Dressing the bridesmaids

Bridesmaid Dresses (a.k.a the bane of my wedding planning)

Picking out bridesmaid dresses was the worst. Really. It was much more stressful than picking out my dress, which only took me trying on eight dresses. 

I originally wanted a dark teal color for the dresses. After not finding a lot that I liked in that color, I switched to a light pink/blush color. I love the romantic feel of the color, and pictures I’ve seen with bridal parties in the color all look lovely. Still, even after picking out the color, I stressed over bridesmaid dresses longer than necessary.

I wanted all my girls to be able to pick out their own style of dress. I know that one person may be comfortable in a mini strapless while another may prefer a halter.  My hope was that everyone would like their dresses, and perhaps even wear them again. (I know this is what every bride says, but that doesn’t make it any less true.)  Another big factor was the price.  I wanted it to be around $150, so that my bridesmaids weren’t having to shell out an exorbitant amount of money to be part of my wedding.

Weddingtonway.com helped narrow my focus. They have a great website that allows the bride to pick dresses and invite the bridesmaid to individually rank their favorites. Even though I ended up not ordering the dresses from that site, it gave me an idea of what styles everyone liked.

Finally, on one fateful day, I visited Alfred Angelo bridal salon with two of my bridesmaids, Rebecca and Catherine.  The visit lifted a great weight off my shoulders.  With Rebecca and Catherine side by side, I was finally able to decide on a dress that everyone would wear.  After further consideration, we decided that everyone picking their own style may not work depending on what people picked and where they were standing, so we picked a style that we hoped would work out the best for most of the bridesmaids. 

I hope (and think) everyone will be comfortable in the dress.  It’s a flattering style on all.  Liz, my maid of honor, got to pick her own dress.  I wanted her to stand out as maid of honor (or by the time I get married, she’ll be matron of honor) and this seemed like the most simple way to achieve that. Liz decided on this dress.

Two of our flower girls, Grace and Julia, also decided on their flower girl dresses at Alfred Angelo. It’s always hard trying on dresses that don’t fit you, but I know they will look great!  Our third flower girl, Savannah, is wearing a hand-me-down dress that she will also be wearing to Liz’s wedding.  (Let’s hope she doesn’t get it too dirty.)   I’m glad that all my younger girls have their own unique dress.

I’m so happy bridesmaid dress shopping is over!