Because I am a well-known cheapskate, I couldn't imagine asking my bridesmaids to spend a fortune on their dresses. But it can be hard enough to find dresses that suit your colors and style and fit everyone involved -- adding a price limitation makes the search that much harder!
My main search goal was keeping the price under $50 before alterations. Most of my own party dresses are Marshalls/TJ Maxx specials, so between that option and my Ebay shopping fixation, the goal seemed tough but do-able. In fact, I found a good candidate on Ebay after only a bit of searching:
(Bill Levkoff #964; $156 retail; my Ebay prices for "new with tags" dresses were $27 and $54 including shipping. The neckline matches that of my wedding gown, and the double straps are reminiscent, so it seemed perfect!)
Ebay can be a great source for inexpensive bridesmaid's dresses. As with wedding dresses, bridal stores often sell off discontinued stock at a huge discount. Unfortunately, most stores only have one of any given dress, so it can be a challenge finding a set. With a bit of searching, though, you can sometimes find matching dresses offered by the same seller. Some are dresses that have already been worn in a wedding, but there are also whole sets of new dresses from canceled weddings or from bridal stores.
Some Ebay tips:
Suitable dresses aren't always identified as "bridesmaid's dresses," so a search of that term will only get you halfway. There are 3 possible ways around this problem. (1) First, you can go to the categories where dresses live and simply scroll through the listings. Sets are usually listed one after another, so the series of identical photos will stand out. The best categories for this type of search are "Clothing, Shoes & Accessories: Wedding Apparel: Bridesmaids' Dresses" and "Clothing, Shoes & Accessories: Women's Clothing: Dresses." (You can further narrow the latter category into "Formal Gowns" or "Cocktail" by using the drop-down menus on the left-hand side of the page.) Here's an example of a current listing that I found through this search method:
(David's Bridal new dresses; sizes 2, 4, 6 (two), and 10 are currently listed by a single seller at $45.99 buy-it-now (the auction price is lower but carries oddly inflated shipping, while buy-it-now offers free shipping/handling).)
(2) Second, you can try searching for names of particular dress designers. The names often appear in the text of the listing rather than the title, so it helps to check the "search title AND description" box under the search bar. Some possible searches for frequent Ebay brands include: Levkoff, "Alfred Angelo," "Bari Jay," "Mori Lee," "After Six," Watters, Hjelm, Sottero, and "David's Bridal." Fancier brands like Valenta or "Vera Wang" are less common but do also appear. If you want to see all options, don't forget to click on the "See additional Buy It Now" link at the bottom of the listings. Here are some Bill Levkoff dresses I found on a quick search by name:
(Levkoff style #704, available in sizes 6, 10, and 20 from a single seller for $34.95/$39.95)
J. Crew bridesmaid dresses also appear quite frequently on Ebay. You can narrow your results by searching specific style names. (For example, Ava, Avery, and Sophia seem to be common styles at present.)
(J Crew "Avery" style in Navy; new with $215 value; listed by a single seller in sizes P2, P4, P6, 4, 6, 10, and 14 for $49.99)
And lately I've been into BCBG dresses as possible bridesmaid dresses. (In fact, I may change our own bridesmaid dresses to turquoise BCBGs.) Not all BCBG dresses are bridesmaid-worthy, of course, but the ones that are tend to hit the sweet spot of being truly re-wearable.... I recommend Ebay seller JT & Company because of its sheer number of BCBG listings (hundreds!) and because a link within each listing shows you all current listings of the same style. Here's a current JT&Co favorite:
($188 Max & Cleo dress; currently listed in sizes 6, 8, 10, and 12 (two) starting at 95 cents on auction or for $74.95 on buy-it-now)
(3) Finally, you can search for "bridesmaid* lot" to find listings that offer a whole set of dresses. (The asterisk is a search expander to pull in "bridesmaid," "bridesmaid's," etc.) Some will be identical, while others are often sets of different-styled gowns in a matching color scheme. (For example, here are 3 gorgeous pale aqua gowns starting at $1!)
Other Ebay tips: (1) Be open to finding different styles in a similar color scheme. Ebay is a cornucopia of choices if you're not tied to identical dresses.
(2) If you find something you like, snap it up immediately! I learned this the hard way: Originally, I planned 3 bridesmaids, but I put the 3rd dress in my "watch list" for a few days ... and someone else bought it in the meantime!!!! Now, it's either 2 bridesmaids or back to the drawing board on the dresses!
(3) If you know exactly what you want, you can have Ebay email you new listings as they appear. For example, in hope of finding a 3rd red dress, I'm watching for listings that contain "Levkoff red," "Levkoff garnet," and "Levkoff 964." To do this, run your search as usual and then look for the link that says "Save This Search."
Web choices other than Ebay:
I admit my experience in this area is extremely limited! I would imagine there are consistently good dress options out there from regular department store sites (especially their sales) or online discounters. I've long been a fan of Smartbargains.com (a Loehmann's affiliate). Overstock.com often seems to have good options for less than $100. Bluefly consistently offers attractive designer dresses, but prices tend to be higher (lots in the $150-$200 range).
Any other options or suggestions?? Where did you find your bridesmaid dresses?
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