Everyone’s situation is different. I paid for bridesmaid dresses for two weddings that younger daughter was in as she would not have been able to do so and both were for very close friends. One, her oldest friend from nursery school said they could buy whatever dresses they wanted as long as they had a peach sort of color. We found a beautiful dress in Bloomingdale’s that was blush with peach applique, very lovely dress from Ted Baker that was pricey but looked lovely on her and she sent a picture to the bride to be who quickly approved. She plans to wear that again to he close friend’s wedding in Sept as she is only having one attendant, her sister s so my d not part of any official wedding party. Other dress was more bridesmaid like, they picked their own dresses but from one specific place with the same fabric dye lot. As it was a group purchase at a wholesale place in NYC, the dress was inexpensive, maybe around $130 or so. I spent almost as much one a shaper for her as she needed to have a strapless bra and as well endowed, needs lots of support. I also paid for plane ticket for younger d for that wedding as she needed to fly and meet then-boyfriend and drive to the wedding in South Bend as in the chapel at Notre Dame so there was two nights in hotel, car rental, he had to buy a suit (DH told him that he would have other occasions to wear it so need to have anyway). She paid her share of bachelorette which was pretty minimal as another friend was able to borrow a family friend’s house in Westhampton Beach for that weekend. Other girls did fly in for the weekend, my d picked up one of the bride’s college friends at the airport. I was invited to the shower and the wedding but only attended the shower along with older d and I picked up the cost for our group shower gift.