Bridesmaid dress dramas!

MsMonahan

I have three bridesmaids living in three different cities (including one living overseas in London).

I am unsure what to do about their bridesmaids dresses. I was initially going to get them made, but two of them will only arrive back just a few days before the wedding, so no time for fittings and local dress makers have been reluctant to do the job for that reason.

I've seen some amazing pics of other bridal parties where each bridesmaid had a different dress, but with a similar colour (eg. all indigo or navy blue) and it seemed to work. So I've told the girls to get their own dresses in their respective cities - as long as they are cocktail dresses, knee length and in a purpley/blue/indigo palate. I even sent them a colour swatch...

However, while my matron of honour has found an amazing dress (floaty empire line, dark blue with shoulder straps and ruched bust, to the knee - perfect for our late summer beach wedding in April in New Zealand), the second bridesmaid is stuck. She says she can't find anything. The one dress she found is similar in style to the first (strapless, ruched bust, floaty aline cocktail dress) but in my mind the colour is totally wrong - a pinky/browny dusky purple. It's not the same cool-based indigo blue my first bridesmaid has... and I'm worried that the colours are going to look totally hodge podge, depending on what the third girl in London gets.

Should I get three of the first dress and just send it to them... and they can make alterations if they need to? Or stick with my word and let them get whatever style/colour they like? They seem really keen to get their own style. Am I being a bridezilla to be uptight about the colours? How important is it to the photos and the overall look of the wedding for the bridesmaids dress colours to be similar or in the same colour family?

I am wearing winter white by the way. My flowers will probably be purple/blue/white hydrangeas, full blown vintage roses and perhaps fresias or ranunculas... Our invites were dark purple and white... So the girls wearing a darker purple or bluey shade would be ideal I think... ???

meredithl618

I completely understand all of your worrying about this. However, since you've said at the beginning that it would be fine to do the different dress thing, I think you should stick to it.

I think that the colors look fine together. The best part is that the dresses look like they are made of similar fabrics and have similar style.  I think that if you find another dress that is similar to these, they'll look great.  Maybe get the third to get a slightly different color than both of these, so you have three unique colors and not two blues and a purple.  

I wouldn't worry too much about these two dresses, they go great together. Just focus on helping your other BM find a dress that coordinates!  

MsMonahan

Thanks Aerinpegadrak!  I probably am worrying too much... I think my girls think I am focusing too much on the details too. I just want everything to be right.
Appreciate your feedback, thank you!

aerinpegadrak

Also, since those two are dark colors, I'd encourage the third BM to look for a pale blue or purple.

MsMonahan

Thanks Meridith! Great comments... It's really good getting feedback from you guys. And thanks Aerinpegadrak... you put my mind at ease... Sometimes, with all the things to organise with a wedding, you end up stressing and overthinking things!!

... So a slightly different colour, a cornflower blue or a royal or deeper purple...

meredithl618

I got inspired by your post to look for some options. You might not like any of these, but I think that some of these could go well with the other dresses.  If your friend from London can't find anything over there, could she order online and get it shipped to her, or shipped to you and then you could send it to her?  

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/weddingsparties/PRDOVR~98999/98999.jsp

(J. Crew has some really pretty colors in their regular priced dresses, I believe they're in the winter collection. They might go really well with your color palette: vintage blue, spiced wine, hazel blue.)

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3054125/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014146?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014146&P=1

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/weddingsparties/PRDOVR~19885/99101861781/ENE~1+2+3+22+4294967294+20~30~~20+17+4294967134~15~~~~~~~/19885.jsp

http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=301&langId=-1&storeId=301&productId=502134077&N=1604007+4294959925&searchUrl=/endeca/EndecaStartServlet%3FN%3D1604007%2B4294959925&R=03220024

http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=301&langId=-1&storeId=301&productId=502022180&N=1604007+4294959911&searchUrl=/endeca/EndecaStartServlet%3FN%3D1604007%2B4294959911&R=03144828

http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=301&langId=-1&storeId=301&productId=502151256&N=1604007+4294959911&searchUrl=/endeca/EndecaStartServlet%3FN%3D1604007%2B4294959911&R=03238480

http://www.jcrew.com/AST/Browse/WomenBrowse/Women_Shop_By_Category/dresses/weddingsparties/PRDOVR~17379/17379.jsp

http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=445746&CategoryID=22120

ecsmiles

Another thing to keep in mind.  Say the third girl gets another different shade of purple or blue within your color family.  You could have their bouquets include all three colors and then everything would really tie in togther.  You'd just have to make sure to bring sometihng to the florist so she understands what shades you're trying to do.

MsMonahan

Thanks Ecsmiles... good point about the flowers tying it all in together... or the shawls/parosols as someone else said.

Meredith, thank you so much for looking at all those other dresses for me... There are some beautiful, floaty ones in there! I really like the last Maggy London strapless dress, the Dillards plum dress, the J Crew blue Nori dress and the Nordstrom strapless chiffon one. All styles would work well!

Unfortunately Im living in New Zealand so not sure about shipping to here, but will look into it... and look in other stores here. We are in the middle of summer here, so summer dresses will soon be going out and winter stock coming in... where as my sister in London is the opposite so hopefully she has more time and will find something when new UK spring/summer stock comes in later this month!