I have 6 bridesmaids...

Tana Swart

I was wondering how soon I should start bridesmaid dress shopping, and when they should be ordered by? My wedding is next June, so 11 months away. Also I have two out of state BMs and the other four live in different cities. I am just wondering how I am going to pick out a dress they will all like. I am in a wedding this November and the bride had all of us BMs meet at davids bridal (there are also 6 of us) we tried on 3-4 dresses and took a vote and we all liked the same one. We were all there to put in our order and it went so smoothly. I am thinking I won't be able to do this. Would it be okay if I just went to the bridal store with a few of my BMs and picked out a dress without all of them? And then just called them and told them all the information so they could order it....it just seems so impersonal.

salt78

[i]Would it be okay if I just went to the bridal store with a few of my BMs and picked out a dress without all of them? And then just called them and told them all the information so they could order it....it just seems so impersonal.[/i] Please don't do this. All of your bridesmaids should have a say in what they are wearing. If anything get together a bunch of different options and then let them choose. The nice thing about David's Bridal is that they are located almost everywhere.

Leah&Christian09

Half of my BMs were OOT.  When we first started looking, I sent them all pictures of a bunch of dresses and asked opinions and budgets.  They all had different things that they wanted/didn't want.  Then the local girls and I went out and they picked their top 3.  I asked the OOT girls to go to DB and try on those 3 and see what they liked.  Then they all voted.  (It was unanimous.)  I gave them a deadline to order, and they handled it on their own.  DB dresses take less than 2 months go come in, so you have tons of time. If I could do it all over again, I would have gone to DB by myself and chosen a color, and told them all to go get any DB dress in Marine.

Tana Swart

thanks! I never thought of picking out a top three and having them go try them on and get back to me with their opinion. Sometimes simple solutions...

mbcdefg

If they are buying it and wearing it, then they should all get some say in what the actual dress looks like. You can make the final call, of course, but you shouldn't just pick something and say, "You're wearing this." First, make sure you talk to each of them (by themselves, in private) and ask what they want to spend on a dress. Once you get a figure from all of them, then only look at dresses in that price range. If you fall in love with something out of their price ranges, chip in some oney yourself to bring down the cost to what they said they could afford. The idea of picking a few and then having them vote is a good one. Another option would be to choose a designer that they can all afford, then pick a color/skirt length/fabric, and tell them to pick any style from those parameters ("Pick out any knee-length, pool-colored, satin gown from Alfred Angelo.")Another idea would be to go with something like an Ann Taylor or J. Crew dress, where girls can try them on in their local stores or order their street sizes off the websites (maybe even eBay for new or gently used dresses fo a discount). They can vote on one winner, or get different styles that have the same length/fabric/color. David's Bridal is another option, since there are locations nationwide. I have two BMs and an April wedding, and we're going shopping once my sister comes home from her summer job out of state. We're going to go to a couple upscale malls and look in department stores and regular clothing stores/boutiques, and then hit David's Bridal if we don't find anything in regular stores.

Sooles

ususally in this situation people i know would pick a line (like Alfred Angelo, Davids Bridal etc) and say, everyone get a dress you like in (whatever colour you pick) and make sure its (whatever length you pick). because some girls will look better in a halter and some will look better in strapless... etc.

knmichaelsen

I don't think it is too soon now to do this - at least to look around and get ideas of what you would like.  The more serious shopping can definitely wait a few months though.  I would NOT pick out a dress without each of them trying it on first.  I had a dress picked for me before and was upset that I had spent $200 on a dress that I did not think was flattering and had to wear all night (and be captured in pictures!) Anyway, I also have 6 bridesmaids - each living all over the country - Illinois/Wisconsin/DC/Texas.  Luckily, most are in roadtrip distance and could visit.  One of the girls tried on at a local store in Texas and found the style she liked that way.  I started shopping early and tried to work my schedule around when bridesmaids could visit.  I ended up choosing a designer (Dessy/After Six) and a color/fabric and they all chose their own dress style.  Some are strapless, some halter, 3 are long and 3 are tea length.  Each girl found their style and got measured and we ended up ordering online through Houseofbrides.com.  I found coupons online, which made the dresses around $75 cheaper each than ordering at the bridal store.  We ordered in March and got them in mid-July.  Assuming it will take many girls time to coordinate, I would give them at least a month to look around and decide. 

banana468

You definitely don't need to order dresses until after Christmas.  Then talk to the BMs and see what their price range and style requests are.