In our recent postings, we’ve been focusing on useful advice for bridesmaids, as well as for brides. In many cases, the same advice will be helpful to both. However, being a bridesmaid is very different to being the bride, and there are unique challenges involved in both. As we’ve mentioned several times, being a bridesmaid is a huge commitment and a great honour. One of the main reasons it’s such a significant undertaking is that it involves considerable expense. Bridesmaids usually pay many of their costs themselves, and these can easily add up over the course of preparing for a wedding ceremony.

It’s safe to say that any bridesmaid will spend a lot of time thinking about her expenses. Once she’s agreed to be a bridesmaid, her budget will likely be one of the first things she starts to plan. So, ideas for saving some money are sure to be of interest to any prospective bridesmaid. In this week’s blog post, we’d like to suggest some of the most sensible ways that bridesmaids can make their budget go a little further. As ever, we hope you’ll find them useful.

Buy Your Dresses Together

As we wrote last week, many bridal parties will choose a common theme or look for their outfits. With this in mind you may find yourself considering dresses from the same boutique or designer as the other bridesmaids, and even the bride herself. This may present an excellent opportunity for everyone to save a little money, without compromising on the look they want. If at all possible, you and the other bridesmaids should strongly consider purchasing your dresses and accessories from the same vendor, in one bulk order. Many vendors will have group discount policies in place, and even if not, placing such a large order puts you in a strong position if trying to get the vendor to lower their price. For even greater savings, try to include the bride’s dress in this order too.

Shop Around for Any Alterations Required

Once you’ve purchased your dress, the chances are that it may need some alterations to fit you perfectly and to look exactly the way you want it to. We strongly recommend that you avoid having any alterations done by same vendor from whom you’ve bought your dress. Having your alterations done in store is, admittedly, a little more convenient, but there’s a good chance you’ll be paying over the odds for this extra convenience. If alterations are required, you should shop around to ensure that you get the best price possible. Perhaps you or one of the other bridesmaids knows a seamstress that comes well recommended. Better yet, if you’re very lucky, perhaps one of your bridal party has the talents needed to perform the alterations! Either of these will be a more thrifty option than having your alterations done in-store.

Book Early and in a Group

As the plan for the wedding begins to take shape, you should confer with the other bridesmaids regarding any bookings that need to made. Working with the other bridesmaids on this will result in some significant savings for all of you. For example, travel and accommodation are often cheaper when booked in groups, and almost always cheaper when booked well in advance. A little coordination and organisation here can go a long way when it comes to being thrifty, not to mention that travelling and staying in a group with your friends will be more fun!

Discuss Your Budget with the Bride

As we mentioned last week, it’s important that the brides and her bridesmaids have a frank and honest discussion about the budget. This should involve a very clear breakdown of who is paying which costs, and what everyone’s overall budget is. Doing this will ensure that you won’t end up spending more than you can afford. However, even after this initial discussion, don’t be nervous about speaking to the bride if you have any concerns about your budget. You should keep an open dialogue with the bride and the other bridesmaids, to make sure that your expenses don’t begin to creep out of budget. It’s important to remember that the bride and other bridesmaids are your good friends, so there’s no need to be embarrased about raising any such concerns.

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