Bridesmaid's Guide: Bridesmaid's Budget

Weddings are enormously expensive, and playing an integral role in the hoopla will not come cheap. In addition to paying for your dress, your shoes, and any required headpiece, you can expect to incur significant "hidden" expenses, such as transportation to and from the wedding or your share of the bridal-shower budget. The average wedding can cost a bridesmaid upwards of $400 before the bride and groom even say "I do." While certain expenditures can't be avoided, with a little careful planning and some strict budgeting you'll still have enough money left over to pay the rent.

The following is a worksheet with a list of fixed expenses you can expect as a bridesmaid. Enter the cost of each additional expense (the little extras that are, by and large, optional) and create a budget so you know where all your hard-earned money is going.

DEFINITE EXPENSES	COST	ADDITIONAL EXPENSES	COST
I. Outfit
A. Dress -		E. Alterations
B. Underwear:		F. Accessories:
Underpants		Necklace
Bra/Bustier		Earrings
Pantyhose/		Bracelets
Stockings		Gloves
Garter		G. Barrette, headband,
Slip		scrunchi®
C. Shoes
Color Dye
D. Headpiece:
Hat/Horns/etc----
II. Bridal Shower
Fill amount from
worksheet
III. Bachelorette Party
IV. Grooming
A. Hair		B. Face:
Cut		Facial
Styling		Professional
		Make-up
		Waxing (Lip,
		Brow, etc.)
		C. Body:
		Manicure
		Pedicure
		Waxing
		.(Underarms,
		Legs, etc.)
V. Travel
A. To Wedding:
Air fare, Bus fare,
Train fare,
Rental Car, Bus,
Taxicab...
B. Hotel/Motel/Inn
C. To Rehearsal
Dinner:
Taxi, Rental Car, etc.
D. To Ceremony:
Taxi, Rental Car, etc.
E. To Reception:
Taxi, Rental Car, etc.
F. Tips for Porters/
Maids/etc.
VI. Gifts
A. Bridal Shower		C. Engagement
B. Wedding		D. Baby (for those shot-gun weddings)
VII. Therapy A. Therapeutic Swedish Massage		C. Ten Years of Freudian Psychoanalysis
B. Six visits with an HMO psychologist		D. Excessive Shoe Shopping
TOTALS: Definite Expenses ______		TOTALS: Additional Expenses ______

Money-Saving Tips

• Most bridal salons will give a discount on the bridesmaid dresses if the bride purchases her wedding gown at their store. Ask the bride to inquire about this when she shops for her gown.
• If the bride asks you to pick out your own dress, consider borrowing one. A friend may have just the right style dress hanging in her closet from a previous wedding.
• Try sample sales; call the showrooms of designers located in your city. Ask to be put on their mailing list so you can be notified when they have a sample sale.
• If you need to take a hotel room, see if any of the other bridesmaids or guests can share the room with you.
• Ask if the bridal shop where the bridesmaid dresses are ordered offers an "early bird special." Some shops will give you a discount on your dress if you purchase it by a certain date.
• White silk and satin shoes get put on clearance racks in January and February.
• Some silk shoes can be re-dyed if you need them to be a shade darker than they already are. Try to recycle the shoes you wore for a previous wedding.
• Do your own hair and makeup for the wedding.