I would like all of my bridesmaids to wear the same color and fabric (though Miss Manners says this is unnecessary). I don’t care whether or not they are the same style if different women prefer different lengths, sleeves, etc. I have a few ideas. Which do you think would be best, and most cost effective? Do you have other ideas?
1) Bridesmaids give me their measurements, and I purchase dresses, holding them in my home until the bridesmaids arrive for the wedding. I send each a color photograph to use as a guide when shopping for matching shoes.
2) Same as above, but I mail the dresses to the bridesmaids before the wedding so that they can have them altered if need be, and also use to match shoes.
3) I mail each bridesmaid several yards of fabric and ask her to have someone make her a dress.
4) I find a big chain store with branches in each city, and call each branch to make sure that they have identical colors and fabrics. The bridesmaids then go try on dresses.
#4 – use a place like Davids, Alfred Angelo or Group USA and see if you can coordinate everyone. It’s the easy way
Option 4..
A dress will not fit everyone off the rack or sometimes even though they’ve been measured, they’re still wrong. The ladies need time to have them fixed if they don’t look right.
Also, you picking them and mailing might not work as the dress you pick off a rack or magazine doesn’t neccessarily flatter someone when they actually have it on.
definitely don’t do #1 because the girls will need to try on the dresses before the wedding in case they don’t fit right they may need to have alterations done.
i would say #4 would be easiest on everyone.
find a store they can all get to like Davids Bridal. Give them the style numbers and color you want and have then go and try them on.
There are two ways to actually do this politically correct!
1) Choose one style, fabric and color of the dress you want each of them to wear at a chain store, and then tell each of the bridesmaids that’s the store they will have to purchase it from. Warn them ahead of time that they should get it altered somewhere else (last month my daughter was again a bridesmaid in Minnesota, and since we live in Texas, we went to David’s Bridal. We purchased the smallest dress they had, and it was $109. But when we took it back for the seamstress to alter it, she said it would cost us $145 to alter it…I took it home and had it altered by ME. ) Your bridesmaids can have them altered at any dry cleaners, and it will be a lot cheaper!
2) Choose the color of dress you want. Then, go to a chain store, and ask to see the variety of dresses in that color. Then tell each of your bridesmaids they can choose any style, as long as it is in the same color as the one you chose. This way, they will each get a style that suites their own body type, and still it will match by the color. Have them alter it somewhere else!
As for the shoes, here’s my suggestion:
Go to a retail chain shoe store. Choose the style of shoe that matches your color choices for bridesmaids. Then, get the name brand of the shoe, and the color. And phone, email, or whatever to each of the bridesmaids. Tell them they need to purchase “X brand shoes, in the Y color” This way they will get the right shoe size in your choice of color and style!
DO NOT BUY THE SHOES FOR THEM. The reason? This happened last month as well to my daughter. They were cute shoes, but the smallest size they came in was a size 6. She wears a size 3. So we returned the shoes to the bride-to-be, and ordered a small pair online that resumbled them. Sometimes, you will have to be flexible, if one of the bridesmaids is NOT a one-size-fits all type of girl!
GOOD LUCK.
if you go into a big department store and you see a style you like in the bridal section i think this is a economical way of getting “matching” dresses. they will all be able to choose their size and the style that suits them best. dresses will also be reasonably priced as they are manufactured on a large scale. you still get to choose the fabric this way and they can find accessories easily.
having the dresses made will make them more individual but will be expensive. it will also take time and will limit the amount of time your bridesmaids have to get accessories.
i think that 4 is the best option for everyone and I’m sure that the dresses will look just as fabulous as the hand made dresses as the bridesmaid could also get theirs altered if needed.
hope you have a amazing day =]
in my opinion, option number 4 is the best. Its cheaper than having someone make it specially for her and that way they can pick the style that fits thier body best. Narrow it down between a few styles so they dont go overboard or get something that you hate. The chain store can have those dresses either sent with the maids or delivered to your local chain for pick-up. The other options create a LOT of work for you. You will be so busy, let the maids go get the dresses. Good luck!! p.s. make sure that they order around the same time to be sure that the dresses come from the same batch of dye, otherwise the color can be slightly off
definitely go with option 4.
1- dresses wont fit perfectly right off the rack on a lot of people also, if you let them get all different dresses this might be diffucult
and who knows what they look like on at all (I found the “perfect dress” for my girls, until they put it on) also, photos do nothing for color. get a color swatch.
2- you better add on insurance costs to mail that baby, it would be expensive to mail a dress, but more expensive if it got lost/damaged
3- thats a lot of time and work. also, 4 different seamstresses = four VERY different styles
4- cheapest option, best way to look uniform but yet individual, and easiest. also if you go with this and they are getting all different dresses make sure you let the others know when someone picks out their dress so you have 4 different dresses and not 2 people wearing the same
I will tell you what my friend did. She went to the bridal salon and picked out the dresses with the available bridesmaids. Then gave the store the names of all her bridesmaids and filled out order forms for each one. Each bridesmaid was measured by her home and called the salon with her measurements, and paid for the dresses by credit card. When the dresses came in they were shipped by the salon to each bridesmaid and then the girls had them altered to fit at a seamstress near them. The trouble with going to a big place that has stores everywhere is that every dye lot is different, so even though the dresses may be the same, the colors may all be off. The other option of sending materal is that you may get girls with dresses you don’t like, or do not come out good. Good luck!
2) or 4) are the best options.
If the girls are hard to fit, and you have the time and money to go to this expense and hassle, 2) is probably best.
If the girls are hard to please, but are willing to shop on their own, 4) may work better. In this scenario, who pays for the dresses? And will you and they be ok with things no matter what they pick out–you are definitely losing some control here of what the dresses look like. Even if they are the same color, you could definitely end up with some styles that seem more revealing, more showy, etc., so that the girls could end up having a problem if one appeared to be trying to outspend or outshine the rest of you.
Number 1 might work with a slight variation if it’s possible. If they can afford it, you pick a day ahead of time when they can join you for a dress-shopping/fitting party. You either go to a store or a dressmaker together and do the picking out and measuring for alterations. Pick out shoes and accessories too if you have time. Thenk you can still return alone to pick up the dresses and keep them until the wedding. You could do this in stages with each girl separately or groups if they couldn’t all make it at the same time, or send any remaining girls the dresses as in #2.
I also had a thought that a “virtual” shopping trip might work. With the internet and photo cell phones now, I think you might be able to plan a “virtual shopping trip” variation on #4 where you picked a day that you would all travel to branches of the store and communicate back and forth to get consensus on styles, etc.
what about option 5?
So that the style of the bridesmaids dresses match your gown and the feel of your wedding ask each girl to send you a picture of a dress they like and would wear again.
When you have four pictures, from four girls, that tie in with your wedding idea you can then ask them to source a local dressmaker who will tell them how much material they need in order to make the dress they have chosen fitted for them.
I say that you need to oversee the the design choice so that you don’t have one girl choosing something with lots of ruffles and pleats and another choosing a tight, slnky, bust enhancing gown as if you are going to the trouble trying to get something to match you want to minimise the clash. If all four girls choose relatively simple designs but one is full length with spaghetti straps, another cocktail length and strapless, another with a halter neck it will still flow IYKWIM.
Otherwise if that seems too much trouble go with option 4.
As for matching shoes… if the dresses are going to be different then you don’t need to stress to much about matching shoes. Just let your girls know to get (for example) black strappy open toed shoes or silver shoes or gold shoes to match the dress they will be wearing
i think you should pick one store & have then order the dresses. your girls can go to there local tailor in thier area to get measured & call in the measurements to the store of your choice. they can also pay by credit card over the phone so you do not have to pay for the dresses yourself. or… you can try to find a store that chains all over the place. which your best shot would probably be davids bridal for that.
you want to be careful of going to different stores. although the dress may be the same & the store be the same. the material can be cut from different spools which may make the colors differ a bit. that is why bridal shops like to place the order for all the dress @ the same time so that the material all comes from the same spool.