post! Most clothing associated with weddings is way too pricey. And I know they can’t cost that much to make! I really want to be nice to my bridesmaids with the cost of their dress because many will be traveling out-of-state for our wedding. So I’m hoping to be able to find dresses under $150 also that they can all feel beautiful in.

12/7/10 @ 10:56 am (reply)

14.

Member

bRooklynRocks (message) 3,767 posts, Honey bee

Ha ha, loved this post. I sent mine to the clearance section of Ann Taylor and JCrew. If they want to buy something more expensive, that’s them. I want them to get something good and inexpensive.

12/7/10 @ 11:15 am (reply)

15.

Member

martL26 (message) 15 posts, Newbee

ugh! I totally understand your feelings. I have found more than 1 dress that I have fallen IN LOVE with that end up having a price tag that is just more than I can possibly ask my girls to spend (and of course that price tag is never easy to find!) If you have any god suggestions on where to find awesome dresses at $150 I would love to hear them!

12/7/10 @ 11:53 am (reply)

16.

Member

Miss OBG (message) 1,272 posts, Bumble bee

You and your dad are hilarious. And I completely agree with sticker shock - got mine for $150 each, and I was content.

12/7/10 @ 11:53 am (reply)

17.

Member

DemoDreamer (message) 410 posts, Helper bee

I too was shocked by the price on not only Bridesmaid Dresses; but everything bridal related. I think it’s rediculous. I decided that I was putting $100 down on each of my girls dresses and my mom also agreed to put down $100. The dresses I picked out were about $180. Plus $40 if they need alterations. All my bridesmaids are either straight out of college or have babies and I didn’t want to burden them with the cost. after alterations they may have about $10-$20 to pay when they pick them up… i’m hoping it’s a nice surprise for them… because I havn’t even told them yet

12/7/10 @ 12:46 pm (reply)

18.

Bee

Ms Seahorse (message) 156 posts, Blushing bee

I love your dad. And also, your posts. You crack me up! Thanks for writing

12/7/10 @ 1:22 pm (reply)

19.

Guest

Katie

I had the same thing happen. Any dress I saw at the store or online that I liked was expensive. I’m cheap so I don’t want my bridesmaids shelling out tons of money either. Since I wanted re-wearable dresses, when we did finally go shopping together I picked a black dress from Macy’s (which is rewearable), used coupons and bought them all at once, so the end result was $47.20 each Only two girls left to try them on so I can return the extras (I could only go shopping with half of them, since we are all so spread out). Plus, since they are from Macy’s and not a bridal store (where everything needs to be altered), they save money by actually having a garment that fits the first time.

12/7/10 @ 1:28 pm (reply)

20.

Guest

Sarah

Your dad is hilarious. Love it!

12/7/10 @ 1:38 pm (reply)

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