Buying fabric for bridesmaid dresses?

mazilora

The fiance's sister made an interesting suggestion--purchasing many yards of the same fabric for bridesmaids, and then letting them have their dresses made to their own taste and flattering style. I have a few questions if anyone has any experience with this--
--How much would it cost my girls to get a dress made (I'm okay with paying for the fabric myself)?
--How quickly could it be done? We're thinking August 2014 for the wedding, but I won't really be able to do any serious planning until early January.

If you've done this, how did it go over?  How many yards does one need per dress?

Thanks a million!

audubonbride2013

I personally don't have experience with this, but I think it would be overwhelming if I had to get my own dress made as a bridesmaid.  I would much rather be told a fabric and color and be able to pick a dress.

doeydo

A relative of mine chose that route for her BMs.  My sister was one of the BMs and the dress she had made for herself was gorgeous on her and I can't remember what she paid the seamstress for it. The BMs as a whole "went" together, but honestly I think BM dresses look better when they are all one length and some of the BMs at the wedding chose floor length dresses while others chose to the knee.

[Deleted User]

Great idea but before you go and buy fabric I would find a seamstress in your area who has exprience with doing formal wear, not someone who really only has experience in doing alterations as sewing a dress from scratch is different from shortening one. Talk to them as the styles and fabric they is picked out will more then likely have an impact on cost. I would say check into this immediatey because depending on how many dresses you need to have made and how complicated the styles are, they may need to get started immediately on making them.

To get an idea of the fabric costs, take one or two of your BM to the fabric store with you and have them find patterns of dresses they like. On the pattern envelopes it will list how many yards of fabric you will need based on the size you will be making. Then you can take that information and go to the fabrics and pick out the fabric you would like. That will help you figure out the cost of the fabric (don't forget zippers & thread). Then to see if it's a good price, go to a local bridal shop and find a similar dress to the pattern the girls picked out & see what the cost of the dress is. That will give you a good idea of the difference in cost of buying ready made versus custom before you even talk to a seamstress.

teambel

Thanks for the advice, ladies!  All 3 of my BMs live in/near pretty major cities, so I think we should be able to find people who can do this. I've floated the idea and no one seemed overwhelmed, but that may change when it comes down to it--I'll definitely check back before buying the fabric!  And Erikan, your point about comparing dresses is a great idea...my rationale wasn't purely price sensitivity (they're a big variety of figures), but that's definitely a factor.

misssunshine17

Why not just pick an easy color and let them pick their own dress? I told my BMs navy and below the knee (church rules) and they all looked gorgeous, spent what they chose ($8-$200) and were happy. This sounds like it would be a great option for you. 

lovesclimbing

My BM dress is being made.  However, the BM dress was picked by the bride and her and her future MIL and our mom are making the dresses and I just have to show up to fittings.  The same was done for my wedding.

Costs will vary depending on city and how complicated the dress is.  @Erikan72 had good advice.  Also, keep in mind you may need more fabric than the pattern says because, for some types of fabric, all the patterns will have to be laid out the same direction on the fabric or else it will look wrong.  Note whether the pattern says "with nap" or "without nap."  Basically, a fabric with a "nap" will look differently when it's viewed from different angles from the way light shines on it.  If a pattern says "without nap" but you're buying fabric "with nap," you will likely need to buy extra fabric because you will not be able to fit all the pieces on with all the pieces laying the same direction.

Also, you will need to shop for fabric with the pattern in mind and vice versa.  If your BMs are not seamstresses themselves (and you're not), they may not realize that the pattern they picked simply will not look good made with the fabric they chose. 

winelover123

You need to contact a seamstress first. I got my wedding dress custom made so I showed my seamstress a picture of the dress I wanted, she told me how much fabric I'd need and what her cost would be.

The cost really depends on how complicated it is to make a dress. It could cost $500+ or it could cost $200. It took my seamstress 6 months to make my wedding dress (it wasn't a traditional dress - it was like a cocktail dress).

Knottie37095654

I had all of my bridesmaids dresses made. It wasn't hard, or expensive for them. I ordered all of the material from fabric.com and took it to the seamstress. She already had the patterns for the styles. All my girls had to do was show up, be fitted, pick the dresses up on a scheduled day and pay, just like a bridal store! My seamstress even worked at the men's warehouse where my tux's were from.