In my upcoming wedding,I am debating whether or not to pay for my 2 flower girls dresses and ring bearer suit?

My wedding is in May and the mom's of the flower girls and ring bearer are NOT in the bridal party so what do u think is best to do? I know its traditional to pay, but I'm not that much of a traditional person...My one friend already asked me if I was going to pay for her dress.."I said I'm not sure, I have to calculate my budget and I'll let you know"...This is not in my budget, but I can take it out of my paycheck if everyone thinks I should.....Based on this info, Do you think I should pay for the dresses/suit? Or do you think I should let the Mother's pay for their kids dresses/suits?

In my upcoming wedding,I am debating whether or not to pay for my 2 flower girls dresses and ring bearer suit?
Only you know if the parents can really afford these outfits. If you know they can't then yes I would pay. If you know it won't break the bank for them then I would tell them there is no more in the budget. I know at the men's wearhouse you get one free tux with the bridal party. It usually goes to the groom but it can go to the little boy. Or it can still go to the groom who has a more expensive tux, and then just pay for his. As for the little girls, there is no need to buy them $100+ dresses. Christmas and Easter time have gorgeous dresses in department stores (especially Macys) and you can probably get them dresses for $30 or $40 each.
Reply:I don't think that you need to pay for the dresses and the tux unless you'd like to. I thought it was actually their responsibility to pay. If one of the parents comes to you and lets you know that she can't afford it, then you could pay, but if you pay for one, I think you should pay for them all.
Reply:When Im a bridesmaid, I dont mind paying for the dress-- if I couldnt afford it I would mention something to the bride privately. So I dont think you should feel you have to pay for their dresses unless one of them needs help.


For the flower girls and ring bearer, same story: the moms understood that they would buy the dress/suit when they accepted. If you want to pay for just the flower girls and ring bearer, I think you could do that discreetly without the bridesmaids knowing-- I doubt the moms would be talking loudly about it.
Reply:Traditionally the kid's parents pay for their outfits, excluding flowers.





They come to the rehearsal, but not the rehearsal dinner.





The kids also pose for wedding pics with the wedding party, and their parents stay to make sure the kids are ready when they need to be and kept busy when it isn't their turn to be in the pictures.





Overall, the parents pay for the dresses and suits. The little boy can probably wear a suit he has, but if you want matching flower girl dresses, you will need to pick something out for the parents to buy.
Reply:I think you should pay. You asked them to be in the wedding and it would be a very nice gesture to pay for their dresses/suit. I know that you can find reasonably priced flower girl dresses, and I imagine renting a small suit for the ring bearer would not be that expensive either.





Congrats!
Reply:You should. BTW the parents of the RG and FG should be included in the wedding party activities because they are the guardians of the children that are in the wedding party; therefore, they should be includeed in the rehearsal dinner, as this is gracious, polite and traditional thing to do.





If you cannot pay for the dresses, tell them to use a dress that they already own, for example, an easter dress or christmas dress that match your colors.





If you cannot afford the dress, then don't have a flower girl and a ring bearer. That's a dated tradition that people are not doing anymore.





Good luck





ADDED: Well, that's what you get for having champagne dreams on a beer budget. If you cannot afford it, then do not have them, instead of being rude and expect people to foot the bill for something that you cannot afford and then snub them from the wedding activities. REALLY CLASSY!
Reply:I'm not paying for mine FG or RB clothes but I did find a website were you can get the dresses rather inexpensive. I don't see the need to buy a FG dress that cost 200.





Plus my wedding is in May so I'm actually hoping that I can find an Easter dress that the girls can wear.





PS The suit for the RB is only $40.
Reply:The mother of my flower girl and ring bearer is paying for their outfits. She offered, I told her "sure."
Reply:Firstly, it's NOT tradition to pay for anyone in your wedding parties attire. You are not obligated or required to pay for the fowergirl, the ringbear, the bridesmaids, no one. When someone agrees to be in your wedding party or to allow their children to do so, they assume the cost of their attire. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.





That being said, if these children all have the same parents, if you CAN pay for part of their attire it is a nice gesture to ease the burden on the family, but again it is not required. Some things you can do aside from helping pay for the attire is to be aware of the cost of the items. Getting a flowergirl dress from a traditional bridal shop can be pricey. Opt instead to go to a department store and get a just as nice dress and suit for the children at a fraction of the cost, as a bonus, the kids could wear them again to other family occasions.





As for easing the finacial cost of your bridesmaids, pick out a moderately priced dress and go with a bridal shop that will allow them to put a deposit down rather than paying for the whole dress up front. See if you can do some leg work to get them the best deal on alterations. And as part of their gift get them things like jewelry or pay for them to get their hair done.





There are lots of things you can do for your party to keep the costs down for them, but if you can't afford to pay EVERYONE'S attire, don't pay for anyone's, it's asking for trouble. And don't let anyone make you feel you have an obligation to help them pay for things. While it's true they will probably help you a lot and throw you a great shower and bachelorette party, you shouldn't break yourself in order to stop them from going broke.
Reply:You should pay. It's traditional because it's the proper thing to do. You sound like you expect the bridesmaids %26amp; everybody else to take it out of their own paychecks if it's not in your budget. You should have the wedding you can afford, not the one you think will impress the most people.


Can you talk to your mother or clergyperson or somebody before you get out of hand? You're close to the edge now...
Reply:I've never heard of the bride paying for the clothes worn by the bridal party.. but if it is out of your budget then maybe you are asking them to get something too pricey.. maybe the flower girl can wear any party dress she already has and the ring bearer can wear dress pants and a polo shirt the same color as the wedding party..





generally i think kids in the wedding is just a recipe for disaster..
Reply:You should. This also ensures they are wearing what you want for your wedding. If you make the moms pay, what they may be able to afford may not be what you want in your wedding.
Reply:I personally would pay. But don't feel obligated. My wedding was in May, which is works out perfect because most stores have plenty of dresses for Easter. I bought my flower girl dress at Marshalls for $24.99!! I paid her dress, the parents paid for her shoes, hair bow, and jewelry.


The ring bearer tux cost just as much as the grown ups tux. Maybe you can work out a deal to pay for half of it.
Reply:buy your wedding dress and rent every thing else
Reply:I am only buying my flower girls dress because both parents are in my wedding on both sides, one is the maid of honor and the other is the best man. So they have our bachelorette parties and things to plan. Other than that I would not pay, thats just like being a bridesmaid they pay for it themselves. Just my opinion and experience. Hope it helps some.