Why You Should Pay for Your Bridesmaids' Dresses
I’ve just gotten engaged and am about to ask three of my dearest friends to be my bridesmaids. My question is: do I have to pay for their dresses or is it ok to ask them to cover the cost? I’ve just found the perfect look online — a strapless, blush/nude dress that will work back with my dress and the overall wedding colour palette.
My girls are my closest people and I absolutely adore them and want them to have an amazing experience throughout all of this but there is just SO much to pay for and I’m stressing out over the whole wedding budget and going into debt. Please help!
Hey Lady,
You are right to ask this question — and in the nick of time before serving this pretty-particular shit sandwich to your nearest and dearest pals; for that is exactly what this is. You cannot and you shall not wedge your best women into the same blush/nude dress that you have chosen on their behalf and then hand them the bill. Because that is no way to treat close friendships that go way back. Just as that one-style-must-suit-all dress may prove to be a total assault on their individual body shape (which is the way it is for 2/3 of the bridesmaids in any wedding party), asking them to Afterpay it will surely bruise the friendship and stain the collective wedding feels. And just think of what they will say behind your back.
I know that weddings can be wildly expensive. But it’s your choice to get married in J’Aton Couture beneath a Watego’s Beach sunset with a Patron bar crafted out of virgin sand.
As this is your first wedding, I must help you face the reality of being a brideslave — from Their perspective. Sure, it’s deeply flattering for the first five minutes but then it quickly cascades into hard work, thinly veiled as an honour and a privilege. Here’s a quick window into that particular world: feigning interest in the same topic for up to twelve months, regular hand-holding and counselling support, relentless group chat threads, endless wedding-related occasions to spreadsheet and execute (flawlessly), and of course, the pressure to hook up with the groomsmen. I have not even touched on the very necessary, personal-grooming schedule. It’s hectic. It’s heavy going. It’s like being an intern without the career credit. My view is: brideslaves should be gifted every piece of their uniform. Because if you’re told exactly what to wear with zero room for deviation or personal style tweaks then a uniform is what it is and uniforms should be provided at no cost to the wearer.
I know that weddings can be wildly expensive. But it’s your choice to get married in J’Aton Couture beneath a Watego’s Beach sunset with a Patron bar crafted out of virgin sand. It’s your choice to serve wild, sustainably harvested salmon pearls as a garnish. And to fly in out-of-season florals from Bulgaria. But being cheap with your closest friendship group will cost you more than all of that, possibly more than you realise. So look for savings elsewhere (hello Prosecco!) and be full of heart and wallet on this particular line item. You owe these gals. And don’t forget their shoes either.
Image: Via Pinterest
