Bridesmaid Bills Are In!

I am now the owner of a "rich chocolate" taffeta disaster of a dress, for $275. It was the "perfect" brown with the "perfect" sheen to match the linens. Guess it wasn't perfect enough to make it in the wedding budget.

There was also a bridal shower. In theory, bridesmaids split the cost of the bridal shower. Every other one I have thrown had a few decorations, some simple food, an inexpensive prize of some sort. For this shower, I was put in charge of drinks (adult and non) and decor. I did my part and picked up the bulk of the costs of the shower. I spent $150 on drinks and about $50 on decor and paper plates and such. I didn't get anything fancy.

When it came time to talk about the money, the others balked. One is a stay-at-home mom, and she "didn't know" you had to pay. I guess she thought drinks magically appeared. The other two refused to pay because they had "taken care of the food." I don't exactly have high standards for wedding shower food, but this was embarrassing. I mean a cheese ball, plate of ham, and loaf of bread embarrassing. If the bride were not such a conflict-avoider and general mess, I probably would have caused a fuss.

Instead, I got the $200 bill for the shower. BOO.

Thing is, if it weren't so tame it would have been cheaper! Bachelorette parties are the cheapest of all parties. They're almost free! If you pay for more than a feather boa or something, you're doing it wrong.

So far this wedding has cost me $475 and probably a friend. And I still have over a month to go.