Wedding Party

Bridesmaid Dresses Help

I am confused about what to do about my bridesmaids' dresses. I have 3 BMs and one MOH.

I have asked them all their budget. From the BMs I got "under 200", "under 170" and "cheap...under 100." My MOH told me she will wear whatever I want her to and don't worry about her budget. Now I know I have to find a dress under 100.

I want them all in long dresses. I was considering telling them "long in Plum from David's Bridal" and letting them go wild and get whatever dress they want. Do I need to tell them the fabric, too? 

After I picked out my dress last night, they went around the store and pulled a few dresses. Of course they all loved different dresses in different fabrics. 

Would it look awful if a few wore chiffon and a few wore satin?

If anyone has pictures of bridesmaids in matching colors/different fabric, please post!
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tabbicakes 

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Re: Bridesmaid Dresses Help

  • Personally if they're going to be wearing different styles, I prefer bridesmaids all in the same fabric. That might be just a matter of opinion though. I think it would be totally reasonable to choose a fabric and color and have them each find a dress that fits. 
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  • FWIW, i was just in David's last weekend trying on long BM dresses...and NONE of them were under $100.  You may want to consider telling the BM with the low budget that whatever dress she picks, you will cover the amount over $100 on her behalf...from what i saw most of the long dresses were between $150 and $200.

     

    Same fabric would likely photograph better.  Chiffon is lighter and better in hot temperatures, satin doesn't breathe as well and is therefore better in the winter.  You can pick whichever one is more seasonally appropriate for your wedding date if that makes it easier on you.

  • doeydodoeydo member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited November 2013
    I think it looks nice when the dresses are all in the same colour and fabric:
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    VS. same colour different fabric, because they look different:
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    ETA there are dresses that are $99 at David's Bridal.  Here is all the dresses under $100 in Plum: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Dresses-Under-$100__pageSize-all?colorName=Plum
    And here are all the long Plum coloured dresses that the girls with a larger budget might buy: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Long-Bridesmaid-Dresses__pageSize-all?colorName=Plum
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  • tabathafayetabathafaye member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    edited November 2013
    doeydo said:
    I think it looks nice when the dresses are all in the same colour and fabric:
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    VS. same colour different fabric, because they look different:
    image
    ETA there are dresses that are $99 at David's Bridal.  Here is all the dresses under $100 in Plum: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Dresses-Under-$100__pageSize-all?colorName=Plum
    And here are all the long Plum coloured dresses that the girls with a larger budget might buy: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Long-Bridesmaid-Dresses__pageSize-all?colorName=Plum
    Ok that second picture sold me on matching fabric.

    I forgot to mention the girl on the lower budget would like sleeves/straps. So that narrows it down to one dress for her. I would probably help her out if she found one for a little bit more that she likes.

    ETA: I would like them all in long dresses.
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    tabbicakes 

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  • Sometimes the same color can look completely different in chiffon and satin.  So, I would suggest picking color and fabric.  
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  • I was in a wedding a few weeks ago and we got our dresses at Express. They were $60, black, with straps and I will definitely wear it again. I would tell everyone to pick their own dress - that would be easiest for you!
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  • I agree with matching fabric. Have you looked at Target's BM dresses? They're often under $100 and they have a few long styles in the same color. For example:


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  • I LOVE different dresses but matching fabric, color and length!
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    Anniversary
  • I love the same fabric/color/length and different necklines look.  I think all of your girls would, too - and even though they may never wear the dress again, there's certainly a better chance that they could if they pick a neckline that flatters them.

    I was planning on doing this - I picked out a designer/length/fabric... and all of the BMs picked the same dress.  Haha!
  • tabathafayetabathafaye member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    edited November 2013
    What if 2 girls pick the same dress and the other 2 pick different dresses? That would make 2 of them look "special." I think it needs to be all 4 different or all the same!

    This is hard! LOL
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    tabbicakes 

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  • What if 2 girls pick the same dress and the other 2 pick different dresses? That would make 2 of them look "special." I think it needs to be all 4 different or all the same!

    This is hard! LOL
    So I did this with my 4 BMs and told them to pick whatever they wanted. Three picked one dress and one picked another (ven though there were 4-5 choices). One of the 3 who had the same dress got her straps altered to be a tank versus X-back, but all 3 looked the same from the front. It was a non issue. I don't think anyone thought the one who chose the one-shoulder was particularly "special". I wouldn't worry about it.
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  • What if instead of telling them the fabric, I tell them either "shiny" or "matte"? Will that look ok?
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    tabbicakes 

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  • If you go back to David's Bridal, it they have swatches of what the plum color looks like in all different fabrics.  I am having Cornflower Blue, and the color is very close, regardless of matterial, though I think that everyone will go with satin.  I told my BMs to get whatever dress that they are comfortable in, as long as it is the same color and short.
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  • When we were there a few days ago, they only had 3 swatches for plum. The girl said DB was going to cut back to just 3 fabric choices.
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    tabbicakes 

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  • What if instead of telling them the fabric, I tell them either "shiny" or "matte"? Will that look ok?
    Honestly, I think you'd be fine with that. 
  • My bridesmaids wore different shades of blue (MOH wore a print) and different fabrics and different styles, though they actually did all end up with a similar waistband, oddly by pure chance. The only thing that was intentionally the same was the length. I thought they were beautiful. And it's not like anyone would somehow not know that they were bridesmaids. They had bouquets and walked down the aisle.
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  • vt&dtvt&dt member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    edited November 2013
    With your budget differences, letting them pick within a color, length, etc. might be your best option.  Otherwise, I'd see if there's wiggle room in your budget to make up the difference for the bridesmaid with the lowest budget.

    ETA: spelling. ugh.
  • I think that if you're going for a more uniform look (i.e. not all from different collections), you'd be better with same colour/fabric/length for all the girls and four different necklines/sleeves. You could then help your BM with the lower budget so that she can purchase from the line you chose. 
  • tabathafayetabathafaye member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    edited December 2013
    Just an update.

    I think I love this dress for my MOH and BMs to wear!

    I went to DB to pick up my dress today and they ordered a size too small (I'm flattered). My MOH put on a few dresses and I think this is it.



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    tabbicakes 

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  • If the girls know the styles they like, have them check out Target online, they have bridesmaid dressed for $70.00. For that price, it qualifies for free shipping & if they get the wrong size, they can return it to their local Target (if they have one) for free. I do vote that the same fabric does provide a little consistency and looks nice.

     

  • I'm thinking the same thing with my bridesmaids. They are also different body types so I don't really think one dress would work for all of them, and I really want them to find something they are comfortable in. I'm going to tell them "Petal and chiffon" from DB and let them figure out the rest. 
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  • edited December 2013
    While that really is a pretty dress (very Grecian-looking), do your bridesmaids all like it? And what happened to the one that had a $100 max budget?
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  • tabathafayetabathafaye member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment Name Dropper
    edited December 2013
    While that really is a pretty dress (very Grecian-looking), do your bridesmaids all like it? And what happened to the one that had a $100 max budget?
    They all said they liked it, and I will pay the difference between her budget and the price of the dress. They all get $20 off because I got my dress at DB. So it's really only 30 over her budget, but I am still paying for it. 

    I am still making an appointment for all of them to try it on as they all weren't there the other night. They might like the picture of it, but hate it on. :) No bridezilla here.
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    tabbicakes 

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  • tabathafaye my mom wore that dress at my sister's wedding. It's really pretty and she got tons of compliments.
  • Like that idea! I took my girls (3) shopping individually. I started with the pickiest and we found a collection by Alexia that was perfect with a lot of different options. She picked her 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice then I went on to the next girl. They ended up picking 3 perfectly similar dresses but are perfectly unique to each girl! :)
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