Splitting the Cost: A Maid of Honor's Budget Guide to Bachelorette Party Shirts

The maid of honor usually ends up holding the bag on bachelorette party costs, fronting money for shirts and then chasing eight different Venmo payments for weeks. It does not have to work that way. Here is how to budget bachelorette party shirts for the bridal squad, what a real per-person cost looks like, and how to set up ordering so nobody has to front the money at all.

What Bachelorette Shirts Actually Cost Per Person

Garment	VIP base cost	Typical retail set	Per-person cost at retail
Cotton tee	$19.88	$28-$30	$28-$30
Racerback tank	$19.88-$25.88	$28-$34	$28-$34
Triblend tee (softer)	$24.88	$32-$35	$32-$35
Cropped hoodie or sweatshirt	$44.88-$47.88	$58-$65	$58-$65

Most bridal squads land on tees or tanks for the affordability, saving hoodies for the bride herself or as an optional add-on rather than the whole group's default piece.

Who Pays for What, by Tradition

• The bride's shirt. Traditionally covered by the maid of honor or split among the bridesmaids as a small group gift, since the bride's shirt is usually a different design (Bride, Bride Tribe, or similar).
• Bridesmaid shirts. Each bridesmaid typically pays for her own, the same way she pays for her own bachelorette trip expenses.
• Extra guests. Anyone outside the core bridal party who is invited to the event usually pays for their own shirt too if they want to match.

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How to Collect Payment Without Fronting the Cost Yourself

The organizing mistake most maids of honor make is buying a bulk order upfront and then invoicing each bridesmaid after the fact. That means fronting hundreds of dollars and chasing repayment, sometimes for months after the wedding. With a Bear Grips Pro Shops link, every bridesmaid checks out and pays for her own shirt directly. The organizer sets the design and retail price once, shares one link in the group chat, and everyone pays for themselves. No spreadsheet, no group Venmo request, no fronted cash.

Sample Budget: An 8-Person Bridal Squad

Eight bridesmaids ordering a $28 retail tee each comes to $224 total, paid individually rather than by one person. Add the bride's separate design at $30 and the full squad, bride included, spends $254 total across nine shirts with nobody owing anybody money afterward. Compare that to a wholesale screen-print quote requiring a 12-piece minimum: the group would pay for 3 extra shirts nobody ordered just to hit the minimum, adding $75-$90 to the same order for nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should the maid of honor pay for everyone's shirt?

Not typically. The common approach is each bridesmaid pays for her own shirt, with the bride's shirt sometimes covered as a small group gift from the bridal party.

What if someone cannot afford their shirt?

Because there is no minimum order, the group is not locked into a fixed headcount. Anyone can opt out without affecting everyone else's price.

Can I set a group discount code instead of individual payment?

Yes. Some organizers set the shop retail price close to base cost so bridesmaids essentially pay near-cost, then handle any group gift separately.

Do I need everyone's size before I order?

No. Each person orders her own size directly through the shop link on her own schedule, no size spreadsheet needed.