Bridesmaid Dresses?

doubleSS07

I need some help!  I tried the other boards but it's all brides complaining ABOUT their BM's not for the BM's to ask questions LOL.  Does anyone who is either planning a wedding or has been in one know ABOUT how long it takes to order and get the dresses in?  I was in 2 weddings before but we got dresses off the rack. 

I'm in my GF's wedding and it is March 3rd, it was a last minute thing with no frills and barely any planning because she's kinda all over the place.   The two of us bridesmaids are so different in terms of height, weight, style I don't think we can do a cohesive look off the rack but I could be wrong.  I'm getting a teensy bit concerned because she hasn't even given us a color or any guidance on what she would like to see us in other than to pick what we want.  The problem is when we did that initially we were completely 180 degrees opposite of each other in terms of style and fabric and my friend was like "oh ummm well that's not going to look right" but she said she also doesn't want to make us get what we don't want. 

I don't really care too much what I wear but at this point I'm afraid we are going to run out of time to order and get it in for any alterations here soon.  Do we still have plenty of time to order? If not how can I gently push her to pick a freaking color already so we can at least online shop...

jaycee7389

Go to David's Bridal. My BM dresses came in 2 weeks. Doesn't mean yours will, but probably a better chance than a private dress shop. Also, what about going to a department store and just buying 2 of the same dress? Then you don't have to wait for it to come in.

motoLyn

Well I'm a BM in a wedding this month.  We went to try on and order dresses back in end of August and the dresses came in at the end of October.  So two months to order dresses and have them made and sent back.  I think this time of the year is a little slow for wedding dress makers.  Spring and Summer are the busy times.  I think if you go and look for dresses now, that would allow time for alterations when the dresses come back. 

doubleSS07

Jaycee - David's bridal is definitely on the list.  That's where we looked online initially and that's where she got HER dress initially...lol she cancelled that one and went somewhere else a month later..all over the place I tell you!  We thought about the department store thing but because I'm a 6/8 and the other gal is an 18/20 we wern't sure that we could find the same or similar dresses.  I'm glad to know at least David's seems to have a decent turn around. 

Moto - Thanks I was hoping because it's not really "wedding season" that we would be ok still.

lennonkdc

Do you and the other BM live close to each other? If so then I would plan a David's Bridal trip for the three of you and try to nail the bride down to a look/feel. I would do this sooner rather then later, b/c I feel like DB will be busy with post xmas newly engaged woman. 

[Deleted User]

I once had to order a BM dress 5 months ahead...redic. I'd check with the shop where you are purchasing it. The bride whose wedding I was in kept us all very informed so we didn't have to pay rush charges or anything, but if your gal isn't so organized i'd just call the store myself.

DanieKA

How many bridesmaids are there? Just 2? It really depends on what kind of dress you are getting, how many dresses, etc. There are just a lot of different factors. I've been in 4 weddings and will be in my 5th next September. For the current wedding we ordered our dresses Nov. 13th and they haven't come in yet. Also, at this particular bridal salon all the dresses have to be picked up at the same time (which is completely inconvenient as we don't all have the same schedule and can't all come to pick up our dresses together, but the bride offered to pick them all up at once for us). I'd estimate that these dresses will come in around the end of january/February. 

The other weddings I've been in have had somewhat higher end designers, and the turnaround was around  2ish/3 months for an average of 6-8 girls (# in bridal party, not dress size).

I'd expect a bit quicker turnaround at DB. Also quicker turn around for less girls, so if it's just the 2 of you, you'll probably have quicker service. Hope that helps. If the wedding is March 3rd, you should order ASAP or plan to buy off the rack. Off the rack might even be cooler because you can buy from a "real" store like macy's, nordstrom, Athropologie and have pretty awesome dresses that don't scream "BRiDESMAID!" but still match. 

doubleSS07

Thanks ladies for the input.  We live fairly close, I'm 1.5 hours away but I go down to visit on average twice a month so that's not a big deal.  It is just the 2 of us bridesmaids so hopefully that makes it a little easier.  I'm not 100% sure we can all work a DB trip just because they have kids (4 each!! egads) and can't get away all that often and with the holidays around the corner we may have to go on our own which I'm cool with.

I think I'm going to try to get her to at least pin down a color and maybe fabric/neckline/length preference if she has one.  She told me a month ago that she want to feel "pushy" by asking for a look but that she hated the halter dress our other friend picked but didn't want to tell her. I'm going to tell her she's got to at least give us some sort of guideline to work with and that it's not being pushy. 

jaycee7389

Yeah I don't think it's pushy at all. It's a two-way street. The bride should value your opinions on the dress without compromising what she pictures on her wedding day. I hate when brides don't listen to the BMs opinions, and I hate when the BMs are too picky.

cu97tiger

Well, while you might not feel like you're being pushy, she may not care so much about everything being matchy matchy. The next time something about attire comes up, just mention that whenever she's ready to give you guidance, you're ready to dress shop, and leave it at that. If she waits until the last minute, it isn't going to be your fault, so I wouldn't worry too much more about it. With stores like Nordstrom, J. Crew, and White House Black Market, you guys will definitely have SOMETHING to wear!

leia1979

I asked my BMs to order 5 months out. I think they arrived in about three months.

Check with bridal shops on the leadtime. Be aware if the dresses are made in China that Chinese New Year (January 23) will cost you two to three weeks of production time.

Definitely ask for guidelines. If it doesn't have to be matchy-matchy, it's easier. I specified a brand, length, and color, which allowed my BMs to go to whatever shop was convenient and carried that brand.

Peaseblossom55

I was in one wedding we ordered the dresses in April and they came mid September.  In the wedding I was in earlier this year we ordered in mid march and got them mid June.  For my sister's wedding we are going shopping mid January for her wedding at the end of August.  I guess it seems to take 5 months from the average bridal salon here.  It sounds like there are options to get things sooner.

jessss21

If you're really in a bind and since it will be a simple wedding, you could both get just a black cocktail dress.  The places I've looked at have said about 6-8 weeks for the dresses to come in.