Has anyone asked their bridesmaids to order dresses online?

Knottie1434201276 · January 2016

hi there,
could use your advice!

I have five bridesmaids, all of different shapes and sizes. I'd like them all to choose a dress that flatters to them, so long as its the same colour as the rest-- their choice of length, neckline, even fabric. I thought we'd all order from the same designer, to get the exact right color and the same dye lot.

We've done some shopping online (e.g. Weddington Way, Etsy, etc.) and we've found one Etsy shop whom we feel pretty confident about.

Some of the girls are worried about the risk of ordering online. (The Esty shop has a no refund policy.) I totally sympathize. But the Etsy dresses are a bit more "fashion forward" than the ones we've seen in person (David's Bridal, Afred Angeloetc.) that are within our budget.

I'm trying to make everyone happy: some of the girls really would prefer something more unique (the Etsy). Others would prefer something less risky (in-store). Everyone wants to keep it on-budget. Personally, I like the shade of purple at the Etsy designer better than the purple at the store.

Is it fair to ask women to take the risk of ordering dresses online?

JediElizabeth · January 2016

I'm concerned about the shade of purple you're talking about because it seems like a major factor for you. Sorry to be a downer, but without a swatch, it's really difficult to know the true color of a dress; different settings on your monitor, or even phones, can make a normal purple look ~*perfect*~ until you see it in person.

I'm also concerned about the refund policy. Are they taking the girls' measurements and making the dresses to order?

As someone who shops this way quite a bit, I'd actually suggest trying to find dresses in person - or at least dresses that are returnable.

Viczaesar · January 2016

Knottie1434201276 said:

hi there,
could use your advice!

I have five bridesmaids, all of different shapes and sizes. I'd like them all to choose a dress that flatters to them, so long as its the same colour as the rest-- their choice of length, neckline, even fabric. I thought we'd all order from the same designer, to get the exact right color and the same dye lot.

We've done some shopping online (e.g. Weddington Way, Etsy, etc.) and we've found one Etsy shop whom we feel pretty confident about.

Some of the girls are worried about the risk of ordering online. (The Esty shop has a no refund policy.) I totally sympathize. But the Etsy dresses are a bit more "fashion forward" than the ones we've seen in person (David's Bridal, Afred Angeloetc.) that are within our budget.

I'm trying to make everyone happy: some of the girls really would prefer something more unique (the Etsy). Others would prefer something less risky (in-store). Everyone wants to keep it on-budget. Personally, I like the shade of purple at the Etsy designer better than the purple at the store.

Is it fair to ask women to take the risk of ordering dresses online?

I would not be willing to order a dress online that I cannot try on in person first, and I would definitely not be willing to order such a dress from a store that has a no return policy. On top of that, is the Etsy shop actually a Chinese manufacturer? A lot of them are, and in that case I'd say hell no.

By the way, dye lots are not a thing anymore. Don't worry about that.

holyguacamole79 · January 2016

Don't do it.

I picked bridesmaids dresses from one of those wretched Chinese knock-off sites. No return policy. 2 of my 3 bridesmaids could not get into their dresses (even after taking their measurements). I told them to go find another purple dress. It worked out okay in the end, but it was a hassle to try to figure out what to do.

ETA: Totally agree with @JediElizabeth .... the shade of a color online can vary differently from what it is IRL.

FWIW, here's how my bridal party ended up. The shades didn't match perfectly, but I didn't care because they were happy.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020756/uploads/editor/81/lx5y9yhucu0e.jpg

artbyallie · January 2016

Knottie1434201276 said:

hi there,
could use your advice!

I have five bridesmaids, all of different shapes and sizes. I'd like them all to choose a dress that flatters to them, so long as its the same colour as the rest-- their choice of length, neckline, even fabric. I thought we'd all order from the same designer, to get the exact right color and the same dye lot.

We've done some shopping online (e.g. Weddington Way, Etsy, etc.) and we've found one Etsy shop whom we feel pretty confident about.

Some of the girls are worried about the risk of ordering online. (The Esty shop has a no refund policy.) I totally sympathize. But the Etsy dresses are a bit more "fashion forward" than the ones we've seen in person (David's Bridal, Afred Angeloetc.) that are within our budget.

I'm trying to make everyone happy: some of the girls really would prefer something more unique (the Etsy). Others would prefer something less risky (in-store). Everyone wants to keep it on-budget. Personally, I like the shade of purple at the Etsy designer better than the purple at the store.

Is it fair to ask women to take the risk of ordering dresses online?

The two bolded sentences are contradictory. Clearly not every one feels confident about this store.

Also, screw dye lots. Color mixing is done by computers nowadays, so there is no need to be concerned about fabric dye lots. The only way that's still a thing is with hand-dyed yarns.

As for the purple, get paint chips or fabric swatches and hand them out. Let everyone shop on their own. A specific shade of purple is not worth insisting on something any one is uncomfortable with, as some of them clearly are.

Plus, I would urge you to be careful with this Etsy store. As Etsy is a venue for many different sellers, there are always going to be some bad apples in the bunch. If the prices are too good too be true, they probably are and you may not get what you're expecting.

charlotte989875 · January 2016

I think it's great you're having them choose their own style; they will be happier and more comfortable. However if you're insisting on a specific fabric and color I would choose an in person store. This doesn't have to be David's Bridal, but it may mean you need to do some more research to find a store that carries different dresses in the same line; or find a store that allows returns. If be very wary of buying a dress online that I can't try on and can't return.

Additionally, it sounds like your BMs are not really on board for this plan and I think you should take that into consideration.

lembaslover · January 2016

I did have mine order theirs online but it was the same store where I ordered my wedding dress from. I took the risk first and when I got my dress and loved it I thought it'd be nice to throw some more business her way. Plus she had an awesome dress that the girls all liked and it was reasonably priced.

However she did mix up the mailing addresses and switched 2 of the girls dresses. My poor cousin who is very tiny was freaking out that she didn't know how to measure and my friend who is still small just not as small was freaking out thinking she'd gained a bunch of weight and no one had told her. I felt awful when I found out what happened. Luckily they both figured it out and got the dresses switched before making major alterations... Still I felt awful they had been put through that much stress over it.

If I were you I'd let the girls pick if they want to take the risk or not. If they don't then it is not OK.

If I had to do it over I would have just picked a dress at DB or maybe even just given them a color and let them do what they want (I hadn't been on the knot before picking the dress so I didn't know that was OK...)

MyNameIsNot · January 2016

As a BM, I'd be ok with ordering a dress online, but not from an etsy store or a store I hadn't shopped at before. JCrew or Ann Taylor? Sure. EtsyLady452? Not a chance. On top of not knowing the seller and not having worked with them before, I wouldn't be willing to risk the no-return policy.

It sounds like everyone isn't on board with this risk. I'd continue shopping with designers that have brick and mortar stores or that at least offer a return policy.

nerdwife · January 2016

I'm looking into azazie right now, which is an online store. I know a real human person who used it successfully for her wedding, which is why I'm considering it. However, they have a return policy if a dress isn't the right size and, if you choose custom measurements and you end up needing alterations, they reimburse you. Also, you can order color swatches to make sure you like what the color really looks like in person. Without those kinds of back-ups, I wouldn't consider it.

Casadena · January 2016

i had to order online as a bridesmaid in a wedding last year and it sucked. I'm not much of an online shopper anyway, but even with measurements, the dress was about 2 sizes too small. The bride had your same concerns re: die lot and color (which is ridiculous btw) - i ended up having to buy another dress and bought a used one from ebay. she had no idea and it was fine.

moral of the story - please just give them a swatch and have them find a dress to match the color OR find a store where they can order different styles but try them on.

Knottie1434201276 · January 2016

Thanks for your advice!

You're right-- without the swatch, it's impossible to tell the colour.
I didn't know that about dye lots-- so confusing, because the lady in the bridal shop I was in on Sunday said "we need to order all five dresses together to make sure the shades are all exactly the same." Bizarre.

The Etsy seller is based out of California and has mostly good reviews. It's called Renz Rags if anyone is curious. Yes, she would be making the dresses to order, which is why she has the no return policy. I have communicated with her briefly via email regarding her swatches-- she sounds professional.

I will check with my girls and see what they are comfortable with-- and if they choose to order from the Etsy retailer, maybe we'll order just one at first-- and if it's a disaster, I'll reimburse my BM.

Does anyone have any recommendations for BM dresses/designers?

We've found that Dessy is out of our budgets-- we were looking at Alfed Angelo.

Thank you!

CMGragain · January 2016

David's Bridal is wonderful for budget brides. They have a good return policy, too. Check out their website.

justsie · January 2016

Another great option would be to go to a hardware store and pick up a pain swatch in the color you like to give to them. That way when they are shopping they can compare it to the dress they are looking at.

Viczaesar · January 2016

Knottie1434201276 said:

Thanks for your advice!

You're right-- without the swatch, it's impossible to tell the colour.
I didn't know that about dye lots-- so confusing, because the lady in the bridal shop I was in on Sunday said "we need to order all five dresses together to make sure the shades are all exactly the same." Bizarre.

The Etsy seller is based out of California and has mostly good reviews. It's called Renz Rags if anyone is curious. Yes, she would be making the dresses to order, which is why she has the no return policy. I have communicated with her briefly via email regarding her swatches-- she sounds professional.

I will check with my girls and see what they are comfortable with-- and if they choose to order from the Etsy retailer, maybe we'll order just one at first-- and if it's a disaster, I'll reimburse my BM.

Does anyone have any recommendations for BM dresses/designers?

We've found that Dessy is out of our budgets-- we were looking at Alfed Angelo.

Thank you!

That's because they want you to order all of the dresses from them so they get the sale and commission. Even if you order all the dresses in the same order there's no guarantee that they would be from the same dye lot, but with computerized mixing of colors it doesn't matter anymore anyway.

Maggie0829 · January 2016

Viczaesar said:

Knottie1434201276 said:

Thanks for your advice!

You're right-- without the swatch, it's impossible to tell the colour.
I didn't know that about dye lots-- so confusing, because the lady in the bridal shop I was in on Sunday said "we need to order all five dresses together to make sure the shades are all exactly the same." Bizarre.

The Etsy seller is based out of California and has mostly good reviews. It's called Renz Rags if anyone is curious. Yes, she would be making the dresses to order, which is why she has the no return policy. I have communicated with her briefly via email regarding her swatches-- she sounds professional.

I will check with my girls and see what they are comfortable with-- and if they choose to order from the Etsy retailer, maybe we'll order just one at first-- and if it's a disaster, I'll reimburse my BM.

Does anyone have any recommendations for BM dresses/designers?

We've found that Dessy is out of our budgets-- we were looking at Alfed Angelo.

Thank you!

That's because they want you to order all of the dresses from them so they get the sale and commission. Even if you order all the dresses in the same order there's no guarantee that they would be from the same dye lot, but with computerized mixing of colors it doesn't matter anymore anyway.

Exactly. My two BMs ordered their dresses from two different stores, at two different times and in two different states. And guess what? The colors were exactly the same. So this dye lot bullshit is just that...bullshit.

sames52915 · January 2016

My bridesmaids were all different shapes & sizes too, and I did research online first to find something that everyone would love. I found Alfred Sung dresses in a color I love, and there were about 50 different style options in the length and fabric I wanted. I sent everyone a link to a showroom on Weddington Way so they could get an idea of what was available, and then ended up calling local bridal stores to see which styles were available to try on. They were each able to find the dress that bit them best, and worked within their budget. Everyone ended up ordering from the same place (we called around to get the best prices) and everything worked out great.

I absolutely loved the dresses and color, however in person the color was definitely different then it seemed online - and from the swatch they sent me. I would definitely recommend having the dresses ordered from a physical store, or else if you have to do it online make sure it is somewhere that does free returns

Knottie1434201276 · January 2016

Has any used Impression Bridal bridesmaid dresses?

Novak · January 2016

guilletskichuk · January 2016

I was a MOH this past fall in a wedding that was planned in less than three months. All four of us bridesmaids live across western Canada and were not able to get together to try on dresses. One bridesmaid is quite tall and I'm plus sized. Trying to find dresses at bridal boutiques within our price range (within such a short time frame) that would fit and flatter all of us seemed nearly impossible. The bride and I found convertible dresses on Etsy that were within the price range us maids could afford and that would fit all of us well. They were ordered from the Etsy shop thedaintyard (out of Singapore) at the end of August and arrived about three weeks later. They were perfect! Each of us wore our dress in a way that was flattering to our figure and the dresses didn't break the bank. Honestly, we had a great experience ordering online and I would definitely do it again. The dresses were plain but the fabric felt luxurious. The variety of ways we could wrap the dresses allowed us to add visual appeal to them without extra details (like lace, layers, ruching etc could do). I highly recommend ordering from that shop. They were really easy to deal with and were able to accommodate our varying body types and sizes. We were leery of ordering from there at first but the shop had great reviews so we took a chance.

We also liked the dresses at Renz Rags but didn't like that the dresses couldn't be returned and the prices were higher than we were willing to pay.

If I can figure out how to post a photo of the dresses, I will.

Good luck!

guilletskichuk · January 2016

I think I figured it out! Here are the other bridesmaids on the day of the wedding.

guilletskichuk · January 2016

Now that I think about it more, our dresses may not have come from thedaintyard. The bride got all of our measurements and ordered them together to save on shipping. The other shop we were looking at is dresslongbridal. I can't remember which shop they were actually ordered from now.

But our experience was really good! If you're at all interested in the convertible dress option I can check with my friend to confirm the shop name.

levioosa · January 2016

@gullietskichuk , I was in a wedding where I got a BM dress from thedaintyard. They were decent and shipped quickly. My only problem was that the dress was a little sheer, but it was also light yellow...so I don't really blame the shop as much as the color of the dress in general.

Has anyone asked their bridesmaids to order dresses online?

Re: Has anyone asked their bridesmaids to order dresses online?

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