You love your bridesmaids (duh) and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to spoil them to say thank you for all they’ve done. At the same time, there are things your bridesmaids are expected to pay for out of pocket, and it can get complicated if some of your besties are a little more financially comfortable than others. Yes, it’s a little awkward, but don’t worry: We’ve put together a few pointers for accommodating your girls who might be bridesmaid-ing on a budget, below.
1. Go Local for the Bachelorette Party
If all of your bridesmaids live in the same general area, perfect. You can pick a place that everyone can easily travel to by car or stay local (and trust us, these options are just as fun). If it just so happens that your bridesmaids are all over the country, well, that’s when things get trickier. Our advice: Just be open with your bridal party and talk to each of them individually. You’ll want to gauge their thoughts and find out who has room in their budget to travel and who absolutely doesn’t. On that note…
2. Provide Options
Of course, it’d be courteous to refrain from immediately deciding on the Ritz-Carlton for your bachelorette party without consulting your bridesmaids first. Even if it’s your first choice, you should make sure everything—including accommodations—is within budget for your besties. If you provide them with options (send out a SurveyMonkey!) maybe you’ll find they’re all down to splurge on the Ritz too. But they shouldn’t be forced if they truly can’t afford it.
3. Pick a Bridesmaid “Color”
Instead of deciding on a singular gown that all of your bridesmaids are required to purchase, simply pick an exact color (or range of hues) for your bridesmaids. That way, they can find their own dress that they truly love (without being made to break the bank in the process). The mix-and-match trend is en vogue right now anyway.
4. Keep Their Outfits Simple
In the same vein, maybe think twice about requiring all of your bridesmaids to wear pricey drop earrings or matching satin pumps for your wedding day. Either give them a general, viable look (maybe you simply want all of them to sport dainty gold necklaces of their choosing), or just leave the accessorizing up to them. Or you can gift them an item for their bridesmaid gift.
5. Be Flexible
Understand that not all of your bridesmaids will be able to attend every single prewedding event (like your engagement party, bridal showers and so on), and that it might get frustrating that your one friend who can’t afford a destination bachelorette party is impeding your original plans (see point number one). You chose your bridesmaids for a reason, and you probably understand that they’re already reaching deep into their pockets for you. Be satisfied with the fact that if they could do more, they probably would.
