Who should purchase the bridesmaid dresses?

I think it's a lovely gesture to pay for the Maid of Honor, but that's also not required. Here - check out some proper etiquette on this:

Wedding party members usually pay their own way when it comes to clothing -- the women buy their dresses and the men rent their formalwear. (And you should let everyone know about this financial responsibility before they accept the invitation to be in your wedding.) It's fine for the bride and groom to offer to pay for dresses and tuxes, but it's certainly not mandatory and most couples can't really afford to do so. What you can do is avoid going overboard and choosing costly bridesmaid dresses or formalwear. In the end, the proper thing to do is to keep your friends' budgets in mind when deciding what they'll wear.

In the USA, the bridal party members typically purchase their own outfits.

That being said, the bride/groom needs to call each person individually and say, "What do you want to spend on your outfit?" Once they get a quote from each person, they need to pick an outfit that everyone can afford (so if the three bridesmaids say they can spend $150, $200, and $250, for example, the outfits cannot exceed $150) - or the bride/groom needs to pitch in an equal amount of money per person to help out. And remind them that they need to pay for their own alterations as well, either through the salon where the dresses were ordered or through an independent local tailor shop.

If the bride is requiring matching shoes or jewelry for the bridesmaids, then she has to pay for them. If the bride is requiring them to get professional hair/makeup/nails done - even if she allows them to choose the style or stylist - then the bride has to pay for those things.

But if the bride gives them an option ("Wear black formal shoes of your choice" or "Find your own silver strappy sandals"; "Use my hair stylist for $50, or pick your own stylist, or do your own hair"), then the bridesmaids can pay for what they want. So, basically, don't "require" anything other than the dress and therefore you won't have to pay for it yourself. The bridesmaids are just required to show up on time to the wedding, looking clean and neat and wearing the required dress - that's all.

If you want to pay for one person's attire as a favor, then do not advertise that fact to the other bridal party members. Keep it between the two of you.

In countries such as the UK, the bride and groom are expected to pay for the bridal party's attire themselves.

I paid for my bridesmaids. They were doing me a favor by being in my wedding, and it was my way of saying thank you and making their lives easier. However, I have had to buy a bridesmaids dress before. I wasn't bothered by it, but some people are.

Bridesmaids frequently (not always) purchase the dresses themselves. The practice, however, is increasingly seen as an unreasonable expense to the bridesmaids because they are not likely to ever wear the dress again. A more current practice to ask bridesmaids to acquire and wear a dress of their choice of a specific color (not exact) in hopes that the dresses are more likely to be worn on other occasions.

It is customary that the bridesmaids pay for their own dresses. I've been a bridesmaid several times and have no problem purchasing my own.

In the UK, the bride buys the dresses.

In the US, the bridesmaids buy the dresses.

IN the US bridesmaid buy their own gown

Before you ask anyone to be in the wedding party know what costs they will incur. Make sure you tell the the cost when you ask them and tell them to think it about a day or two before giving you an answer.

You guys are all crazy. what world do you live in It is the brides and her families responsibility to pay for the wedding, what kind of people are you that "the men rent formal wear" ha ha ha. If the men in your families don't have full dress, or at least black tie of their own..you should not be putting on this charade at all. Just do something low key. Rental formal wear looks terribly lower class, and if your friends have to buy dresses and its a financial burden..thats just f'd up. What is this? your one day to pretend your not middle class so you should inconvenience everyone you know. SELFISH

If you buy the MoH's dress, then the other bridesmaids find out you paid for her dress but not theirs, it will cause hard feelings.

You don't HAVE to pay for any of them.

The bride is NOT supposed to pay for the dresses or shoes or anything else for the wedding party They are to pay for their own outfits. This expense is part of what they agree to when they accept the offer to be in the wedding party You pick the dress, they buy and wear the dress. that's how it goes