Bridesmaid Dresses

[OHilton]

Ok here is my problem....my maid of honor is pretty big on top if you know what I mean so I dunno what style would be good for her. We tried on dozens at DB and nothing made her comfortable. My two bridesmaids are not as top heavy but very shy about their body. I dunno what to do about their dresses. Part of me wants them all in the same dress but I don't see that happening. I want them to be comfortable but what they are comfortable in I don't like at all. Any help?!?! :purplex:

[WebLady]

What do they like? It can't be that bad as long as it fits the formality of your event.

To me I would let them pick whatever they were comfortable in and could afford. Maybe say it has to be pink (or whatever color) and has to be long (or short if that is the look you want) and has to be formal looking ... then there would be less to stress about.

Remember it should not about everyone in the same dress and those little things, it should be about you and Drew getting married and having your friends standing up there with you :)

:goodluck:

[RosieAngel]

As someone who was both a bridesmaid (multiple times!) and a bride, I've been on both sides of this equation.

You have two options:

1. Let them wear different dresses that will flatter each of them, but may not be what you envisioned for them or wanted, or

2. Tell them all to suck it up and have them all wear the same matching dress, regardless of how they feel in them.

When I was a bridesmaid, I wore tons of unflattering, uncomfortable, or just plain weird candy-colored dresses that got put on consignment as soon as the happy couple left on their honeymoon. I never complained, though, and neither should your friends if you want them to match. This is your special day, after all!

I decided to go a different route when I was a bride. I didn't feel like micromanaging my three, very different-looking girls, so I let them wear whatever black little black dress they already owned. One of them rewore her old DB bridesmaid dress, and the other two got theirs at department stores. To create a cohesive look, my MOH and I made and bought matching accessories for everyone.

Here are two formal wedding party pics showing that this can work and look great:
http://gallery.mac.com/kanedijkman/100146/434_080926_175719/web.jpg?ver=12263893380002

http://gallery.mac.com/kanedijkman/100146/458_080926_180239/web.jpg?ver=12263895920002

Good luck with deciding what works best for you! This is a difficult decision to make.

[NOTKT]

I really like the idea of them all having different dresses if they want. I tried that with my BMs and they all picked the same dress!

[scarymary48]

My girls wore different dresses. My MOH has a voluptous figure, two other girls are very thin, and the fourth is only eight years old, so there was just no matching them. They looked fantastic, and lots of people came up to me during the night to compliment their dresses.
I think it depends on your vision though- if you have your heart set on them wearing the same style of dress, then don't feel like you have to compromise. Like Rosie, I have worn many dresses that I would never, ever have picked for myself, and I did it with a smile because I could see how happy it made my friend. At the end of the day it's your wedding and your choice. Good luck deciding :)

[OHilton]

I decided to have them in different dresses but the same color and found one I like for the MOH. I am waiting to hear back on what she thinks but she will also wear a red sheer scarf or something around her shoulders down her arms.



Thank you everyone for your input!


Did I mention its a Christmas wedding?

[WebLady]

I think it is good that you having them in different dresses :) This should be one less thing for you to stress about ;)

[Whitewater]

What worked with me (one of my friends is 5'7" and a size 22, the other is 5'0" and a size 8 at last count, though she's rapidly heading towards a size 6 . . . ) was to go to a few stores, try things on, let them know what I liked, let them tell me what they liked, and then, let them go away and think about it for a while.

To my surprise, they were both willing to really stretch their personal fashion horizons and wear a strapless dress! The taller one thought she'd hate it, and she loves it, and the shorter one found, to her surprise, that she likes the way it makes her shoulders look.

These friends of mine had previously sworn up and down to me, on their mother's graves, that they would NEVER wear strapless, and that I shouldn't even ask! Never. It just wasn't going to happen. They were determined.

Well. after all that, they picked a strapless dress, after I gave them the chance to pick what they wanted and after I told them that the style was up to them, since they were the ones who had to wear it. All I asked them was to keep it semi-formal, please, and to stay with the 'feel' of the overall wedding.

So you never know what they might choose. Just give them some time and some space to see what will happen!


Whitewater