Bridesmaid Dress Costs: How Much and Who Pays?

Q: I’m getting married next year and thinking about my bridesmaid dresses. I’m thinking I want my dresses for bridesmaids to be long and in a coordinated color palette. My question is who pays for bridesmaid dresses and what is the cost of bridesmaid dresses? Whether I’m paying for bridesmaid dresses or they are, I want to make sure I have a good understanding of bridesmaid dress costs so that I can be prepared!

A: It’s a great question and one that we get all the time! Traditionally, your bridal party should be the ones to pay for their dresses. If your friends have been in a wedding before, they probably already assume as much. As for how much it will cost, that really has more to do with the style, fabric and embellishments you choose. (At Kleinfeld Bridal Party, we sell bridesmaid dresses for as little as $79 up to $350) You’re right to prepare though. Budgeting for bridesmaid dresses involves covering the cost of the bridesmaid dresses plus any alterations, accessories and shoes. So as you go to shop for bridesmaid dresses, we suggest keeping an open dialogue with your bridesmaids. Let them know the types of dresses you’re envisioning and mention a budget range. That way, they can start to plan for any and all costs associated with being one of your very important people on the wedding day. One tip: If you have a bridal party member who you think may have an issue covering the costs, you might offer to chip in a little money for the dress or cover it entirely. Truly, the more open and communicative you are about the dresses and associated costs, the better.
Hope this helps!
Now get to shopping. We have 100s of styles to choose from so start right here in our Kleinfeld Bridal Party bridesmaid dress gallery.

Xoxo
The Kleinfeld Bridal Party Team