Bridesmaids' outfits
The Chief Bridesmaid's guide to cutting the cost of Bridesmaids' dresses, shoes and accessories
It's a lot of fun choosing your bridesmaids, but it’s worth having a think about the financial implications of how many you ask - the cost of bridesmaids' dresses, shoes and flowers can have serious implications on your budget...
For every bridesmaid, you could find yourself buying a bridesmaid dress, shoes, accessories and bridesmaid bouquet. You may also want to pay for each bridesmaid to have their hair and make up done by a professional. Without wishing to dwell on the obvious, having less bridesmaids costs substantially less money. Having fewer bridesmaids is a really easy way to cut costs if you’ve got a small budget.
If you’ve got heaps of friends that you’re keen to ask to be bridesmaids, but can’t afford the cost, why not allocate them other positions of importance so that they feel involved - they could give a reading during the wedding ceremony instead or be one of your witnesses.
If cutting down on the number of bridesmaids is simply not an option, here are The Chief Bridesmaid's tips for buying cheaper bridesmaid dresses:
Tips for saving money on bridesmaid dresses.jpg)
For Poorer:
- If you don’t mind your bridesmaids not matching up, why don’t you ask them each to wear their favourite party dress instead of a traditional bridesmaid dress? In order to mark them out as VIPs, you could give them a matching corsage to wear.
- Check out TK Maxx’s range of low cost prom dresses that could easily pass off as bridesmaid dresses. The Monsoon sale shop at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire is also a great place to pick up bargains - plus it also does a great range of cheap Wedding dresses, bridal and bridesmaid accessories.
For Richer:
- My bridesmaid and I began our search for bridesmaid dresses in London’s finest bridal shops. This proved really uninspiring as nothing affordable was on offer. Outside of London, there are much more affordable brands available like Dessy and Alfred Angelo - these were nowhere to be found centrally.
- Look out for good value off the peg bridesmaid-style dresses on offer in the High St sales in Coast, LK Bennett and Monsoon. It’s not only far more cost effective to buy bridesmaid dresses during sale time, but as it’s likely you’ll be buying dresses from a previous season - you’re less likely to find that one of the guests has turned up in t.jpg)
he same thing!
- As per my “For Poorer” tip, also check out the dresses on offer at discount designer villages like Bicester Village. They’ve got a Monsoon, Whistles and Karen Millen there - all likely to offer some good candidates for bargain bridesmaid dresses.
Inexpensive Bridesmaid shoes
My bridesmaids just wore their own shoes underneath their dresses - their bridesmaid dresses were so long that you couldn’t really see them anyway.
Alternatively, New Look offer surprisingly expensive-looking shoes at really cheap prices (£25 and under) in a huge array of colours. They’re pretty comfortable too, which as any busy Chief Bridesmaid knows, is absolutely essential!
If you’re looking for cheap bridesmaid shoes with a designer labe.jpg)
l, check out the LK Bennett sale shop on the Kings Road in London. I got my own wedding shoes here, and they cost £10 reduced from £160!
Other money saving tips
- Paying for several bridesmaids to all have their hair and make up done professionally could cost a fortune, so why not ask if they’d mind doing their own. Or, ask a trusted friend who’s a dab hand with a blusher brush to see if she’d be happy to give a helping hand to those bridesmaids who’d rather not do their own make up. Click here for cheap bridal make-up tips or read on for Bridesmaids' duties.
