How much are you asking your BMs to spend on a dress? I am between 2 dresses - one a Jim Hjelm for ~$240 and the other an Alfred Angelo for ~$140. Is the first too much to expect them to spend? I really love the style, but don't want them to spend so much, when I know that they will also have to spend more to get it altered (at least hemmed). See below for pics:
I would go with the Alfred Angelo. Why make them spend an extra hundred if they don't have to?
bluegreen08
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
my girls dont have much money and essentially said to me they dont care what they wear, just please keep the cost down. in the end i let them pick the dress too (with some leeway) and they all OK'd the price. they are paying $160 + tax and alterations. Unless it's a plain black dress they are unlikely to wear it again.
IMO, anything $200+ before alterations and tax is pretty expensive. It depends on your girls though.
Any way you can get the JH cheaper? I love the strapless version of the JH dress, but I think of the 2 you posted I actually prefer the AA.
MrsInglima
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I like the first one better. But what it comes down to is which dress is your favorite. I've heard people spending up to $400 on bridesmaid dresses. So in my opinion anything under $250 is reasonable.
lizzie217
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I promised my girls 200 or less....I had heard stories of brides insisting on designer (like Vera Wang dresses)...IMO if you want your BMs to get those you better pay lol....
It wasnt easy to find nice dresses less than 200 to be honest...mine are 185 before tax and alterations....we got Bill Levkoff from Bridal Reflections in Carle Place where I got my dress
BoxOfRocks
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
You know your BMs best and what they can afford. That said, even if they're doing OK, admittedly $240 is on the high end. That's before shoes, hair and makeup, alterations, travel, and all the other costs involved in being a BM.
Why not check out NetBride, Pearl's Place, RK Bridal, and other discount sites? You may be able to get the dress you want at a lower cost. FTR, I used Pearl's Place for my Alfred Angelo BM dresses and was very pleased with the timing and the condition in which they arrived. The AA dresses retailed at brick and mortar stores for $150 and I got them at PP for $99. NetBride was also competitively priced ($107).
ilovedave1119
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I love the alfred angelo dress. It's actually one that I am having the girls try on.
I think that it's a lot to expect girls to spend more then 200 on a dress that they will only wear one day (most likely). I think that there are a lot of options out there for less then $200 (a lot from the alfred angelo site)...JMO!
wo0shply
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
try ordering through RK bridal for their no frills deal, if you find a dress that is cheaper online you can fax them the info and they match the price and give you a percentage off.
My bms have different budgets so i told them to pick out their own dresses so hopefully they can wear it again. but two of my bms are getting $200+ dresses cause they love them.
PegaLega
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
Take what you want them to look like, etc. if you know that spending 240 on a dress and then possibly another 100 on alterations and they can afford it then go for the first one. If money is an issue then stick with the second one. Ultimately depending on the color it can be worn again-myself I have never worn a BM dress again but that is only b/c I have an issue with buying new things for every party we go to...its a bad habit.
I like the first one better then the second but the second one is nice
ETA: My girls dresses were 190-with a discount b/c I bought my dress at the same store, there alterations were capped at $60
lonal
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
Mine were 125.
bluegreen08
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
just a thought, if you are in love with the $240 dress you can always pay $100 or so toward it to make it more reasonable for your girls. they would probably appreciate it.
Summer07Bride
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
My girls paid 150 plus alterations. I knew some of them were strapped for cash and didn't want to make them poor because of my wedding.
Brian and Marie
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
Go with the dress that you love the most!! Hopefully you only get married once and when someone says yes to being a BM, they have to know that it was end up being expensive!!
sophisticat13
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I agree with most of the girls. I would be uncomfortable asking my bmaids to spend more than $150 on a dress they will probably only wear once. My b'maids only asked that I keep the cost of the dress down.
NYCGirl2008
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
My BM dresses were $280 ... eeps. It actually has been pretty much what I have paid to be in other's weddings too. Anyways, I thought it was ok as it was convenient also and being that most of my bmaids are married plus new babies convenience is key. Shopping around for the cheapest price just wasn't going to cut it!
medic6809
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I think it depends on the financial situation your bridesmaids are in. I would be p*ssed if I was expected to buy a dress for that much just becasue it was by this designer, but if this was the ONLY dress we all looked good in then I would. I think that area plays a parrt too. Where I live more then $200 is . Most of us can not afford that plus allterations, shoes, showers, and so on. I would talk to the bm's and see what they say, but do it 1 on 1 so they can be honest about the $$
SummerBride10
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I haven't picked out the BM dresses yet but ideally i'd like to stay under 200!
I think both dresses are beautiful and whichever you choose will be fine!
lisa50
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I have 6 brand new ones for sale, check out my album, I'll hook you up with a great deal if you want them. All are black in diff sizes none altered.
Cpt2007
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
I had three requirements going into looking at dresses:
1) I wanted Navy Blue, 2) I wanted something that could possibly be worn again and shortened if necessary later on, and 3) as close to $100 as possible b/c I didn't want to impose on my girls when they were all going to travel a long distance to be in my wedding.
We got our dress through Netbride and they ended up being $96, which was a lot less than the $140 I had seen in other salons. I paid for the $10 shipping to each of their homes so they didn't have to spend that and would only incur extra expenses if they needed any alterations. The girls all loved the dress, and they looked wonderful in them.
You know your girls best but I would talk with each of them individually and make sure you know what their monetary limits are, especially if you like both dresses. Standing up with a friend as her bm should be a happy event; not a burden.
GL! both dresses are lovely.
vineyardbride08
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Re: How much for a BM dress?
Why dont you pay the difference if you really love the first dress? It is a lot of money to ask them to spend. Or make it up to them in some other way like paying for hair and makeup.
