Now that I’ve chosen my bridesmaids (finally!), this weekend I went with one of them to start looking for dresses. I wanted to go the retail route rather than the bridal store route…thought I’d find dresses that we liked better for the price. Not to mention I can’t wait 6 months for dresses to come in.
I wanted to get different dresses within the same color palette like the photo below:
{Belathee via Style Me Pretty}
We went to a retail store (that will remain unnamed), and it may have been one of the most frustrating things (aside from the guest list) so far in wedding planning. I had high hopes for the store since I love their stuff to begin with and I love the weddings I’ve seen where all the girls wear their dresses.
Well, the girl treated me like what I had in mind was the worst idea ever. She acted like I was wasting her time and she didn’t even entertain the idea. Because obviously it looks heinous in the photo above. She did say that if I was going to go with different colors/dresses that I should go with blue – one of my other thoughts.
{JAC Photographers via Green Wedding Shoes}
I like how the blue dresses really make the flowers pop! And I think it helps my non-matchy feel. So, at least we made that decision, but still, the blues at the store were just WAY too drab. They would be great for a fall wedding, but I just don’t think they are summery enough.
So, after a nice breakdown when I came home (spent a good amount of time in the Macy’s in Herald Square looking at HEINOUS dresses…that will kill the fun), the search continues.
Gave in to the bridal stores though…heading to Priscilla of Boston with two of my bridesmaids next Friday. Excited for these dresses! Hoping that they work out and we can find some more inspiring colors!
{images via Priscilla of Boston}
Anyone else have more trouble finding bridesmaids dresses than their own wedding dress?
Absolutely!! This is by far the most difficult thus far in my wedding planning process! I wanted to go the same route as you did, retail, not bridal shop, same color, but they picked their own.. thought it would be lovely!! Looked for countless hours, tons of different stores, only to come up empty handed. All of my bridesmaids have very limited budgets too, so places like jcrew, were for the most part, out of the question. So, I’m giving in and going to the bridal store. They think I should just go the “everyone wears the same dress” route and then add individuality with jewelry. I’m open to that. I may also just pick out a fabric swatch and say, pick out whatever dress you want in this. Saison Blanche dresses come in a wide range of colors and styles, so I may just go with them. Best of luck!!!
Try http://www.simpledress.com.
I got my bridesmaids dresses there (they have a store in NYC) and they people were very nice!
UGH Yes! Going the vintage route. Would love different dresses different colors but loving the idea and I think it would be way easy doing the same color pallete different dresses. But the hunt is on and thank goodness for LA and all are vintage stores. with only to ladies in the bridal party I HOPE when the shopping starts it will be fun
I also had trouble finding bridesmaid dresses – and also wanted mismatched. Admittedly, I gave up :(. But, I’m happy with the solution I found. My girls ordered super simple (& inexpensive) navy dresses & I’m providing mis-matched but coordinating cardigans and jewelery. Unlike dress shopping – the jewelery shopping has been a blast!
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I like the different types of dresses. It works.
I have had the same problem – it took me 1 day shopping (with some online prep before going out) to find my wedding dress, and I have already spent at least 3 days and countless hours online looking for bridesmaid dresses! I’ve tried David’s Bridal, department stores, online stores, etc. My next step is to try some bridal shops I guess… so frustrating!
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I’m having the same issue! Every woman in my bridal party has a different body type (of course, like all women) so that’s providing another challenge. I’m going to make an appointment at priscilla of boston sometime soon too. I’d love to hear how it goes!
.-= pennyrounds’s most recent blog post: DIY mobile =-.
I am having the exact same problem. I just can’t stand bridesmaids dresses that look like bridesmaids dresses. I have a complete and utter aversion to them. I also hate that the wedding industry thinks you go crazy as soon as you get engaged and polyester dresses with crappy workmanship cost $200. I would rather make my bridesmaids get a J. Crew dress where at least it’s silk and lined for the same price.
But I just can’t make them spend $200 for a dress. It’s just not in me. I, fortunately, have a long lead time for my wedding, so I’m just going to keep an eye out for dresses that I like from Ann Taylor and the LOFT in navy (one of my wedding colors). I’m an associate, so I get a huge discount on them. I’m also going to watch Banana.
Have you tried outlets (Banana, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, LOFT, etc.)? Sometimes they have a ton of great stuff on the cheap.
.-= Lindsay’s most recent blog post: Grapewood Candelabra =-.
I love the idea of un-matched but coordinating bridesmaid dresses. What would anyone suggest that the groomsmen wear? Matching suits with different ties?
They aren’t the cheapest dresses in the world, but I adore everything here: http://www.sajawedding.com/collection_dresses.html
You might also check out some of the Etsy sellers–I’ve seen some really pretty bridesmaids dresses on there, and usually for a pretty reasonable price.
http://greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com/2010/01/real-wedding-kelli-sams-vintage-garden.html
This is one of my favorite weddings I’ve seen on a blog. The bridesmaids all wore the same dresses that the bride made a few simple adjustments too. Each one was given a different, yet coordinating accessory. It’s stunning- the best part: the dresses were from Charlotte Russe- which means they were probably in the $30 range. I hope this is somewhat helpful!!!! best of luck planning!!!!!
I admit, I gave up on the idea of picking ONE dress for my girls on about the first day! I have tall, short, thick, thin, DD and AA girls. Definitely not one-size-fits all. I love the mismatched look and wanted to go that route. I spent hours searching online but, while I found ones I liked, I still didn’t feel right telling my girls what to wear. I wanted them to find something that they loved and would wear again, something they each felt beautiful in.
I eventually told my girls to find any dress they wanted within a range of colors (light to mid grey for my girls and light to mid blue for my sister-in-law) and let them loose. I’ll make each girl their own accessory with fabric flowers, etc. So far, only one has found a dress but it’s adorable and completely her! In fact, she loves it so much she keeps having to stop herself from wearing it now. =) (PS. She found it at H&M for a whopping $35!)
One option we’re throwing around is also having each girl with a different accent color. They’d carry a monochromatic bouquet of a different color, paint their toenails in that shade (we’re all going barefoot for the ceremony), and I plan to buy them each a pashima – either in a uniform color or in their own accent.
As far as the men go, since we’re having an outdoor wedding we opted to skip the tux/suit scenario. Instead they’ll all wear their own black slacks. I have two on my side (brothers) in addition to the groomsmen. We bought them grey shirts with light blue ties w/ grey/silver striped accents so they’ll match the bridesmaids. The groomsmen get blue shirts with grey/silver ties with blue striped accents which will match my sis-in-law. Each tie is unique but follows the same general pattern.
This way everybody is unique but everything works together!
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I got my bridesmaid dresses at Priscilla of Boston and I love them! The colors they have a great, the service is amazing and the cost is really not higher than any other bridesmaid dress store or nice department store.
Best of all, they measure really well and fir “real women” 2 of my 4 bridesmaids do not need a single alteration.
I went with 4 of the same dress, in 2 different colors. My maids all loved this dress so who was I to say no? The dress we went with is PB313. It is very flattering, and really can be worn again. Have fun!
http://priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=2&sfid=51007
i absolutely despise the hideous bridesmaid dresses out there! for my sister’s wedding, all the bridesmaids wore a silky crop jacket in royal purple, with silky black pants (which we cut off and made into capris). it was adorable and unique. not to mention the bridesmaids only spent about $100 dollars (including shoes and jewelry). i wouldn’t spend alot of money on something that’s ugly and i’m never gonna wear again.
“Hard” has to be the understatement of the year. I am more wrapped up in finding the bridesmaid dresses than my own. But I also share your idea of different dresses for each girl and getting different shades of the main color (which makes everything more challenging).
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Trying to find the perfect bridesmaid dresses has been quite an undertaking, but we found my girls’ dresses at Bella Bridesmaid and they are by Melissa Sweet… LOVE THEM!! P.S. the one strap pic you showed, well, I wore that dress in charcoal for my BFF’s wedding just a month ago and they looked great on–perfect for all night dancing and photographed beautifully =)