Moms and Maids

Dresses for very different sized bridesmaids

Hi!  I have been looking and looking for a dress for my maids to no avail.  The problem is that I have a bunch of bridesmaids of very different sizes and trying to find something that flatters them all is proving very difficult.  The kicker is - they actually all WANT to wear the same dress - and I would love that too if at all possible.  So I'm trying to find a dress in my color (a deep purple) that could possibly look good on everyone.  I don't want the petite girls to get lost in fabric, but I need a dress that makes a girl with a midsection feel confident as well.  Does anyone have any suggestions on good designers/styles I should be looking at?  I am getting married on a Saturday night in November, and the wedding is formal.  So I am looking for long dresses, in that deep purple.  Any help would be great because all the stores are telling me I am really getting tight on time!  Thanks!

Re: Dresses for very different sized bridesmaids

  • What does your dress look like?  I tried to coordinate my girls to be similar to my dress.  Also, I don't know if you are leaning towards strapless, strapped, long, short, beaded, etc.  I have 3 girls and told them all to look at David's Bridal (they seemed to be the most reasonable on prices and one of my maids is across the country, so I knew that would be the easiest place for them all to go through) and pick out some styles that they liked and then I would pick out some that I like.  I figured if they have to pay for the dress and wear it all day, then I want them to be comfortable in what they are in.  I know that I would hate to be in a dress that I was uncomfortable in or self concious in all day.  My original colors were going to be watermelon pink, clover green, and yellow and orange accents, so I originally told the girls to find a dress in green or pink and let me know what looked better on them.  Only one of my maids (the one across country) went at first and she has brownish reddish hair with alot of freckles, so the pink kindof got vetoed early on.  She told me the dresses that she felt comfortable in and the ones that she didn't care for and why they didn't work right for her.  I took her opinions seriously and was not too heartbroken since those dresses weren't on the top of my list either.  I then decided to swap out the pink for plum purple (wedding is mid September, so the colors actually worked better).  I later went with my sister/MOH and bridesmaid/SIL to look at dresses.  The dress that fit everyone the best and looked great was from David's Bridal and is style number 84066 in plum.  The color worked well for everyone's hair color and skintone.  Plus, the rouching along the bust and midsection helped hide any unflattering areas and the cut of it isn't form fitting, so everyone was super comfortable!  Plus, my BMs are all different bust sizes (one is an A cup, one is D cup, and the other is DD cup)/heights (5'7", and two that are ~5'4")/body shapes (size 8, size 10, and size 14)-(the measurements are listed in order for each category) and everyone was happy with the choice. It's a very simple looking dress, but I kindof like that because there are so many ways to dress it up if you wanted to with jewelry and hair and whatnot.  Another really pretty dress that I saw recently from David's is style number F15136 which doesn't come in as many color options (although plum is one of those colors and that dress actually would compliment mine a little better than the one they ordered-but I still love their dresses and they all really like theirs so it works Smile).  So, I don't know if that helps you any with your problem, but that was how I decided on mine and was very happy with my end result!!
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  • I don't have any suggestions on one specific type of dress to look good on everyone (I'm terrible at that kind of thing--Sorry!).  But I wanted to offer an alternative. 

    I totally hear you on wanting everyone in the same dress (especially if the BMs want that too). But IF you can't find something they all feel good in and that everyone can agree on, can you pick just two styles?  I was in a wedding a few years back where the bride picked a halter top style dress and a strapless top dress for her 5 BMs.  She asked each of us which we prefered and then based on who picked what, she placed us in a line up that alternated the different styles (Her MOH wore strapless, then the next BM wore a halter, then the next strapless, etc).  It actually made the dresses look very elegant. She still had a certain amount of uniformity, but there was a bit of difference that made each BM pop and look beautiful (but of course she outshined us all!). 

    Just a thought.  Hope it helps!  Good luck!  :o)
  • edited July 2012
    Thank you all SO much!  I really appreciate all the information and I think I am going to take the suggestion to try to find 2 dresses for them to choose between (I have already found 1 I really like that I know fits well on me and has a good shape to it, and I have a pretty good understanding of the concerns I should take into account in finding an alternative that may be a bit flowier).  So that way they will all be able to choose one that is more form fitting vs. one that is flowier.  And they all do fit into regular sizes on most size charts so hopefully it will be a true alternative.   In answer to the first poster, my dress is very soft looking, and that's about all I can say because my amazing, awesome and super involved fiancee and I share this account :)  I will definitely look for something complimentary.  And I looked at your dress styles in the email - so pretty!  Right now the one I like the most is Jim Hjelm 5119 in Plum, so hopefully he makes a good complimentary flowy dress.
  • I have 4 girls in my WP and 2 picked the same dress (I let them each pick a different style in the same color). This one is adorable and would look great on anyone:

    http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Short-Crinkle-Chiffon-Dress-with-Front-Cascade-F14847_Bridal-Party-Bridesmaids-Short-Bridesmaid-Dresses

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  • I wish the dress you linked to didn't cost $135, Callmefia. I would totally wear that all over the place, all the time! xD


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  • mrsR12mrsR12 member
    First Comment
    i had the same issue also, 4 girls all different sizes and heights.  
    we went to davids and tried on over 10 dresses, and this is the one they all liked very much, 

    we decided to go with another dress for the style but the one above was flattering on all and they should have the purple you're looking for.  
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