At the engagement party, Annie meets the other bridesmaids for the first time: Lillian's marriage cynical cousin Rita, Lillian's idealistic newlywed friend Becca, Doug's brash sister Megan, and Doug's boss' seemingly perfect and wealthy wife Helen. The only bright light in her life is that her BFF Lillian has announced that she's getting married to her boyfriend Doug, and has asked Annie to be her maid of honor. And she is in a dysfunctional relationship with misogynistic Ted, who treats her solely as a third string sex partner only whenever it suits his mood. She is forced to share an apartment with socially inept siblings Gil and Brynn, who don't respect her personal boundaries. By strings pulled by her mother, she now works in a low paying job as a jewelry store clerk, which she hates. Despite her baking acumen, her retail cake store, Cake Baby, failed leaving her finances in rough shape. “When a bride tries to monitor process on her own, you can’t imaging the unbelievable hassle she experiences while chasing around her bridesmaids to confirm that they’ve ordered their dresses.” 5.In Milwaukee, thirty-something Annie Walker's life is falling apart. “Renting online option can ultimately reduce the stress for the bride,” says Ludgood. Not only do they deal with dress crises, but they also help with managing the bridal party, making sure everyone orders what they need to when they need to. These dresses are one piece of an event they've spent a tremendous amount of time and money planning. We know that brides put a tremendous amount of trust in us and that the value of these dresses aren’t just the price paid. “If something comes up, we can react fast and get you another dress. Bridesmaids ordering the wrong dress, the neighbor's dog chewing the box after UPS delivers it. “After four years of outfitting bridesmaids we have seen it all. You weight will naturally fluctuate during that time span, so having options is definitely key, rather than stressing out about more alterations last minute. This also works in the bride and bridesmaid’s favor since finding and ordering a dress often occurs months and months before the actual wedding and sometimes the size you wanted isn’t the size you need. That way, should they be unsure of their measurements or should a dress run a little small or large, the bridesmaids are guaranteed a great fit. Since rental dresses cannot be altered, both Union Station and Vow to be Chic allow bridesmaids to choose multiple sizes to be delivered. “It seemed almost like a conspiracy to us - why do bridesmaid dresses never fit?” “We talked to hundreds of brides and bridesmaids when drafting our original business plan and the number one thing we consistently heard was ‘I've never needed to alter a dress in my life, EXCEPT for every single bridesmaid dress I've ever bought,’” says Corie Hardee from Union Station. So I spoke to Union Station and Vow to be Chic, two innovative startups offering affordable rental dress options, who offered up some tips on how you can convince your bride to rent.
That’s where rentable bridesmaid dresses come in, allowing you to look great on the big day without the hassle of paying full price for a dress you probably won’t wear again and don’t have room for in your closet in the first place. Let’s be real, “you can shorten it and wear it again” is one of the biggest wedding lies ever told, second only to “if it rains on your wedding, it’s good luck!” Not only can the dress be expensive, but it is also difficult (maybe impossible) for brides to find one that each one of their ‘maids legitimately likes wearing. Though the memories last forever, one thing that doesn’t is the bridesmaids’ dress. From the bachelorette rager in Vegas, to the hometown bridal shower, to the countless brunches, wine nights, and minor mental breakdowns, bridesmaids are shelling out a pretty penny to stand at the altar next to their best friend on her big day. The average bridesmaid spends about $1,500 - $1,800 per wedding. As the average cost of weddings rise, brides are not only looking for ways to cut down their own costs, also realizing the financial toll their wedding often takes on the wedding party - and renting bridesmaid dresses probably the easiest way to make things a bit cheaper for everyone. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride? That best friend ish can get crazy expensive.