As I mentioned here, I’ve been a bridesmaid a time or two – ha! Thankfully, my friends have excellent taste and are great at picking out relatively affordable bridesmaid dresses. But sometimes you just don’t need another dress in your closet. Enter… bridesmaid dress rentals!

I’m not sure why it took women so long to get on board with the concept of renting bridesmaid dresses, since men have been renting tuxes for decades. But it’s about time we utilized this market more. With online stores like Rent the Runway proving to be a raging success, I think bridesmaid dress rentals can be the next big thing. Bridesmaid dresses don’t have to be boring or expensive or a waste – they can be inexpensive, easy to order/receive/wear/return, and they can still be stylish and unique! And the cost savings to bridesmaids would be incredible, especially if you’re a chronic bridesmaid!

I’ve done some research and suggested bridesmaid dress rentals to some of my brides, and my two favorite bridesmaid dress rental companies are Vow to be Chic and Little Borrowed Dress.

 Vow to be Chic

With Vow to be Chic, an online designer bridesmaid rental shop, it’s easy to rent bridesmaid dresses for the big day! It’s a seamless, easy, stylish option, and they’ve thought through everything. Designer bridesmaid dress rentals begin at $95, and there are so many beautiful dress options to choose from., from Lula Kate (a Southern favorite of mine!) to Watters to Jim Hjelm to Nicole Miller.

Vow to be Chic has even outlined the steps to renting a bridesmaid dress (the styling is so cute!), and I agree with them wholeheartedly – why didn’t I think of that? What’s not to love?

Little Borrowed Dress 

Another great option for renting bridesmaid dresses is Little Borrowed Dress (LBD – how appropriate!). Similar to Vow to be Chic, renting bridesmaid dresses isn’t a chore, and there are fifteen versatile, popular styles to choose from with eighteen color choices. Long dress rentals are $75 and short dress rentals are $50. What amazing prices! You even have the option to purchase the dress, should you choose. There aren’t quite as many dress styles to choose from, but I like the selection of dresses here (all made in NYC!), and the prices and ease of ordering a rental is ideal.

So, what do you think? Brides, would you be okay with having your bridesmaids rent dresses? And bridesmaids, are you on board the rental train? It seems like such a sustainable, stylish, and easy option, and I’d love to see more bridesmaids using rentals for a friend’s wedding day!