Bridesmaids Dresses

thebtflbride

Hi ladies..how much were/are the bridesmaids dresses you're considering? We just went shopping... (@Alfred Angelo on Miracle Mile) and found 2 dresses. One I absolutely love, but I don't think it'll fit all the bridesmaids well. It's more figure forming and my bm are of all body shapes. (from size 0 to size 18). That dress was $139, a very affordable dress and has the ability to be worn again (which was at some point important to me) this dress is style 7073 from Alfred Angelo.

The other dress is more expensive ($179) and may not be something they can use again. It can, however, flatter all body styles. I'm just thinking this dress is kinda expensive (style #7123 from Alfred Angelo)

What do you ladies think? I just want my girls to be happy and feel comfortable in what they are wearing and maybe, just maybe, wear the dress again.

LaMaFa

I would say either one could be used again, depending on your bridesmaids' tastes & activities. And to be honest, the two dresses are very similar, they mostly differ in the neckline. Are all of your girls ok with wearing a strapless? I know as a busty woman that finding a decent strapless bra is a nightmare (coming from a former VS employee), and to worry about undergarments on your friend's wedding day is really stinky.
Have you talked to every single one of them one-on-one to find out what price point they are comfortable at for the dress? For the shoes? Jewelry? If you haven't, I highly recommend you do so before picking any dress and/or accessories (no matter how reasonable it may seem to you). Before you decide on a dress, make sure most of your girls at least try it on (with or without you) so they can figure out if a) they'll be comfortable in it;  b) will look nice enough in it; and c) are ok with the pricetag and quality. Remember, your girls can't be forced to purchase any dress, they should want to buy it because they like it as much as you do.
My bridesmaids also range from a size 2 to an 18, (and all over in shape), so I was VERY concerned that I wouldn't find something they'd all look good in. Since I had to go with David's Bridal because of location/availability to my out of state MOH, I originally planned to tell my girls to pick out something knee-length, satin/y fabric with straps in Oasis. Ultimately I was able to find a dress for $100 that looks AMAZING on all of them! (#F14556) It is a lovely dress and definitely re-wearable, it even has pockets! My girls loved that part- and they were all so excited when their dresses came in, I got immediate texts!
Take some time to talk with your maids, and shop around, you might be surprised what you can find that you and they will be happy with. Let me know if you need any more advice, this is something that my FI and I discussed endlessly before the girls and I made our pick. HTH!

FaithCaitlin

I'd pick the one that is more flattering. You want the girls to look comfortable and look good! Honestly, $179 is about average for a dress. 

LoisLane007

The way I did it, I chose my top three favorites and had my BMs try all three on. That way I could see how they looked in them and I could get their opinion as well.

DorkyGirl17

I agree with PP- go with whichever one they're more comfortable in.  My BM dresses came to $162.  I did like LoisLane and picked out my top 3 dresses and then polled my girls for their top 2.  Their top 2 were the one we got and one maybe 40-50$ cheaper @ David's Bridal.  They all seemed to lean toward the one we got though.   I just asked them all a few times just to be sure of which they were more comfortable with (price-wise and flatter-wise).

DorkyGirl17

BTW- I love the ruching on the 2nd dress you picked!  :-)  What color were you going to get?

Mademoiselle D

I'm going to jump on the band wagon and say let your BM pick the dress they feel most comfortable in. I did that with my 4 BMs and each one picked a different dress (all look pretty cohesive) which each looks great in. The most expensive dress was probably $185.