A Plea to All Brides
In the past two years, seven of my friends have gotten married. I’ve hit that age where it seems like your single girlfriends are dropping like flies. It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of years, let me tell you. I still find myself dreaming about weddings, even though it’s been a couple of weeks since the last one. Images of wedding dresses, boutonnières, hairpieces, flowers, and bouquets flood my mind as if from an automatic faucet running its course. I’ve experienced the easy, laid back bride as well as my very own bridezilla. I’ve been to a Caribbean wedding as well as a very formal wedding where the reception was held at an old castle (or at least it looked like a castle). And now, at the end of it all, I am left with a lot of pictures and seven bridesmaid dresses.
Weddings are expensive, especially when you’re in the bridal party. There’s a lot that goes into a wedding beyond the bridal dresses we purchase. We bridesmaids also have to pay for/plan both the bridal shower and the bachelorette party. Then, there are shoes, alterations, and accessories, plus the usual gifts your give to the bride/groom. And, of course, there’s the expense of the bridesmaid dresses. Listen, I knew going into each and every wedding I was in that it was going to be a financial commitment, so as much as it was an effort to budget my income to sufficiently save for all these wedding expenses, I do not begrudge any of my brides for my empty wallet. I was honored to be asked and happy to be a part of their big day. All the brides are good friends of mine and near and dear to my heart.
Bridesmaid dresses are hard to buy and expensive. They are difficult to buy because it isn’t easy trying to fit and flatter six girls in the same dress. However, it can be done. Five of the seven weddings I was in, it was done. I have five great dresses that were actually pretty reasonably priced - all of which I can wear again at a different occasion. The other two dresses that I had to wear, however, were actually the most expensive of the bunch and really ugly/unflattering and they are a waste. So here’s my plea to all brides. I know you have a lot on your plate. I know how stressful it can all get – believe me, I know. But your bridesmaids are your good friends who do a lot to help and support you, so please, pick a dress that works well for all. For my own wedding, I will have no problem forking out a ton of money for a dress I’ll only wear once. For someone else’s wedding, that’s a lot harder to swallow.
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