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I think that's a bit steep unless you're offering to pay for part of the dresses. I'm having my girls pick theirs out from Nordstrom because I couldn't find traditional BM dresses I liked under $200, and I wouldn't ask my BMs (who are all college students or recently graduated) to pay more than about $125.
I would talk to your bridesmaids and see what they think. I have been in a couple of wedding that the dresses were around $250. The only wedding that it bothered me in was when we has to get special alterations that costed an additional $150.
I found dresses for $236 and I really loved them. All of my bridesmaids were cool with that price but I had one bridesmaid who pulled a fit. So I looked into netbride.com and ended up getting the same exact dresses for $156.
Argh. Tough one. Really depends on the financial situation of your BMs. Personally I would prefer a $150 cap but be willing to go to $200 for a friend -- and a really cute dress that can be worn again! Remember, these girls will also need shoes & accessories plus pay for hair and maybe make-up... and then there are shower gifts, the wedding gift, etc. Have you checked out J Crew??
My girls dresses are originally $230, but since I ordered my gown from the same shop where they will be getting their dresses, they get 15% off so theirs will then be just a few dollars over $200. I'm also paying $50 towards each of their dresses tho to help with the costs (I've been a BM a number of times and know it gets expensive).
I really struggled with finding something I loved for under $200. If you find a bridal shop that has your dresses, why not call them and ask them what type of a deal they can offer? If you've got a few girls and they all get it from the same shop, it's making that shop a lot of money (I have 7 girls so with their dresses and my gown I'm pretty sure they made rent for the next month or two!).
For Toronto, I think thats a normal price, but some girls will think it's a lot. Will those dresses need lots of alterations or do you think they're easy sizing? Because that might also be a factor. I would talk to them, but I know its very hard to find nice BM dresses for under $200... most people I know chose like $350 dresses!! Ouch, but maybe they can pick their own shoes or whatever so its not so much. Plus you can take into account how much they spent on their dresses when you're buying their gifts, and could possibly put some money towards their dresses as part of the gift. If there is one girl that you know truly can't afford it, you can help her out?
Thanks Roxy! Can I shop online at netbride.com? Or do I have to purchase items by phone?
@Farfromachildbride - Thanks! I looked at the JCrew website before and all the dresses I saw were at least $200. Hmmm.. maybe I'll check again. Aside from the wedding category, is there another category I should look into at JCrew? And you're right, I failed to consider the amount they'll be spending on hair, makeup, shoes and accessories. Thank you!
I agree that it depends on what they can afford. I went easy on my girl's and found their dress at David's for $135. It was teh first dress that I liked for them and I am completely happy with them.
I'm pretty sure Dessy and Mori Lee have teal. Da Vinci and Alfred Angelo also have teal colors. These designers are all on the less expensive side.
@ europomme - Thanks! Yes, Toronto is quite expensive for bridesmaid dresses. I'm letting my girls pick their own shoes to alleviate the cost. I'm also willing to help on any of them that can't fully afford it. One of the girls currently got laid off from work due to the recession, so I mentioned to her that I will help pay for her dress, but she insisted that she'll take care of it herself (out of pride, I guess.) I would just feel so bad to ask them to pay for something they didn't choose themselves, however I really can't find any teal dresses anywhere :( This was the closest I could find that matched my vision:
It's $158 CAD, but comes to $235 with shipping and taxes. :(
I did not want my girls to spend more than $150. We chose two styles of JCrew dresses!
@ PrncssDva - I found a dress on the David's Bridal website, but I can't purchase it from the Canadian Online Shopping page. The only had a limited amount of dresses had available to Canada. Did you purchase yours online? Or did you go to the store?
You have to know the dress you want on netbride.com
What you can do is go to their website and send them the maker and style number of the dress you are interested in and they will provide you with a price. They do list a number of designers that they work with and you can click on their names and it will pull up each website.I prices out 4-5 dresses. They do seem to be able to get any dress from any designer. I guess it doesn't hurt to just price out the dresses that you liked.
Before I worked with them I checked them out with Dun and Brandstreet and the Better Business Bureau and they had A+ ratings.
@ Jacqi - I looked at Dessy and Alfred Angelo, still didn't find anything under $200, but I will check again. Maybe I'm blind, lol. I'll also check out Da Vinci. Thank you!
I think it should be $200 or less. I do think letting them pick their own shoes (or wear ones they already own) would be nice, especially if they're spending that much on a dress. If you really love the $235 dress, is there a chance your budget could handle the $35 subsidy per girl?
Why not post a picture? we could probably find you a less $ one that looks similar.
Amber.. I found the dress on the website, but we went into the store so they could try them on.
@ Melissabegins, here is the dress. It's from Nordstrom by Calvin Klein:
Nordstrom_-_New_Jan_11_2010.jpg (57.7 KB, 32 downloads) 2 years old
It's probably hard to find BM dresses for a good price online to Canada, it sucks! Did you try any bridal shops? Bridal Image in Mississauga had pretty decent prices for BM dresses, check them out!! Tons of selection too. I think its better than shipping, at least they can try them on and everything too.
I haven't decided on bridesmaids dresses yet, but I think that a cap of $250 is fair.
Personally, as a BM I don't want to pay more than 150/160 for a dress that I may never wear again
Thanks europomme! And yes, it sucks that it's hard to get BM dresses online if you're from Canada. This is one of those times I wished I lived in the States. I will try that store you mentioned. I was just trying to dodge a group trip since all my bridesmaids are extremely busy, and one is leaving soon to go to Paris. I thought it might be nice if they could purchase their dresses from the comfort of their own homes, but I guess that's not happening :(
I think it depends on the dress. If it's a style they can wear again, and your girls aren't broke college kids, then under $250 is fine with me. But if they're students, or the dress you want is something they couldn't really wear again, then I think you should try a little harder to keep it under $200.
Teal is a hard color to find! Originally, our wedding colors were going to be teal and orange or red, and we had to change it simply because I couldn't find BM dresses I liked in the shade of teal I wanted. I switched to plum and orange, and had much better luck.
I love the dress you posted, and it doesnt look too bridesmaidsey or anything, so they could definitely wear it again, at least if they're spending more money on it, they can actually get use out of the dress! I'd be willing to pay the $235...
Well, the dress that you want looks like it could be something they'd like to wear again for a night out or cocktail party. Maybe send it to the girls and say "I'm looking at something like this for the BM dresses. Do you think this is something you can afford, or is it out of your budget with the other wedding expenses you'll have?"
You can't know their situation without asking, and I'm sure they'd appreciate giving you some input into what they're wearing.
Maybe you could ask one of the nice bees across the border if you can ship it to her house and then drive down to get the dresses? :-)
JCrew has several sytles in "tropical aqua" on sale right now at incredible prices. It's not teal, I know, but maybe close enough? Also, what about a road trip one weekend to Buffalo?? Maybe hit a Target and some other fun US stores to help make it worth your BMs' time?
I've been shopping for bridesmaids dresses in the GTA and that doesn't seem to be out of line at all. I did find though if you pick an actual bm dress and call different stores there can be a huge difference in price from store to store. Mine for example ranged from $190 to $260. Some stores will price match too. Also, I don't know how many bms you have, but when I said I had six many stores offered me 10% off. Good luck!
Depending on the size of your bridal party, and each girls individual sizes - you could also search for "non-traditional" BM dresses. Once you attach "Bridesmaid" and "wedding" to something, the price goes up. I've been looking on modcloth.com, shopruche.com and jcrew clearances. But if you have larger sized girls, that's not going to do. It's also easier with smaller bridal parties. My sister just had one, and that was me. So we searched several different stores and ended up finding a satin mariyln monroe style dress from Herbergers on clearance for $25 - what a find!
Also, the LBD is a creative option, and you could incorporate your colors by adding a sash/bow on it, and colored statement jewelry.
Hope you find something!!
Very pretty dress - but I think $235 is too much! Maybe if you chipped in some for each girl (say $50) to lower the cost it MAY be more reasonable.
@ europomme - Thanks! I love it too! I know my girls can re-wear it again so I will show it to them. Hopefully they'll like it :)
@ Goldilocks - I like your idea! I wonder if I can find a bee who would be willing to hook me up :)
@ Farfromachildbride - Thanks, I'll look up that color in JCrew. And yess, a trip to Buffalo is a great idea. Are there any Targets in Buffalo?
The BM dresses I've chosen are $260 (after the discount - Amsale long matte jersey in "peacock"). I'm in 2 other weddings before my own - the "budget bride" went with a dress that is is a dupioni silk and is $330 (anticipating $150 in alterations) and the other is going for the same designer and basic look as mine - I actually stole the idea from her because they were such great dresses!
I think a lot depends on what your BMs can afford and whether they can wear them again. I'm fine spending more on a dress if I can wear it again. Close to $500 for a dress I will donate the second it's off? Not so happy about that...
Mine are around $175 after tax (NY). A little higher than I wanted, but dont' get me started..
Mine are costing $165, but my BM are paying for the first $100. I got them at J Crew online. LOVE them! :)
If the dress is too expensive for them, maybe you could chip in part for each dress. My friend did that when I was in her wedding. She paid for part of the dress because it was a little expensive. Consider it their gift for being part of your wedding.
I'm in the same boat. The shop I got my dress at gave me a discount (that is around $300 off) if we get the BM's dresses there (they also get a 15% discount). After looking at just a few when I was done trying mine on the cheapest I found was $180 w/o alterations. I'm taking them in a month or so to look again and hopefully try stuff on and get opinions. If I find something everyone loves and looks good in but is really expensive I'll chip in. I'm thinking if I find something for $200, they get 15% off, I pay $50, should bring it to under $150 which I think is acceptable. I'm also paying for everyone's hair so they feel a bit better about paying for a dress, also hoping to find something they can maybe wear again, maybe shorten and wear as a LBD!
Mine actually came out to 150 which was waaay better than i had thought..I ended up getting Alfred Angelo dresses..i looked at the different bridal salons to compare prices and got the best deal at one..they gave me $10 off the dress (originally $140) and $5 ($25) off the sash (it was separate)
Anything over $200 dollars if your not chipping in I think is too much.
Im glad i had allowed $200 dollars for my girls however it didnt really matter as however found the dresses price of $50 dollars on sale!
:) The girls are really happy with their dresses and I am too!
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I found some bridesmaid dresses that are $235, but am afraid to present it to my girls because the price is a bit steep. I was hoping to find dresses that are under $200 but have had no luck, especially since I'm looking for teal colored dreses.
How much are the dresses that you're getting your bridesmaids to pay for? What amount is average and what amount is too much?