Cheap Bridesmaid Dresses

Choosing cheap bridesmaid dresses can be almost as stressful as choosing your own dress (almost).

You'll have to try and juggle what you want, with what the bridesmaids will feel comfortable in (but bear in mind you will never be able to keep everyone happy and you have the final say!)

You should start to look for the bridesmaid's dresses as early as possible, ideally as soon as you've arranged your wedding dress and decided on a theme colour. Many suppliers can have varying lead times, so always check these out. Although if you're buying from the high street or online this should be less of an issue.

You'll also need to allow adequate time for alterations so aim to have them around two months before your wedding date (this should allow enough time for two fittings/alterations).

If you're anything like me, you already will have a fairly clear picture of what you want your cheap bridesmaid dresses to look like, but if not there are plenty of magazines out there to give you inspiration.

Purchase options for cheap bridesmaid dresses:

• Buy on the high street - this can be a cheap option provided you stay out of the boutiques, plus you don't have the big lead times as you can buy them straight off the shelf. The big high street names are a great bet as they'll have a good range of choices. There will however be a more limited number of styles and colours available and they'll be anything but unique.

  The high street is ideal for cheap bridesmaid dresses but it's always a good idea to do a quick reconnaissance mission of the choices so you can narrow your selection down to three or four choices before involving the bridesmaids.

  Once you've done this you should bring a few of the bridesmaids or the maid/matron of honour to get their opinion. It’s always a good idea to give your bridesmaids some input (especially if you've decided that you want them to pay for their own dresses).

• Buy from a bridal shop - usually more expensive than buying on the high street but you'll get a larger selection with lots of different colour choices. If going down this route remember you'll need to get bridesmaids measured at the shop as each suppliers sizing charts may not be the same and a size 12 with one supplier may not be a 12 with another.

  You should also always order all the dresses at once, that way you'll be sure that the fabric will all come from the same batch and you shouldn't have any mismatches with the colour.

Whichever route you decide to go down you should always consider your bridesmaids’ individual sizes, shapes and colourings. After all you want them to all feel comfortable on the day, and if you force a larger bridesmaid into a tight dress beside several thin bridesmaids she's not going to feel particularly happy or comfortable.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, do your best to get dresses that your bridesmaids will feel comfortable in and take their feelings into consideration. More and more brides are opting to have the bridesmaid dresses in the same colour but different styles. Alternatively, the same style of dress in different but complementary colours. That way everyone's happy, (if that's possible!)

Always ask yourself if it's possible that one or more of your bridesmaids could get pregnant between now and the wedding. If it's a possibility, when ordering the dresses check if a maternity option is available in the same or similar colour/style.

Having all the bridesmaids in the same style of dress is not a necessity, as long as they all look good together.

Final Pointers on the big day:

• Consider things that could potentially dirty the bridesmaid dresses (and your dress) - some flowers can stain (your florist can advise you and remove the offending parts). As a rule you should assume that everything can dirty the dresses, such as car doors, venue doors and the floor or ground, so always lift the dress and get the bridesmaids to do the same when walking from location to location (bring some “spot remover” just in case).

• Check the venue has an iron and ironing board (or bring your own).

• Get your and your bridesmaids’ hair and make-up done before putting the dresses on OR use a towel to cover the dresses.

• Use an effective antiperspirant in conjunction with a deodorant (antiperspirant will stop you sweating and the deodorant will mask any odour if your antiperspirant fails). The day will be very long and you will be dancing a lot!

So, follow these simple steps and you should have a relatively pain free experience while picking and ordering your cheap bridesmaid dresses.

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