Attire & Accessories Forum

Any brides considered a white bridesmaid dress in lieu of wedding gown?

I have come to find that I am somewhat defective when it comes to wedding dresses--I hate nearly all of them! I had a thick wedding magazine, and the ONLY dress I truly loved was being featured in black and blue. It turns out it was a bridesmaid dress, but that it was available in any color imaginable, including white and ivory. A lightbulb went off and I started exploring bridesmaid dresses, only to find that there are so many styles, and that some of them seem just as ornate as simpler wedding gown (some have elaborate lacework, etc.). Not to mention that many of them are hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars less.  Does anyone see a downside to this? Or do you know of a bride who's done this with success?


Re: Any brides considered a white bridesmaid dress in lieu of wedding gown?

  • There is absolutely no downside to this, if you find a style you like. An old reg here had a bright pink bridesmaid dress as her wedding gown and it was beautiful! She even wore the dress to her graduation and is excited to wear it again and again.
    Image result for someecard betting someone half your shit youll love them forever
  • I bought a dress from Macy's that was basically like a white bridesmaid dress. I looked at one at David's Bridal that was a BM dress available in white too. Ultimately I decided to get a regular wedding dress bc I liked it better but definitely nothing wrong with it if it fits your style and venue
  • My friend just showed me pictures of her sister's garden wedding last weekend. She wore a beautiful long white chiffon bridesmaids dress and looked amazing. Plus, she only spent about $300 on it. It's a great way to go if you find one you like.
    "There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." -Friedrich Nietzsche, "On Reading and Writing"
  • There is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing a white (or any other color) bridesmaid dress to wear in lieu of a traditional wedding gown. I agree many of the styles of bridesmaid dresses can be worn for other occasions and maybe even altered after the wedding to become a "new" dress for vow renewal or a nice anniversary dinner :) 
  • If you find one you love, go for it!!! The important thing is to wear a dress that you love and feel comfortable in. It doesn't have to be white or ivory either. I've seen photos where the bride wheres a colored dress & the BM were white instead.
  • Me me me, OP. (original poster) I too am really struggling with dress shopping. I think if you find a BM gown that you love, go for it. For me, I like the styling and simplicity of construction of many bridesmaid gowns, but I still want some of the beautiful lace, decoration, and beading that seems to only come on traditional brides dresses. And it would be great if they stopped trying to stuff every bride into a strapless dress whether it flatters her or not, but that's a dream for another day......


  • This was my primary plan and I had two I would have been quite happy with. I ended up with an actual gown that I liked just a smidge better than either of the two bridesmaid dresses.

    My gown was under $800 so not that expensive, but I could have saved even more money if I'd picked one of the BM dresses as they were between $150 and $250 if I remember. If my dress hadn't been in the group my consultant pulled I would have bought one of the others and been happy.

    Wear what you can afford, like, and fits the venue.
  • edited September 2015
    Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I wouldn't be surprised if I end up finding a bridal gown I like without expecting to (I never thought I would want an antique engagement ring and then fell in love with one), but I'm glad to hear that there don't seem to be any downsides to this. 
  • Don't forget to post what you pick. I'm leaning toward something like this, although my next shopping trip could throw that all up in the air.

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