Which bridesmaid dress?

JHS16

I don't know about anyone else, but one of the most difficult decisions in our entire wedding planning is deciding what the bridesmaids should wear because I really want to please everyone, and I have six girls that are shaped very differently.  

Initially, I thought it would be gorgeous to have the same dress in three different colors, with 2 BM in each color, like this: 

These Belsoie dresses come in long or tea-length, so they could pick the length they prefer.

But then, for the sake of cost, fit, and reuse, I began leaning towards black bridesmaid dresses, and each BM could pick any style she wanted from J Crew or David's Bridal.  They loved this idea, but our wedding is in September, in a garden, and my MOH really wants to wear a long dress, so I thought it might be too dark and formal for our setting.  I also want to integrate our wedding colors of red/purple somehow, and I found something like this that they could either pin around the waist or put in their hair:

Thoughts, ideas, opinions?  Any other ideas about adding color to a black BM dress besides the bouquets?  Thanks for your time!

nosaj

I like the idea of having them in different colors. If the dresses are kind of pricey, I'd get more input from the BM's. Otherwise I would choose what YOU like and want your wedding to look like.

Personally I am partial to the red and the second one which I think is plum?. I also think black would be fine in Sept if you do give it a pop of color whether its a chiffon shall, a sash or flower etc. I'm sure the BM's would appreciate the black idea.

JHS16

Thanks, nosaj!

aerinpegadrak

Black is fine.  Or you could just tell them to find their own dresses somewhere in the red/purple spectrum, and have a variety of colors and styles.  Had we not chosen our colors as black and white, I probably would have had my girls in a spectrum of blues.  Warm colors can be a bit difficult to wear, so this way they would get to choose the shade that best complements their skin tone.

cvl105

I LOVE the look of those dresses above in the three different colors. If they haven't tried on that dress, bring them all to try it on and see how they like it before you rule it out.  If one or more of them doesn't like it, then consider the black dress option.  The girls can still wear long dresses even if it's an outdoor spring wedding. I would suggest you keep them all in the same length though.  Personally, I don't like the look of one in a long dress and the rest in short or vice versa.  In terms of the black being too dark, just brighten up the pallette with some beautiful pink and purple flowers.

MyNameIsNot

I really love the idea of black dresses.  If the MOH wants to wear a long one, it would be fine so long as she chooses a style that isn't somber.  Some detailing or straps would keep it looking like a cocktail dress.  You could also add sashes or pashminas for a pop of color. 

Black is such a universal color, it's flattering on nearly any skin tone and everyone can find a flattering black dress in their budget.

JHS16

Thank you both, I feel better about the black dresses now....that is good advice about trying to stay with the same length, cvl.  I am personally partial to the 3 colors, but it would definitely be easy to use bright bouquets, good call!