Bridesmaids have an important job to do at any wedding, not only do they help the bride celebrate her big day they add beauty and elegance to the ceremony. But even if your bridesmaids don't have a lot of money to spend on dresses, you can find cheap bridesmaid dresses that still look beautiful and elegant.

One thing you need to do when you know you are shopping with a tight budget is to realize that you're going to have to be a little more flexible. Every bride has certain colors and styles that they want for their bridesmaids, but if you're looking for discount duds you may have to compromise.

The first step, is to check out your favorite department stores to see what kind of off the rack dresses are available that might be suitable. There's no rule that says you need to buy your bridesmaid dresses at a fancy bridal shop and there are plenty of beautiful dresses in the big department stores that will be quite suitable as a bridesmaid dress and perhaps be a lot cheaper than the specialty stores. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you'll need to get matching dresses for all your bridesmaids so if you're buying off the rack you have to be sure that the appropriate sizes can be purchased for every girl.

Another place you can shop at for cheap bridesmaid dresses is consignment stores. Many towns have clothing stores where people bring their upscale clothes to for resale. I'm not talking about the Goodwill store here, I'm talking about a classy store that has expensive clothing, but it is previously worn and, therefore, at a huge discount. If you're picturing stained and tattered dresses, have no worries since these places usually only except clothes that are in like new condition - some of them have actually never been worn and still have the tags! Scout out your local clothing consignment store because a lot of them have a special bridal section.

Another place where you can buy bridesmaids dresses a bit cheaper is online. Places like Craig's list and eBay will often sell gorgeous designer dresses at a deep discount. Again, you'll need to be sure that you can get the same style of dress for all the girls in your party and in the correct sizes. However, perusing these venues is certainly worth your while as you can get a beautiful dress for a lot less.

Shopping for cheap bridesmaid dresses can be hit or miss so you need to be prepared to spend some extra time looking around than you would if you were going to just march into a bridal store, look at a catalog and order. The extra time spent, will be well worth it in savings as you may be able to find beautiful, quality made dresses that are perfect for your special day but won't break the budget of your bridesmaids.