Bootiful Bridesmaids: The $100 Challenge

Six lovely ladies have agreed to stand up with me as I become Mrs. Dragon this summer (although I am thinking of hyphenating to Mrs. Snappy-Dragon, I must confess.) ;) Because I have massive Bridal Guilt, Mr. Dragon and I very much wanted to pay for the bridesmaids' dresses. The downside is that we are on a budget of $100 or less for each dress. As we all know, shopping for a fabulous dress under $100 CAN be a challenge requiring hours of research and likely numerous fruitless shopping excursions. Good luck, sister.

Well, we have procured three of the bridesmaids dresses so far, and have surprisingly spent only $116.58. Total. Of course I will share my methods! The best part is that these dresses don't skimp on quality, are completely appropriate, and suit the personalities of each wearer perfectly. Because my six bridesmaids are a wide range of sizes and ages (think super-petite to supermodel-tall, etc.,) we elected to dress the bridesmaids in differing blue cocktail dresses of their own choosing. We are also going off-the-rack, as alterations are not in the budget!

SNAPSISTER L (Matron of Honor:)

Snapsis L is 2.5 years younger than me, and though taller, she has similar dimensions. Her taste in fashion is also exactly like mine. In scoping out bridesmaids dresses, I was drawn to a dress that hangs in my own closet, only worn once:

She tried it on while visiting me earlier in the fall, she loved it, it fit - DONE!
The Bottom Line: Free!

SNAPSISTER J (Bridesmaid:)

Snapsister J wanted a dress with a substantial neckline, as well as some sort of sleeviness. Having a brainwave, I decided to check the JCPenney website and found the perfect dress:

(Image Source)

The Bottom Line: Originally $120, reduced on sale to $86, with an online coupon further reduced to $73.20 = $81.72, including shipping and taxes.

SNAPSISTER I (Bridesmaid:)

Snapsister I is a junior in high school, so that presented age-appropriate dress issues. We wanted to make sure we didn't pick a dress that was too "old" for her. Enter Snappymom and www.like.com. We had been searching for awhile to find something that Snapsis I would want to wear, with no results. Fortunately, this handy little website compiled many "blue dress" results and yielded THIS from the Gap (except in "Baltic Blue"...)

(Image Source)

The Bottom Line: Originally $78, reduced on sale to $32.99, further reduced via online coupon to $23.99 = $34.86, including taxes and shipping.

Three down, three to go! So far, this is what I have learned...

• Never, never, never purchase anything online without checking sites like retailmenot.com for online coupons - they can really help out your bottom line!
• Websites such as like.com and shopstyle.com can come in super handy when powershopping. They allow you to find options in your price range much more efficiently. Never online shop alone!

So, Hive, what are your super-secret weapons for dress shopping?