Don't kill me, please!

Gtodd

So, my wedding is in 82 days (!!!!!!) and I haven't ordered bridesmaid dresses yet!! I'm totally panicking, the wedding date has just crept up SO quickly! I was thinking of ordering from David's Bridal, but have heard that their BM dresses can take up to 3 months. 
I have girls of all sizes in my wedding, from size 0 to 24. I'm also concerned that the plus-sized dress might take a little longer to come in? I don't really know. Also, just found out that my MOH is pregnant, and will be about 5 months by the time of the wedding. 
I guess I'm looking for suggestions, consolation, encouragement? Aaah! I don't even know. 
How long did it take for your BM dresses to come in? 

MyNameIsNot

Our BM dresses came from DB, and took 1 month max to come in.  But really, at less than 3 months out, this is probably something you should get on.  They always tell you 3 months, but most of their dresses are available in their warehouse, so they come in about 2 weeks.  

With a variety of sizes and shapes, your best option is to choose a color (and maybe a length or fabric) and ask each girl to choose her own dress.  This gives them a lot of flexibility in price as well as style, and it also opens up the option that those who procrastinate would be able to buy a dress off the rack.  If you want to go this route, I'd go over one night this week, take a look at some swatches, and pick a color that comes in a variety of styles.

The other option if you run into much more delay is to just go with black LBDs.  Everyone can choose their own, and they can get them from anywhere, so it takes no time at all.

baystateapple

I vote for MNIN's suggestion of picking a color and letting the girls pick their own dresses.  Especially the LBD route.  I let my girls pick their own dresses in the DB Apple color and they all got exactly what they wanted, in minimal time.

Also: if you go to DB and tell them that you need the dress right away, they'll usually get it to you ASAP, although you might have to pay a rush fee.  None of my girls' dresses took more than 2 weeks to come in, and that was without the rush fee.  But for the peace of mind, you might want to rush them,  just so you're sure that they're coming in on time.

Finally: DB will sell dresses off-the-rack if you are pressed for time.  These dresses are samples and will probably need a cleaning, but you might even be able to get them discounted since they're samples.  And they're RIGHT THERE.  You can't really lose.  Good luck!

Juliet212

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_dont-kill-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:37Discussion:38c8606e-e6b8-4045-af42-1597ffe99215Post:f9ab3874-4822-43fe-beb1-b1b2b167488f">Re: Don't kill me, please!</a>:
[QUOTE]I vote for MNIN's suggestion of picking a color and letting the girls pick their own dresses.  Especially the LBD route.  I let my girls pick their own dresses in the DB Apple color and they all got exactly what they wanted, in minimal time. Also: if you go to DB and tell them that you need the dress right away, they'll usually get it to you ASAP, although you might have to pay a rush fee.  None of my girls' dresses took more than 2 weeks to come in, and that was without the rush fee.  But for the peace of mind, you might want to rush them,  just so you're sure that they're coming in on time. Finally: DB will sell dresses off-the-rack if you are pressed for time.  These dresses are samples and will probably need a cleaning, but you might even be able to get them discounted since they're samples.  And they're RIGHT THERE.  You can't really lose.  Good luck!
Posted by baystateapple[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what I was going to say.

mbcdefg

The BM dresses for my wedding were from AnnTaylor.com and they were delivered within a week. So if you can find a clothing website or department store that carries appropriate dresses in the sizes you need, this might be your best bet. Check out Nordstrom.com and Dillards.com, and maybe Overstock.com as well. 
 
Another option would be to pick a color, length and fabric from David's Bridal, and then let each girl find it wherever she can. ("Pick any long, satin, Apple Red dress from DB.") They can buy them off the rack at an actual DB store, or they can look on eBay, in thrift shops, Craigslist, or see if a friend has one she can borrow. DB dresses are everywhere.

Another option is to see if a local seamstress can churn out the dresses in that amount of time, if you provide her with enough fabric. But this might get stressful, so it wouldn't be my first choice, personally.

The easiest option would probably be to provide each girl with a paint swatch of the color you want, and ask her to get a knee/floor length dress (whichever length you want - or you don't even need to specify a length if you are O.K. with a mix) in that color. That way, they can look wherever they want and pay whatever they want. Sometimes it looks really nice for them to be in different varieties of the same basic color (click here for examples).

Easier still - ask them to get either plain black cocktail dresses, or long plain black gowns. They might already own a suitable dress. You can bring in your wedding colors with their flowers, or something like sashes or pashminas or jewelry. Plenty of people do this, and the results are usually quite nice (click here). 

SarahPLiz

The BM dresses for my wedding were from Ross. They were $20 each. 

I suggest you look at places like JCrew or The Limited and see what they have in stock. It doesn't have to say BM dress on it to be worn in a wedding. They don't sprinkle special BM dust on it. 

megk8oz

I'd say you should get on it soon, but waiting until now wasn't a terrible thing to do. Imo, it's much better than if you'd forced the girls to buy dresses over a year ago (Which is something we see all the time).

Like PP suggested, if you don't care about them having identical dresses, just pick a color, fabric and length and tell them to knock themselves out. It doesn't have to be labeled a "BM dress" to be one-any nice dress will fit the bill. There are millions of options out there that don't come from a bridal shop: Macy's, JCrew, Ann Taylor,   ... the list goes on and on

In my own experience, I went through David's. We ordered dresses on August 1st, the last one arrived in the store on August 10th. So, if you want to go through them, I'd order ASAP, but I wouldn't worry too much about it taking the full 3 months to come in.

SSaltzman87

I was in a wedding and got my dress from DB. It came in a week after we ordered them :-) They could also buy something off the rack there too.

Plus sizes don't make a difference on when they come in, but perhaps extra length would?

Like PPs said, maybe getting dresses from a department store would be the best way to go.

AdeleDazeem

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_dont-kill-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:38c8606e-e6b8-4045-af42-1597ffe99215Post:f673ba7b-18da-4f61-a45d-b927858b7c0b">Re: Don't kill me, please!</a>:
[QUOTE]They don't sprinkle special BM dust on it. 
Posted by SarahPLiz[/QUOTE]

Yes, they do, Sarah!  And the dust of rose petals from royal weddings of yore for good luck.  Everyone knows that.

aerinpegadrak

Everything I've ever purchased at DB has been off-the-rack.  They usually have pretty good selection.

Personally, I just told my girls to wear any black dress, and I highly recommend it.  The six of them went through five different designers (only one of which was a wedding line), they all looked great, and it definitely took the stress off me.  Most of them selected their dresses within six weeks of the wedding, and the two plus-sized BMs went to a specialty store (http://www.kiyonna.com) so they could get something designed for their size and shape rather than designed for a stick-figure and scaled up.

lalap69

Save yourself and your bm's a huge headache and just tell them "any blue dress" (or whatever your wedding colours are.)  It will look pretty, it will be less expensive, it means avoiding rush charges, and it even saves you having to ask your bm's their budget and finding a dress you can all agree upon.

Example:

I have several other examples with other colours in my bio under FAQs.

marinabreeze

PPs have great suggestions.  If you want the dresses to be the same/similar, make sure that you choose a place like DB that is all-inclusive size-wise.  I don't think JCrew or The Limited go up to 24.  But really, your best bet is to choose a color (like black or another common color) and specify length, and have your BMs shop for them on their own.  I am sure that they'll have ideas as to what stores may have nice dresses within your specifications and are flattering for their figures. 

I second Aerin...kiyonna.com has very nice dresses for plus sizes.  Also, if your plus-size BM likes to try on clothes before buying them (I'm like this btw), Lane Bryant and LB Outlet (if they are in your BM's area) have nice evening wear, and occasionally JCPenney's does as well (though they're more hit-or-miss).  Macy's has quite a good selection as well (and they carry designer labels in both plus and misses). 

mbcdefg

Group USA is another selection.

Or, check eBay and Craigslist for a "lot" of BM dresses. Sometimes brides cancel their weddings, or they change their minds about the BM dresses, and they have to unload all the BM dresses at once. You might find someone selling a group of dresses in the sizes you need and a color you like.

Just be flexible. Don't get dead-set on having everyone in an identical dress, and don't get dead-set on a certain color or style. Neutral colors are a lifesaver when you're in a time crunch, and you can always use their flowers to add a pop of color (or you can give them colorful sashes or wraps).

trix1223

lala:  I love that picture!  I really like the how the different shades of blue and the different styles all come together.  Beautiful, just beautiful!

ETA:  To bring this back to the OP:  I think lala's picture is a great example of how your WP can just go get dresses, and your wedding will look amazing!  Just give them a color and length and see what happens.  GL

Summer2011Bride

As some have discussed also, you don't HAVE to buy BM dresses from a wedding store; many times they hike prices up anyway, and if you are on short on time, this may not be the best option.

You could tell them color and length that you want and let them find one on their own anywhere or perhaps they even have something that fits the bill. I understand with certain shades of colors, you can't match exactly, but I have been to weddings where the BM's all wore different shades of purple, for instance, and it still looked really nice and pulled together.

You can often get some good deals at dept. stores or even places like Target (at least the one in my city) has cute dressy dresses.