Bridesmaid Dress Shopping

LilyASF42

Why is it so difficult?  :-(  Or is it just me?

I really would have liked to shop with at least one of my bridesmaids but with them all being in different states it was difficult getting people together.  Then the one weekend I did manage to get two girls to be free and I was able to drive down to a common area......we get a blizzard :-/

So I just resolved that I would pick it myself, give them two options and that will work out.  But when I went yesteday shopping on my own I just couldn't find anything I really liked.  And the shop had a huge selection which makes it a bit disheartening.  Either the color selection just wasn't right or if I did find a color I'd be okay with (still not loving but would be fine) they didn't have any nice styles (and I really would prefer if they all had the same dress)

I really don't think I'm being over picky but maybe I'm wrong.  And why, why, why is nearly ever dress strapless in the wedding world?  Why?  I don't hate strapless, but it's everwhere and for an autumn wedding I just think a little more coverage like some straps (thicker than spaghetti) looks nice.  I haven't limited myself to just bridal shops either, I've looked at JCrew, Macy's, etc.  Nothing. 

*Sigh*  Just a bit of a vent I guess.  Just feel like I'm so behind on picking them out but I don't see anything I really like either  :-/  Last ditch effort in two weekends with mom.  If I don't find anything I really like I guess I'll just pick a fabric, length & color that I can live with and tell the girls to pick whatever they like.  Dunno, just so excited about all the other things in the wedding so far I don't want to be hating the bridesmaid dresses or for them to hate them either :-/

libby18bell

I know exactly how you feel.  My BM live all over, so trying to schedule something for everyone just isn't gonna work.  I decided since I am going home this weekend to finalize my dress that we would get the BM dresses there to give them the best deal.  I sent 4 out of 5 of the girls the list of designers they feature at the salon and they each are giving me a list of dresses and styles they like and then I'll have my MOH try them on and we can compare and take pictures.  I'm finding this to be the easiest solution for everyone with regards to traveling etc.  Once we find a dress or two I'll have each of my girls find a place to try it on and then give me the measurements.  That seems to be the only solution to problems with travel and all that.

LilyASF42

The plus to all this is that the girls have been really good about telling me they'll be find with whatever i pick since it's my wedding and the few links i sent them before I went to any shops they liked. 

The problem is me liking the color and dresses in person.  Then that's the color I want to use in multiple places so I feel like if I just feel "meh" about the color then I'll feel "meh" about a lot other things.  Who wants to feel "meh" about thier wedding?

libby18bell

What colors are you thinking?  By the way not sure if my idea is working out all that well either.  out of the 4 sending them the designers, only 1 got back to me with styles, and I like about half of her choices.  Oh well I guess my MOH and I will pick something out and that's it.  

LilyASF42

i'm looking for long, chiffon and an autumn purple (would prefer some sort of straps)

so far the options i see are either too dark and feel too somber or are too bright and feel too springy or are too red and feel more like a wine color vs a purple (then again, i don't want it a purple that leans into blue)

maybe i am too picky :-/

something like the dress in this photo
http://www.theknot.com/weddings/photo/purple-bridesmaid-bouquets-75508

and while i've seen similar colors on the websites of various designers, in person, it just doesn't look like that

thejucheidea

Because ours are from all over the place, I just made a Facebook group and they've been sharing links back and forth for websites with dresses they like. We're letting them choose whatever dresses -- it's made it a LOT easier for me and they're enjoying seeing a ton of different choices. I know that Modcloth has dresses with sleeves -- maybe you could look there?

aimkin

My color is also dark purple and I also wanted chiffon.  The plum at DB was exactly what i wanted but it didn't look as good in chiffon as it did in silk there.  I was fully prepared to accept the fact that I might just have to pick a dress and go with whatever "plum" color that dsigner used.  I ended up going with an Allure one shoulder chiffon.  From their website it doesn't look like they have the right color, but when I saw the chiffon swatches in person, it ended up being perfect.

hardlyhannah

I am fortunate that most of my BMs are in town, but I do have one whose about 6 hours away. She really wanted to come to my bridal appointment, so I scheduled my bridal appointment and my BM appointment back to back because she will be here and I am bringing all of my BMs, plus my mom, fmil and grandma. I am starting to think this will be insane, but its what works best for all of our schedules and I am just hoping it isn't a frustrating experience.

What I would like them to do is while I am changing in and out of dresses to be looking at BM dresses, that way they aren't bored out of their minds, and we can get the appointments to move quicker so we can get lunch afterward!!

shannie11

I tried on a couple. one was from alfred angelo and the other bill levkoff.  I was looking for one with only one strap.  Did you try on these ones?

http://www.billlevkoff.com/style/bridesmaid-dress/676

http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/productdisplay.aspx?productID=73ad3091-4eb2-47ec-96c8-1676610c1941&categoryID=772f03c9-de43-4942-bfa0-da77e21ebd65&pg=1&colorId1=

CassietBella

I know your frustration! My BM are all over the country, so it had to be something accessible nationwide and easy for me as well since I am paying for their dresses. I ended up choosing the color at DB that I loved and am giving them the freedom to choose whatever dress they like in that color. That is just what worked best for all of us (and my sanity!). 

SewInLoveWithDMB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2013-weddings_bridesmaid-dress-shopping?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:1925524f-fa8b-432f-a7b5-be486ce756efDiscussion:ba610ee7-9e10-4182-8b10-a81973114461Post:7fb4cfc9-7969-42f7-b208-eb922269782e">Re: Bridesmaid Dress Shopping</a>:
[QUOTE]I tried on a couple. one was from alfred angelo and the other bill levkoff.  I was looking for one with only one strap.  Did you try on these ones? <a href="http://www.billlevkoff.com/style/bridesmaid-dress/676" rel="nofollow">http://www.billlevkoff.com/style/bridesmaid-dress/676</a> <a href="http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/productdisplay.aspx?productID=73ad3091-4eb2-47ec-96c8-1676610c1941&categoryID=772f03c9-de43-4942-bfa0-da77e21ebd65&pg=1&colorId1=" rel="nofollow">http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/productdisplay.aspx?productID=73ad3091-4eb2-47ec-96c8-1676610c1941&categoryID=772f03c9-de43-4942-bfa0-da77e21ebd65&pg=1&colorId1=</a>
Posted by shannie11[/QUOTE]

<div>Bill Levkoff 676 is the dress my bridesmaid's are wearing!  :) Love it. We are not going with fall colors at all, so we are going with the aqua blue, "Glacier." All the girls picked it as a top choice and I love the way it looks on all of them. I say it's a good choice! ;)</div>

SewInLoveWithDMB

Oh! I also want to mention that we purchased ours through Pearl's Place. It is a store in Louisiana that is a brick and mortar store, but will ship dresses throughout the country. The price was about $75 less from Pearl's Place than our local store. I have purchased from Pearl's Place in the past as a bridesmaid and they have always been super helpful and quick to ship the dresses.  I figured it was a great way for the girls to save money on their dresses.

http://www.pearlsplace.com/

It's a good place also if the bridesmaids are all over - see if Pearl's carries the dress you like, call for the price, and then each girl can order separately or you can order them all to your house for them. 

miamiheatchick

I have a bit of a different issues with my BM. They all live local and we all work together BUT one is very aggressive and pushy (we are use to her and love her) It happens that my other BM are very soft spoken and will let BM #1 run all over them smh I have to find a nice polite way to keep her in check so that ALL of my BM feel like they are getting what they want and enjoying this experience as well. 

Good luck with your dress search. I know it's just one more thing for you to stress over when preparing for your big day.

kerrimur

I'm sorry to hear you are having difficulty gathering all your BMs for dress shopping. Is there one or two BMs that live nearby that could go shopping with you? I went shopping with my MOH who is also my sister and my mom. We spent a day going to a few different bridal shops. We went to DB last and found a dress we all loved. Once I choose the dress I took pictures of my sister and emailed the pix and website page to my other BMs. Two of my BMs work weekends, one is planning her own wedding and another lives two hours away. They all really liked the dress and my color choice. From there I checked all their schedules and made a fitting appointment two months out for everyone to come. We did dresses and lunch on a Saturday all together. It was so much fun! Here's the link to my BM dress : http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Long-Strapless-Dress-with-Front-Ruffle-Cascade-F14336_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Long-Bridesmaid-Dresses https://www.google.com/search?q=david's+bridal+f14336&hl=en&client=safari&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=eckoUeq7HYrn0QH17YHoBw&ved=0CE0QsAQ&biw=768&bih=928#biv=i|6;d|HtWy-DDOARac9M: It's much prettier in person, idk why they picked the walking photo for the website. My BMs are different body types and they all looked nice when we tried on sizes at DB.