Wedding More Bridesmaid Dress Help Please

[SarahLovesJS]

So we''ve been shopping twice so far in the past few weeks and I''ve thus been crazy busy.

I also think I am getting sick which sucks right now, but anyway. Here''s the ones we like so far. I want some opinions and advice. I am not really willing to 100% rule the options I have out right now..I''d just like to hear what PSers have to say and any other suggestions you have that we could look at.

First dress, make sure you look at the detail on the straps: It looks better in person, I promise.

Second dress, we are a bit hesitant about David''s, but not sure why: http://www.davidsbridal.com/mam_tool.jsp . For this one do the tissue taffeta strapless top and short skirt in the lighter pink color (color is much prettier in person, photographs well).

So we''re having a hard time finding dresses to fit all three body types and in a color that works. Are these too informal? Give me your opinions and any other suggestions. Thanks!

 

[miraclesrule]

I don''t like the first one on the model, but as you say, it looks better in person. Is there any way you can sneek a picture of you or one of your BM''s in the actual dress? It''s so much easier that way.

From the pictures only, I personally prefer the long one. But they are so different, it really depends on the "feel" you are going for with your wedding theme.

What date are you getting married? I am too lazy to look it up.

Day or night?

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hey miracles, nice to see ya!

I will try to crop up some pics. Hehe. Don''t want to make FI''s sisters angry. The wedding is June 20, 2009 and it''s at 6:00 PM..but it''s outdoors and will still be sunny outside. So not too dark.

My colors are pink, green, and silver. My dress is satin..so I''m trying to pick something complimentary. So far we''ve only found satin and taffeta options. Chiffon didn''t work on anyone, but we''ll keep looking.

 

[miraclesrule]

Oh, I love 6 p.m. weddings.

I agree, I am not a fan of chiffon on most people. It really has to be the right dress on the right person and even then, snags too easily.

IMO, I really like a dress that I know a BM will get a lot of use out of in the future. I am not a fan of one time only dresses. So my advice would be to try your best to choose one that they will love and won''t leave hanging in the closet forever....like the ones my daughter abandoned when she moved out of the house. She left two BM dresses hanging in the closet that she would never wear again, and she probably has a few more at her house now. I think she has been a BM at least 6 times that I can recall. YIKES!!

I am terrible help at picking them out for you, but really good on giving my opinion when someone posts a link.

I miss you, haven''t posted with you in awhile.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Here''s a better idea of the color pink..we were trying other colors against it to see how they look with it. So excuse that and obviously it looks bad lying on the floor. Hehe.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Oh I love the pink one from David''s! I think it is pretty and will be universally flattering.

 

[miraclesrule]

Oh, that''s a pretty pink. At least it''s pretty on my monitor. Subtle and creamy, not vibrant hot 80''s pink.

The top of that dress looks just like the top of my MOB dress before I had straps sewn on it. I like that top, it''s flattering.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Yaaay good reviews so far!!

Definitely, it''s a very light pink..but not too light. It''s not bubble gum or cotton candy or hot pink..it''s kind of like a rose petal pink in my opinion. Or a dusty rose.

 

[Sabine]

Sarah, my girls almost went with that tissue taffeta strapless top and short skirt. I really liked the material and the way it photographed, but they changed their minds because I had a few really skinny girls who didn''t want strapless at all and would have had to add a strap, which then made it easier to just buy a different dress. But as you can tell, I''m a fan of that combo!

 

[gtn]

I like the top dress. It will be really cute in petal pink. Also, one of my girls said that they had to have straps in their dress. We got strapless dresses with boning in it and not one girl wants to add the straps. They love it the way it is.

 

[WishfulThinking]

I love the pink of the David''s Bridal one! I think the shape of the dress would work with a lot of different body types, which might make it easier on your bridesmaids.

How exciting that you''re picking them out already! Stay healthy- I look forward to seeing more as your wedding comes together.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Thanks everyone!

Okay well, we will keep moving along with this one and see how it goes. The nice thing is we can switch out the top since it''s strapless. Sabine it makes me feel better as well that you considered this dress!

 

[julabean]

Sarah - I meant to post this last night but I was on my Mac and it wasn''t cooperating with PS. Two of my four bridesmaids had the top that you are considering. One is a petite girl with a larger chest and one was a girl with no chest but an eggplant shape. It worked well for both of them. My other two bridesmaids picked different tops because one didn''t feel comfortable wearing strapless and the other one was a little TOO busty for that top (which is funny, because I was convinced she was the one who would pick it! shows you what I know!). I was really quite pleased with the way the taffeta photographed and ultimately the trials we went through with David''s Bridal were worth it because every one of my bridesmaids (who were all different sizes) looked and felt comfortable in their dresses. (The color was mystic purple - not sure if DB still has that color or not.) So, as long as you go in being a bit hesitant (check and make sure they have the CORRECT dress sizes for both top and bottom - especially if they are different!), you should be fine.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Thank you so much for your input!

Sounds good, I think we may be going with these. I will be a bit extra vigilant to make sure everything is right. Oh, did you order them all at the same David''s or does it matter? I know with other dresses they have to be ordered at the same time from the same place because of the dye lot..but does that matter at Davids? Thanks!

 

[julabean]

We ordered them at 3 different David''s Bridals (two in my home state, one in Pennsylvania) and they all came out the same color. I don''t think DB cares about dye lot...but I couldn''t tell the difference.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Sweet!!

That works out great. Two BMs are in a different part of the state and my other potential BM is in a completely different state, so this would be great!

 

[Gypsy]

I think the first dress could be lovely (though that pics isn''t)... I''m not a pink girl, so I can''t comment on the pinks exept to say I like the two shades together and like the contrast between them.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Thanks Gypsy!

 

[swimmer]

Hey Sarah,
I can''t find your earlier thread so don''t know the deets, but as a 10 time BM, with two more times coming up, can I put in a quiet vote for straps? Straps hide the side squish we all have, its easier to bust a move with some security, and if you have a range of sizes, they hide a multitude of sins. I''ve worn chiffon, satin, beads, you name it, and while my fave bm dress (the only one I wear lots) is strapless, its also Vera Wang so made of nice stuff. Bill L''s dresses are made of good stuff. Davids is not as bad as some folks say, some styles are awesome and some are not, but that can be said of any store.

For picking bm dresses, I badly wanted light pink to go with my dress, but my best bud since elementary school pointed out that she would look like a wad of chewing gum, she ordered a size 22, so we went with the darkest color we liked best that the dress came in. At the other end, my SIL ordered a 2 and had to have .5 of it cut down. We went with a darker color to be more flattering for them...it sort of went with the flowers, but so would anything other than perhaps orange/peach/yellow. Again, I''ve just been looking for your earlier thread on your ladies, but I''m guessing you have a spread of sizes and are trying to find something that makes everyone happy. So, I''m just putting it out there, as you know, darker hides more, and straps can be your friends.

Feeling like a weirdo posting pictures everywhere, but this Belsoie/B2 l1019 in Indigo is very similar in the top to the Bill Lev you were looking at (but way cheaper at like 140 at RK). I liked the chiffony distraction around the waist that was really slimming. The dresses ran huge though, so everyone had different alterations done. All of my ladies have huge girls, so that was an issue. I wanted them to have tea-length dresses, but they wanted long ones. Just showing you how straps and a darker color can look pretty good, if I do say so about my wonderful and lovely ladies.

Sarah, I know how hard it is to pick these darn things, wanting to make everyone happy. I have worn dresses picked by committee and they generally failed us all. Pick the biggest issue that needs to be met, and/or the BM you want to make happiest the most and try to work with that. Like I knew my size 0 SIL would look fab in a trashbag, so didn''t really worry about her and strove to meet my sister and childhood friends'' needs.
Sort of like tightrope walking... Good luck!

 

[Ibiddie]

Personally, I really like the detail on those straps!!! Especially if it looks better in person!

Just a thought, but if you like them both the same, why not ask for your MOH''s opinion? or maybe ask all of your BMs if they''re the type to not be upset their fav wasn''t chosen...

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hi swimmer!!

Thank you so much for your input, you''ve definitely been a BM a lot! Hmm..maybe we should consider the straps some more. The two BMS want to wear strapless, but hmmm...one nice thing about that top is it looks pretty secure on the back..and I think they''re not too busty, but busty enough to keep the top up if that makes sense. But I will make sure they''re comfortable with dancing in the dresses and whatnot because I am not sure they''ve considered that!

I am glad you said Bill L was high quality..I agree with your assessment of David''s from my personal experience. I''ve brought prom dresses from there before and I feel like pretty much you get what you pay for..you get an awesome deal most of the time and so-so service often. It''s kind of like a target or kohl''s of wedding stores vs. a nordstrom (or bridal salon). More people, less time to spend with you, etc. I''ve also had some semi-bad experiences with alterations there..they usually did a decent job..but were always so busy and pretty rude.

Who knows. But, that is a good point about the light pink. I have another appointment on Monday to try the light pink on my MOH who is a plus size like myself..she is also my Mom

..so let''s see how it goes. Generally my Mom looks great in pink, she wears it a lot. But she also would look really good in the green. So..hm. She wouldn''t wear the strapless, she''d wear the wrap top with thicker straps. But I definitely have a spread of sizes from size 0-2 to plus size..ahh! And every hair color and shade of white skin..lol. We''ve got a redhead, a blonde, a semi-blonde, and brunette. Woohoo! But the redhead DID look good in this pink, which was amazing to find! She was very excited about that.

I am torn because the two BMs actually like the David''s dress..they don''t like the BL dress much at all (the younger sister HATES it pretty much, but said she''d wear it for me which is nice)...not to mention the price sure is nice. I think we maybe should look just a bit more before committing. I will look for this B2 dress because I know there''s a salon that sells B2 around here!! And I think we plan to go there anyway! I understand what you''re saying completely, the biggest concerns for me are my Mom feeling comfortable and liking what we pick since she''s the MOH..then the other BMs. I know the redhead has a hard time finding things she looks good in..so triaging she''s probably next, then the blonde, and then my last probable BM that looks good anything. Only person I know that bought a prom dress in David''s off the rack during high school that needed 0 alterations..perfect size 8 at the time.

I was so jealous!

Thank you again, I really appreciate it and thank you for posting the pic of the B2 dress, I am going to look for it! Also thank you Ibiddie for chiming in! I think they are voting for the David''s dress currently..they think the green BL dress looks too "old"...

haha..I prefer elegant...I think they''re kind of stuck in high school prom-dress mode.