How Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses are a Gift to Your Bridesmaids

Although being chosen as a bridesmaid is a distinct and special honor, it can carry the weight of the world when you are unable to purchase everything needed. When a bridesmaid has to turn down the honor, its time to rethink your dress selection. Here are some options which will help you down the road.

1. Amazon.com has some amazingly cheap bridesmaid dresses, which are beautiful and elegant as well. Sites from all over the USA and UK (for amazon.co.uk) place their merchandise on Amazon.com. These prices need to be competetive, so you will often find lower prices. Here is an example:

2. If you're specific in style and color, perhaps your bridesmaid dresses don't need to be the exact same. Send your bridesmaids out to buy their own dresses with your style and color in mind. You can always specify formal or informal. Hint: choosing informal will save them quite a bit of money.

3. Buy material in bulk and take to a seamstress that will give a discount because you're having so many of the same type made. Tip: certain seamstresses may charge more for difficult material like lace or silks.

4.  Offer to pay for their dresses if they will do some of the wedding planning with you. Planning a wedding isn't an easy task and the more help you get the better. While most bridesmaids will help anyway, giving them more difficult tasks, like calling around to find the best catering prices, will consume man hours. If you repay them buy purchasing their bridesmaid dress, you are helping them and yourself.

5. Choose a style of dress which will be wearable in the near future. A little black dress perhaps or a sundress which isn't too formal. Bridesmaid dresses , while no longer the atrocities of the past, are still usually relegated to the back of most women's closets. By choosing a dress which can be worn over and over, you've made it possible for a bridesmaid to economize.

6. Opt for no jewelry. Cheap bridesmaid dresses may be a great way to keep costs down, but having less costs all around is also helpful. Asking for or even better, providing the jewelry for your bridesmaids will help alleviate some of the costs.

7. Go for less fancy hairstyles, perhaps just a bun. If one bridesmaid has a specific hairstyle, the rest may feel obligated to get the same. Specifically request a plain updo and you may be aiding in the relief of a friend.

Happy weddings and you can find more cheap bridesmaid dresses information on my blog.

Cheap Vintage Bridesmaid Dresses

Yesterday I wrote a pretty extensive hub on vintage bridesmaid dresses, and I wanted to feature a small blurb here on this site.

From the 1920s to the 1950s there was a certain glamorous element to fashion. Women wore beading, hats, bright colors, sequins, polka dots, gloves and elegant dresses. This trend seems like its becoming fashionable again, at least for pin up girl bridesmaid dresses. 

In the early 1920s the fashion was almost floor lenght dresses with drop waists and large sashes around the dropped waist with bows or flowers. Later in the decade, women wore flapper dresses which rose above the knee. These fashion trends rose out of the women's rights movement and women began to cast aside their girdles and heavy clothes in protest. Quite a significant statement to wear a dress like one of these in the wedding. A tribute to both fashion and women.

The 1930s and 40s was a return to glamor and elegance, for women. Gowns, fur, long sleeved gloves, flowing long curls (the Lana Turner look) and the mermaid style gown (tightly fitted around bodice to hips then flowing to the ground.

The 1950s, my favorite, were the years of the infamous Bettie Page and Marilyn Monroe. Both ushered in a different type of halter dress. Bettie with her peter pan collared, polka dot, swing skirt and Marilyn with a traditional halter, fitted waist and flowing bodice. 

You can find more of my planning a wedding vintage style on my other blog. I've also written quite extensively on wedding table decor for a vintage style wedding.

Bridesmaid dresses, Cheap 10 Money Saving Tips

If you're in the market for cheap bridesmaid dresses plan to invest some time and energy. 

Top 10 ideas for cheap bridesmaid dresses:

10. You'll be surprised to find out that your local flea market usually has shops which are run by local asian and latino men and women. The Latino community has a large Catholic base. They also celebrate quinceanera - a debutante type celebration. Bridal wear, quinceanera dresses, and bridesmaid dresses can be found at very low prices. Asian and Latin shops always have dresses for inexpensive prices shipped from China and Mexico. 

9. Shop by internet and find materials to have your dresses made. A pattern can be purchased cheaper. Be careful though, having your dresses made can be more expensive than buying a dress. You have to buy the material and pay the seamstress. Remember to buy in bulk all the fabric and materials needed and check that you're paying less than is available at a store or online

8. Buy all dresses at the same time from a smaller dealer and you may get a better price. Shop at a department store and they're prices are set. Local business owners are glad to have the business and deal directly with the manufacterers. Steer clear of businesses don't deal with manufacterers, they charge a middle man fee to the consumer!

7.  Bridesmaid dresses don't need to be bought from the bridal stores or boutiques. Simple and beautiful dresses can be found at the Misses or Juniors department of your local department store. 

6. Craig's list can be a life saver for any bridesmaid. Including shipping costs it, you may be able to find your dress all over the country for less. 

5. Shop ebay! Ebay has great stores for bridesmaid dresses. Be sure to check the design and style of the dress and shop around. Sometimes you can pay more by shopping on Ebay!

4. If there is a local fashion institute , you can probably convince a fashion design student to make and design your dress for cheap.

3. Shop for the dress as early as possible. You get a better deal on a dress if it is out of season. Buy summer dresses in fall and winter and vice versa.

2. Check local bridal boutiques, they will sometimes have your bridesmaid dress from previous seasons on display. Display dresses are sometimes discounted if the style is no longer in use or they are making room for new styles. 

1. Your dress cost is cut in half if you resell it on online. Keep all tags and information on your dress so you can show proof of size and alterations. Dresses sell online for about $25-$50 dollars. BUYERS pay for shipping not sellers!

Best of luck and congratulations on being a bridesmaid