Putting a wedding together is extremely costly, and even if you can afford the major investment, it can still be worthwhile trying to cut back on expenses wherever you can. Although the bride’s dress needs to be the best, and the groom will probably want to ensure that his tuxedo or suit is also well-made, there are still savings which can be made on clothing, particularly when it comes to the bridesmaids’ dresses. Although you won’t want to make the bridesmaids look cheap, cutting back on cost here is probably the only savings to be made on wedding clothes.

1) One way in which some couples choose to make savings on these dresses is by asking bridesmaids to either buy their own, or chip into the cost of buying the dresses. Although they might be willing, this could lead to the bridesmaids buying different-looking dresses, or failing to get the match just right. This can make the wedding procession seem out-of-sync, and so couples choose to avoid this method of saving money. Bridesmaids might be persuaded to buy dresses all made from the same shop, as long as they get to keep them afterwards, but it can be a little awkward to ask the girls – who are often the bride’s friends and relations, to do this.

2) Another way to save money is to purchase the bridesmaids’ dresses online. This can be a great way to make savings while also getting a better design of dress. Mail-order wedding clothes can be a little bit hit-and-miss, but as long as the bride gets a good description of the dress, or can view a range of photographs, then it should be easy for them to make a selection. As the clothes are sold for only a little mark-up cost, the couple should be able to make a good saving on all their bridesmaids’ dresses.

3) A third way of saving money on the bridesmaids’ dresses is to buy during sales. Most modern couples spend a year, or even two years, engaged before they get married, and this is plenty of time to ensure that they snap up and sale items. Thrifty brides even choose to buy their own dresses in sales or discount seasons, but buying the bridesmaids dresses alone will save you a reasonable amount. The only real downside to this is that the dresses you like might not be in the bridesmaids’ size, or only have a limited number on offer.

4) A fourth good tip for saving money on the dresses for bridesmaids is to ask your wedding dress vendor for a discount. The cost of the wedding dress alone might mean that the vendor is already willing to offer reduced prices, but with two or more bridesmaids dresses too, it is almost certain that some arrangement can be made. It is always worth asking if the vendor will do a discount on orders of say, 3 or more dresses, or asking if there are reductions available for bulk orders.