Being a bridesmaid means that you are included in all of the pre-wedding celebrations and you are special to the bride but it also means that you need to have a flexible budget to pay for the bachelor/ ette party, the travel, the gifts, the hair and make up and the attire for the wedding day (and/ or for the rehearsal). Having hand selected attire for the entire wedding party sets the stage for a formal celebration and it looks great on photos. But it’s also a lot to ask for your bridesmaids and groomsmen to pay for shoes, dresses, suits, socks, etc. Some couples offer to pay for some of the expenses, often times they cover costs for hair and make up, send a gift that is a piece of jewelry, robe or shawl but sometimes bridesmaids are left to pay for everything on their own. It’s worse when you are told to purchase a dress that you will never wear again, combined with shoes that you only wear for photos because they end up hurting your feet and only to find them at bottom of your closet for the next few years taking over space you don’t have. But if your bride has done her research well, she will have found a dress, a company or a store that provides not only dresses/ outfits for any occasion but also for a reasonable price and you may just want to wear that outfit more than once…

The wedding attire industry has changed and fashion companies are making it easier for all involved. Try on your dresses in the convenience of your home, invite your friends and family and have a dress party! Azazie is one of those companies. You can order a bridesmaid’s dress for $10, have it shipped to your house, return it for free via mail and then choose which color and size are right for you and order. All dresses are made to order and there are so many choices. Colors and trends are constantly changing and Azazie does a great job of keeping up with it all.

Azazie also offers accessories, veils, bridal gowns, Mom’s dresses and more. It’s also a good idea to have them ship you some color swatches to make sure you are trying on dresses that match your color palette.

I’ve had a couple of my brides purchase dresses for their bridesmaids on this site and what they all loved, was that their dresses can actually be worn again because they don’t scream “bridesmaid dress” and they have so many different designs. When you have friends living in different places, the “at-home-try-on” option is ideal. Best of all, all dresses are around $100 each!