help me find bridesmaids dresses & shoes please & thank you

[bclaw09]

hi there! i'm a newbie to this site. so, let me do a short intro first. my name is cassondra and getting married to bobby on september 12, 2009. our wedding colors are going to be white / watermelon / black. i'm very young and my personality is very modern and poppy / uppity. so, i love things that are IN YOUR FACE. =] so, my dilema is this.

where can i find some cheap bridesmaids dresses / shoes? i've been searching high and low and nothing satisfies me like the ones i'm in love with at davids bridal. and the last thing i want is for my girls to be purchasing dresses that are more than $60 and shoes that are more than $30.

as far as dresses go, there will be 5 girls all together. three in watermelon dresses with black accents, and vise versa. the shoes will be either watermelon or black. depends on their dress.

as far as i'm going. i'm all white with pink, everything. i'll show you down there ....

so, thanks for having such a helpful / wonderful forum. & i hope i didnt bore you with my, long story.

so, here is the look i'm heading for.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/babyshotty1769/bri-triple_PT2397-1.gif

these are the $13 shoes i'm getting for myself [whereas, i want all my bridesmaids to wear the same exact shoe, but plain. not all flirty like mine. something more simple, but yet modern and sexy]
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/babyshotty1769/gojane_2016_44374023.jpg

& this is the jist of my wedding party. i just couldn't add the two other girls and the two other guys.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v122/babyshotty1769/dressmywedding.jpg

[neebelung]

Welcome!!

While I totally understand you not wanting to saddle your girls with hugely expensive dresses and shoes, to be quite honest, David's Bridal is one of the most affordable places you're going to find BM dresses. A slightly less expensive way to go would be to choose the color (or a range of maybe two or three shades CLOSE to that color) and then allow your girls to choose their own dresses off-the-rack (i.e. not just from a bridal shop).

As soon as you add "bridal" to the name of a store, the prices go up.. however, your girls should be able to find pretty cocktail/semi-formal dresses in department stores in that color family (and with a year to do it, it shouldn't be too hard to do). Black dresses are ALWAYS easy to find, and then the color accents (black sashes for the pink, pink sashes for the black) could always be added later on (they'd be simple/cheap enough for a seamstress to make).

And if you're set on the dresses from David's, Ebay is always a good option. Many BM's and MoH's resell their dresses (afterall, they've only been worn once!) on there at a fraction of the original price. You might have better luck, however, searching by the COLOR and just seeing what comes up - you may easily find the color, but finding the color AND the exact style you have picked out might be a tall order to fill.

As for the shoes, that might be a harder task. You've really narrowed down the options by saying you want them just like yours, but plain -- the more restrictions you put on things, the fewer choices you'll find, thus lessening the chances of finding something that meets your criteria AND is within budget. (and not only finding it, but finding it to fit 5 different girls!)

A better option might be to have them all wear black or silver shoes - you choose the color and let them find a style they like and that is comfortable to them. Pink shoes are also not going to be something they'll likely wear again... but if you open up more neutral options like silver or black, they might be willing to spend a bit more on them, knowing it's something they'll likely be able to wear again.

The big thing you need to do is just be more open and FLEXIBLE... I know you've got a vision of how you want your big day to look, and that's FINE... but you're going to drive yourself crazy if you don't allow some flexibility. Certainly you can have the day you want look exactly as you want it, but it will likely mean raising the budget.

(Check out the current poll we have going here on "How much did you spend as a bridesmaid?" and you'll see we've all forked out quite a bit to stand up for our friends.... and I'm sure -- within reason -- your girls will be happy to do so as well).

Good luck!!

[bclaw09]

Welcome!!

While I totally understand you not wanting to saddle your girls with hugely expensive dresses and shoes, to be quite honest, David's Bridal is one of the most affordable places you're going to find BM dresses. A slightly less expensive way to go would be to choose the color (or a range of maybe two or three shades CLOSE to that color) and then allow your girls to choose their own dresses off-the-rack (i.e. not just from a bridal shop).

As soon as you add "bridal" to the name of a store, the prices go up.. however, your girls should be able to find pretty cocktail/semi-formal dresses in department stores in that color family (and with a year to do it, it shouldn't be too hard to do). Black dresses are ALWAYS easy to find, and then the color accents (black sashes for the pink, pink sashes for the black) could always be added later on (they'd be simple/cheap enough for a seamstress to make).

And if you're set on the dresses from David's, Ebay is always a good option. Many BM's and MoH's resell their dresses (afterall, they've only been worn once!) on there at a fraction of the original price. You might have better luck, however, searching by the COLOR and just seeing what comes up - you may easily find the color, but finding the color AND the exact style you have picked out might be a tall order to fill.

As for the shoes, that might be a harder task. You've really narrowed down the options by saying you want them just like yours, but plain -- the more restrictions you put on things, the fewer choices you'll find, thus lessening the chances of finding something that meets your criteria AND is within budget. (and not only finding it, but finding it to fit 5 different girls!)

A better option might be to have them all wear black or silver shoes - you choose the color and let them find a style they like and that is comfortable to them. Pink shoes are also not going to be something they'll likely wear again... but if you open up more neutral options like silver or black, they might be willing to spend a bit more on them, knowing it's something they'll likely be able to wear again.

The big thing you need to do is just be more open and FLEXIBLE... I know you've got a vision of how you want your big day to look, and that's FINE... but you're going to drive yourself crazy if you don't allow some flexibility. Certainly you can have the day you want look exactly as you want it, but it will likely mean raising the budget.

(Check out the current poll we have going here on "How much did you spend as a bridesmaid?" and you'll see we've all forked out quite a bit to stand up for our friends.... and I'm sure -- within reason -- your girls will be happy to do so as well).

Good luck!!

well, as far as the dresses go, i'm very open. i want black and dark pink, long satin dresses. any style, any fit =]

and with shoes, i think i need to re-word that. i dont want them like mine. i want all the girls to be the same [not the same as me though. lol]. but, in black and dark pink.

but, thanks for your opinion. it really means a lot. i'll take a look at nordstroms, etc to see what i can find for dresses. do you know if they have shoes that are plain, but sexy? even white would be good, even if someplace can just dye them a dark pink.

[neebelung]

well, as far as the dresses go, i'm very open. i want black and dark pink, long satin dresses. any style, any fit =]

and with shoes, i think i need to re-word that. i dont want them like mine. i want all the girls to be the same [not the same as me though. lol]. but, in black and dark pink.

but, thanks for your opinion. it really means a lot. i'll take a look at nordstroms, etc to see what i can find for dresses. do you know if they have shoes that are plain, but sexy? even white would be good, even if someplace can just dye them a dark pink.
WHen looking for shoes, make sure the ones you find say specifically that they're dyeable... just because they're white satin does NOT mean they're suitable for dying.

There are tons of good online stores for dyeable shoes, but most of them will not be within the budget you've specified. Payless Shoes, however, does have some dyeables, and I think they run from about $15 - $30. They might not be the exact STYLE you're looking for, but again, flexibility is a must with the budget you're trying to stay within. :)

[RosieAngel]

Have you tried Deb? They have cute dresses for cheap! I got my prom dress there. Here are examples of smaller and plus-sized long and short pink dresses there. Most are in the $60 range.

http://www.debshops.com/Fashion/ViewDetail.asp?page=2&CatID=162&CENID=3223

http://www.debshops.com/Fashion/ViewDetail.asp?page=1&CatID=164&CENID=3241

http://www.debshops.com/Fashion/ViewDetail.asp?page=1&CatID=165&CENID=3197

http://www.debshops.com/Fashion/ViewDetail.asp?page=1&CatID=166&CENID=3342

Hope this helps!

[Brian's Bride]

Rosie, those are some sexy dresses you posted! :)

[RosieAngel]

Haha, thanks! I like my bridesmaids looking as hot as I am, what can I say? ;)

[bclaw09]

those dresses are sooooooo sexy! i'll have to check into debs. <3