- The most expensive dresses worn on "The Bachelorette" cost between $30,000 and $75,000.
- Couture designer Randi Rahm has made almost every night-one dress worn on the dating show.
There are very few expenses spared when it comes to "The Bachelorette," according to the designer who created most of the couture dresses worn by leads over the seasons.
Randi Rahm, a New York City-based couture designer and artist, told Insider her dresses have featured on the show since it first aired as a spin-off to "The Bachelor" back in 2003. Since then, the evening clothes have become more daring she said, though fans of the show may find the price tag of some of the outfits much more shocking.
According to Rahm, the garments she makes are more akin to art than anything you could find in high-street stores. "These are very, very costly garments," she said, adding that her gowns are "pieces of art."
"These are not off-the-rack kinds. These are one of a kind. Once a celebrity or somebody wears it, it gets put away," Rahm said.
One of the most popular styles of dresses that bachelorettes pick out for the show tends to be what Rahm calls her "diamond dress," which she said she originally made in 2004 for television personality Maria Menonous to wear on the Oscars red carpet – and that cost $2.5 million, she said.
"It was the first red carpet she ever did, and she wore that specific dress," Rahm said. Since then, other celebrities she's worked with, a list that includes names such as Sarah Jessica Parker and the late Joan Rivers, as well as bachelorettes, have worn similar iterations.
A representative for Rahm later told Insider that Clare Crawley and Jojo Fletcher are among past leads on the show who have worn variations of the diamond dress made with Swarovski crystals that retail between $30,000 and $75,000.
Labor is what makes couture so expensive, according to Rahm
But prices can vary greatly, depending on what the dress is made of but, more importantly, the labor it takes to make it, Rahm said. "People don't understand that that's the most expensive part, unless you're using diamonds," she added.
Some gowns can take up to a year to make, she said. Beading can take between three and four months and involve more than one embroider, which is where the cost adds up, Rahm said.
In order to save time when it comes to the relatively quick turnaround between seasons of "The Bachelorette," in which multiple can occur within one year, Rahm said they usually "tweak" pre-existing designs she has already made. "Instead of this way, it's a one shoulder, and then I use this beading and embroidery, or this fabric," she said.
With how much work goes into constructing just one dress, it's no wonder Rahm considers herself an artist. "It's my art. I don't paint. I make garments."