Brides magazine estimates that the millions of women who will be bridesmaids in 2012 will spend about $1,000 each - not including any air travel, lodging, and food. And we’re not talking Bridezillas here; just your normal nuptials.
New normal, that is. Which means besides the dress and shoes, there’s hair and makeup, throwing a bridal shower, throwing a bachelorette party, gifts, air fare, lodging, and food. According to the December issue of Brides, count on spending $265 for dress and alterations, $50 for shoes, $150 for hair and makeup, $100 for your share of the shower, $175 for your share of the bachelorette party, and $250 for engagement, shower, and wedding gifts.
And let’s face it: Not all bridesmaids are going to live in town where the wedding’s being held, especially if it’s a destination wedding. So there are travel costs to consider, too. No one should go broke trying to do a friend a favor.
My daughter’s friend, who lives in Washington, D.C., was to be in a wedding last March. She attended the shower in Boston, planned and attended the bachelorette party in New York, bought and altered her bridesmaid’s dress, and was planning to book a hotel and flight to the wedding in Arizona. But her father became ill, and she could not attend. Still, she spent more than $1,000.
Then there’s my friend’s daughter who was in two weddings last summer. One was in Palm Beach, Fla., a flight away from Boston. The bridesmaids’ dresses were $400 apiece, the shoes $80; neither will ever be worn again, she says. The roundtrip airfare was an off-season deal at $300. The hotel room was $250. The gifts were $100. Total: $1,130.
“It’s crazy; it’s way too much to ask a friend to do,’’ says Vanessa, 24, who adds that she had a great time at both weddings - the other one, a bus ride away, cost her a mere $700. “I just wouldn’t do it myself, if I were the bride,’’ she says. “But I’m happy to do it for them.’’
