Did you know that can buy bridesmaid dresses that can also serve as a social gown? I think that getting a dress like this can save the bridesmaids money if they are responsible for the dress, since they can use the dress more then once. Most bridesmaid dresses were made to look like they belonged in a wedding, so after the wedding the dress more then likely got stuffed in a box and put in a closet never to be worn again. If you think out of the box and get a dress that can be used more then once, you would have gotten your monies worth, since you can use it for another occasion and not just the wedding you were in. I know a woman who turned down being a bridesmaid, she did this because she was tired of having to spend money on the dress and not being able to use it again after the 3rd wedding she was asked to be in she said she would no longer be a bridesmaid. She had a 3 dresses that she only used once and said she was done with the whole wedding thing.