How cute is that? The dresses probably weren't that cheap, but the cardigan sweater idea is fantastic. You can get cropped cardigans at Target or Old Navy for like $15.
Heck, why not get the dress from Target or Old Navy? Take a look at this pic, for example:
I LOVE the orange and gray colorscheme. And those dresses... are they $130 from a bridal shop, or are they $19.99 junior dresses from Target?
There are lot of choices for inexpensive dresses in a range of colors from such stores. For example, take a maxi dress:
And dress it up with a cropped cardigan or a scarf/pashmina, maybe a little inexpensive jewelry, and a hair accessory. Voila: cheap, cute bridesmaids attire.
The last wedding I attended, the bride chose a $70 dress from David's Bridal and it was a cute dress. Problem was that EVERYONE needed alterations in the bust area. My mom did mine, and it came out perfect. However, most of the other girls paid for alterations and they came out terrible. Visible stitching, ballooning, still too low-cut.
David's Bridal is now streamlining their color scheme and bridesmaids dresses choices, and most of the dresses are well over $100, even for a short one. There are only a couple of $99. If you buy your dress at David's Bridal, your bridesmaids will get $20 off their dresses, so that helps, but I still think $79 is a bit steep for a dress that will likely need alterations and will likely never be worn again.
If you're a bit flexible on color, you have a myriad of choices for cheap dresses. Sadly, I've been having a real hard time finding a nice dress in gray. Maybe because it's early summer and the fall stuff hasn't come out yet? I did find the PERFECT dress on Target, but most of the sizes were sold out and now it's gone. :( So I'm still looking.
So be forewarned: if you choose a dress from Target or Old Navy, tell your girls to order ASAP!
Incidentally, Target now offers bridesmaids dresses specifically, but I'm kind of "meh" on them. They're $70 and to me they look worse than their regular, less expensive offerings. Reviews aren't great. For $80 I could get a better quality dress at David's Bridal, with more style and color choices.
Another idea for a low cost / no cost / good value bridesmaids choice is to tell your girls to wear a black dress of their choice. If they don't already have a little black dress in their wardrobe, they ought to! So if they have to go out and buy something, they can buy something that works for them and they will get a lot of use out of in the future. Black dresses are a great choice for a fall wedding, and can be dressed up with a pop of color with a sash, cardigan or scarf.
Yet another idea is to choose a retailer and a color, but leave the actual choice of dress up to the individual. For instance, you could say "choose any Mercury Gray dress from David's Bridal", or "any Tangerine dress from Target's Tevolio line." It may not save them a ton of money, but it is considerate of different body shapes. A dress that works on you may not work on your friend who is a different body type.
RE: shoes. I personally don't like it when the bride chooses shoes. Shoes are such a personal thing. I can't walk in big heels, for example. I am in a wedding this summer and I had to pay $40 for some stilettos I will have to carefully totter about in for about 15 minutes, then switch to something I can actually move in. I think that's pretty pointless, and wasteful. Girls can figure out a shoe that works with the outfit that they either already own, or would like to own.
And personally, I want everyone to be feel comfortable. I also don't want them to struggle with the cost of my choices.