Bridesmaid dresses are probably the hardest out of all the bridal dresses to shop for. This is primarily because the dress is meant to fit more than one person. (Wedding dresses run a close second sometimes, though, primarily because it is such an important dress. The decision is so big that it breeds indecisiveness.) So, how do you pick a dress that looks good on all your bridesmaids? – From your stick of a friend who is no larger than a size two, to your voluptuous friend who is nothing but curves, to your friend who struggles with her weight. The task can seem overwhelming, especially if you have a large bridal party. Not only do you have to factor in the various sizes of your bridesmaids, you also have to consider the style of your wedding, i.e. your color scheme, time of year, and the style of your wedding dress. Bridesmaid dresses - as a rule - should complement wedding dresses. Bare in mind, this doesn’t mean match exactly. It just means that if you have chosen a soft, romantic look for your dress, then your bridesmaid dresses should also be soft and romantic, not modern or high fashion. That will have a very jarring effect.
Of course, color is important as well. Color is oftentimes informed by the time of year you are getting married. For instance, most people who get married in the fall do not choose pastel colors for their wedding palette. Those are usually colors used in spring and summer weddings. Time of the year will also inform dress material. Some heavier materials and looks would not work well for a summer wedding, for instance, whereas some of the lighter materials would seem out of place at a winter wedding. Plus, your poor bridesmaids would either end up sweating to death or freezing to death!
Once you have established these elements, you can begin to narrow down your choices by how the dress will fit on your various bridesmaids. Will it flatter them all or only a select few while the rest are left looking horrid at your wedding? Now maybe you’re thinking, “I’m not going to worry myself over this. It’s my wedding and it really only matters if I look good,” or something to that effect.
Here’s the thing – First, it does matter to you because it will ruin your pictures if you have hideous bridesmaids. Second, have some compassion. I’m sure you’ve been a bridesmaid before. Didn’t you want to look good? I find most brides who think these kinds of thoughts do so out of frustration because they are having an extremely difficult time finding bridesmaid dresses that flatter everyone. If this is you, take a deep breath. You will find a dress. Just be patient and ask for help. Get those bridesmaids of yours working for you! It’s their job!
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Have you ever paid an exorbitant amount of money for something and then found it elsewhere for much much less? It’s not a fun feeling is it? It’s even worse when it’s expensive - like wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses for example. Have you ever noticed that most wedding shops rip the tags out of their gowns? (This is illegal by the way.) They do this because they don’t want you to get a hold of the manufacturer’s name and style number. And why don’t they want you to have that information? Because they know that armed with that and the Internet, you’ll find a much better bargain for the exact same dress.
The fact of the matter is, there are some great sites on the Internet that sell all types of bridal dresses at great prices. The stronghold your local wedding shop has over the market is no longer. That’s why they resort to illegally ripping the tags out of their dresses. If you have ever asked a sales associate at one of these shops the manufacturer and style number of the dress you want, then you have witnessed first hand a total personality change. Where the sales associate was once all sugar and spice, she has now turned into the wicked witch of the west.
If I were looking for wedding dresses now, I would start first with magazines. They are a great way to begin to get a sense of the kind of dress you want. Next, I would go to an online source armed with my magazines. If the online site is a good one, there will be some sort of customer service representative who can help you find the dress you want- even the exact one you earmarked in that bridal magazine. It is important to note here that it would be in your best interest to do some sort of background check on the site you will be using to purchase your bridal dresses. It’s too important of an occasion not to and there are some bogus sites out there unfortunately. A good place to start is the online Better Business Bureau. If they are a member, that is a good sign. If not, steer clear. Next, once you know the designer manufacturer who makes the exact dress you want, go to their website and make sure the resource you are using is listed as an authorized reseller. If they are not, it probably means they are trying to sell you an imitation dress at the price of the real thing- not really what you want when purchasing your wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses.
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Let me state right off the bat, that title is tongue in cheek. I am not casting for a reality series based on the movie “27 Dresses” (although, let’s face it, if I were, it would not be a very hard show to cast. I think all of us, at one point or another, have experienced the bridesmaid hell, complete with empty wallets, ugly bridesmaid dresses, and Godzilla brides.) However, I am here to talk to those women who have literally tried on 27 wedding dresses and have yet to find “their” wedding dress.
We’ve all dreamed about it. We’ve all pictured it, fantasized ourselves in it, but when it comes down to the actual purchasing time, we all seem to be masters of indecision. There are two main reasons for this: importance and selection. The wedding dress is probably the single most important piece of clothing you will ever purchase. It is how your husband will remember you whenever he thinks back on your wedding day. You will be immortalized in it by the hundreds of pictures taken of you wearing it and these pictures will be distributed to all who attended the event and more. All your family and friends will watch you walk down the aisle in it – all seeing you in your dress for the very first time. And above all, how you feel about yourself in your wedding dress when you look in the mirror that one last time will be something you carry with you for the rest of your life.
As far as selection goes, there are boundless numbers of bridal dresses available for purchase these days. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and styles- from the supremely elegant to the softly romantic to the casual chic. Most brides begin by flipping through magazines and earmarking the wedding dresses they like. This is often overwhelming. Bridal magazines just keep getting fatter and fatter each year with more and more choices. Then, you get into the store and all of a sudden your problem isn’t too much to choose from, it’s not enough selection. Soon you find yourself running around like a maniac in search of your perfect dress. The good news is there are online resources with extensive inventories of wedding dresses (as well as bridesmaid dresses and other bridal dresses) available for purchase. So you can cease all that running around stuff.
In closing, let me say this: You’ll know it when you see it. Every single former bride walking the earth says the same thing about the wedding dresses they have picked. Let’s just hope for your sake it’s dress #28 and not #128!
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Bridal dresses are notorious for being “one time only” wearers. They are also notorious for being very pricey. This is not a good combination. Weddings are expensive; for you, for your bridal party, and for your guests. As a bride, so much of what you spend your hard-earned money on will not last longer than the day - the flowers, the food, the music, you hair and make-up. Wedding dresses are no different. (It’s kind of funny that the most important dress we will ever wear as women, we only get to wear one time.) The point is, the whole day is fleeting and most brides are totally OK with spending a lot of money on a dress they will only wear once. Most brides want to hold onto their wedding dresses for sentimental value as a keepsake, so in a way it does last a lifetime. (By the way, if you are not one of these women, eBay is a great option.)
The women who have to wear the other bridal dresses, namely your bridesmaids, do not care so much for the keepsake value of their dress. Bridesmaids do a lot for us brides so I think it’s important that when it comes to the bridesmaid dresses, we don’t ask too much of them. I had a friend who was in a wedding two years ago and the bride picked out bridesmaid dresses that were ridiculously expensive. Not only that, my poor friend hated the style of the dress, so she never wore it again. Look, believe me, I understand how hard it is to find bridesmaid dresses that will look good on all your bridesmaids and that they will all like. But it is possible and it’s worth a try. Nowadays, there are so many choices out there for bridesmaid dresses that it makes things easier. A really great resource is the Internet. There are some great sites that sell nothing but bridal dresses, wedding dresses as well as the bridesmaid dresses.
As a side note, my friend got married last year. She had ten bridesmaids and the dress she picked out for us was great. It looked good on everyone, its price was affordable, and best of all I was able to shorten its length and wear it three more times!
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