The first thing my friend Gita said after I asked her to be a bridesmaid was, of course, a resounding “yes.” But it was quickly followed with “Please don’t make me spend $300 on a dress I’m only going to wear once.” 

Having spent that much (actually more) on bridesmaid dresses in the past, I could understand the request.  I mean shoot – I am a fashion blogger, a bargain hunting mom, super organized, and on top of all that I’ve got friends with arts and craft skills.

There was no reason I couldn’t put together a rockin’ bridesmaid ensemble under $100. As evidenced by the wedding pictures, I think we did a darn good job! Each bridesmaid only spent about $60 for their outfit (shoes included).

Checkout my tips for building a successful, drama-free, bridesmaid ensemble:

Tip #1: Get set on the wedding dress first, then pick a theme.

Bridesmaid are supposed to be accessories companions of the bride, so this tip is kind of a “no duh.” The bridal gown will help set the tone for the rest of the ensemble.

At my wedding, there were two different outfits (wedding gown and Korean hanbok), so the bridesmaid dresses had to match both.  For the dress hunt, we went with a color theme of black, based on my handbok. Ultimately, we selected the black dress that best matched the silhouette of the wedding gown.

I’m going to repeat the advice I have for selecting wedding dresses: don’t limit your search to just bridal stuff. We got our dresses from Forever 21 for $24.99. Don’t be scared to creative! The said Forever 21 dresses originally came with a hideous brown flower belt, which we promptly discarded. In it’s place, Gita handmade inexpensive red sashes that matched the sash on my hanbok.

Tip #2: Bridesmaids do not have to wear the same dresses

My friend Beth’s super stylish wedding is an excellent example of this tip. If you are thinking about doing this, pick a motif and really stick with it. Think of your bridesmaids as models in a runway collection. They may all be wearing different dresses, but they should all look like they belong in the same season.

Tip #3: Don’t forget about the shoes

Don’t forget that the bridesmaids don’t have to wear the same exact shoes either, as long as they’re the same color. They could even wear a mix of heels and flats!

Want to get more inspirations from my wedding, as well as scope out the work of the amazing photographers that took their wedding pictures? Check out the photography sites: Jess and Pedram’s wedding, photographed by Ed Pingol    Beth and Greg’s wedding, photographed by Vanessa.