where did you get your bridesmaids dresses and why?

[slg47]

also did your girls pay for their own dresses?

 

[meresal]

Yes, they paid. I found a dress and figured out the absolute least expensive way to get it... which led me to ordering via fax to RK Bridal in NYC.

The dress we ordered was average of $230 in boutiques and was $147 through RK Bridal with $7/dress for shipping. Only one BM had to pay tax, bc she actually lives in NYC.

In my area/group, you buy your own dress.

 

[sillyberry]

We ordered the dresses from Pearl's Place on one order (to ensure the same dye lot) and paid a small upcharge to have them sent out to each girl individually around the country. Why? Cheaper. Each bridesmaid paid for her own dress.

Although I had a bad experience with ordering my dress from them (which may have been more a Watters issue, still don't know, whatever), there was no problem with their dresses.

 

[slg47]

what brand are the dresses if you don't mind me asking? just curious

 

[sillyberry]

Mine were Watters and WToo.

 

[centralsquare]

Mine were Jcrew so they could wear them after. They paid for them.

 

[Echidna]

I had a Matron of Honour (my sister) and a Man of Honour (my brother).

I ordered my sister's dress from the sale section of the online Kate Spade store. I made sure she liked it (as best we could sight unseen as we are in Oz) but I paid. We bought it early so I could figure out colours around it once I had it in hand.

I hired my brother the same suit as the groomsmen wore. I paid.

 

[Autumnovember]

We ordered from Allure Bridal. I really liked the style of the dresses because it is perfect for not only our wedding but other occasions too. I loved that my girls would be able to wear these dresses again in the future and that was very important for me.

I paid for half the cost of each of their dresses which was part of my gift to them.

 

[mrscushion]

I went with pewter Shantung dresses from Jenny Yoo. They were about $230. I contributed $50, the rest they paid for.

 

[vc10um]

I allowed each of my bridesmaids (3 of them) to choose their own black dress from any store, so long as they cleared it with me before purchase. My MOH bought hers from Nordstrom on sale (Maggy London), one bridesmaid bought hers from the White House/Black Market outlet, and one actually already owned the perfect dress (which, knowing her, was likely also a WH/BM find). They each paid for their own.

I have been a bridesmaid 3 times and have always paid for my own dress. I've purchased dresses from WToo (via Pearl's Place, all ordered at the same time to ensure the same dye lot, shipped to the bride and retrieved at her shower), David's Bridal, and Alfred Angelo. For the WToo and Alfred Angelo dresses, the bride chose the color, fabric, and length, and we were allowed to choose our own dress from anything that fit in that category. The David's Bridal wedding we all wore the same dress.

IMHO, the bridal parties where the bridesmaids chose their own dresses photographed SO MUCH BETTER than the wedding where all the maids were in the same dress. Because they were all comfortable. And happy. And confident. Which is one of the many reasons I wanted my girls to choose their own dresses. And you know what? The same applied. Everyone looked fabulous.

 

[vc10um]

I allowed each of my bridesmaids (3 of them) to choose their own black dress from any store, so long as they cleared it with me before purchase. My MOH bought hers from Nordstrom on sale (Maggy London), one bridesmaid bought hers from the White House/Black Market outlet, and one actually already owned the perfect dress (which, knowing her, was likely also a WH/BM find). They each paid for their own.

I have been a bridesmaid 3 times and have always paid for my own dress. I've purchased dresses from WToo (via Pearl's Place, all ordered at the same time to ensure the same dye lot, shipped to the bride and retrieved at her shower), David's Bridal, and Alfred Angelo. For the WToo and Alfred Angelo dresses, the bride chose the color, fabric, and length, and we were allowed to choose our own dress from anything that fit in that category. The David's Bridal wedding we all wore the same dress.

IMHO, the bridal parties where the bridesmaids chose their own dresses photographed SO MUCH BETTER than the wedding where all the maids were in the same dress. Because they were all comfortable. And happy. And confident. Which is one of the many reasons I wanted my girls to choose their own dresses. And you know what? The same applied. Everyone looked fabulous.

Crap. I've been a bridesmaid *four* times, purchased *twice* from David's Bridal, and for the second of those, the bride gave us the choice of dresses as long as they were a certain color and length.

Anyway, all of the above still applies.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Obviously I ordered mine from where I work, but I'm thrilled with what we picked out. I had several of the girls come and try different dresses on. With some smaller girls, some bigger girls, and all but one being busy girls, I really needed to see them try things on. I wanted a dress in a specific shade and I wanted them to be able to wear a real bra with it.

Turns out we had the perfect dress. Flattering on everyone, flutter sleeves, cute as can be, and only $145. The brand is Pretty Maids... Some of their stuff is yuck, but they also make really adorable dresses for cheap! Each girl paid for her own dress. They will also provide their own shoes, although I'm just telling them a metallic color and letting them go from there.

 

[slg47]

Obviously I ordered mine from where I work, but I'm thrilled with what we picked out. I had several of the girls come and try different dresses on. With some smaller girls, some bigger girls, and all but one being busy girls, I really needed to see them try things on. I wanted a dress in a specific shade and I wanted them to be able to wear a real bra with it.

Turns out we had the perfect dress. Flattering on everyone, flutter sleeves, cute as can be, and only $145. The brand is Pretty Maids... Some of their stuff is yuck, but they also make really adorable dresses for cheap! Each girl paid for her own dress. They will also provide their own shoes, although I'm just telling them a metallic color and letting them go from there.

hehe I just googled 'Pretty Maids' and apparently there is a Danish heavy metal band with that name!

 

[Amys Bling]

We got the bridesmaid dresses for two reasons- they gave discounts,, and alterations were a flat 40 for bridesmaids regardless of how many alternations needed. Oh and it also didn't hurt that my alterations and bustle were included free for me since the girls got their dresses at the same place.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Obviously I ordered mine from where I work, but I'm thrilled with what we picked out. I had several of the girls come and try different dresses on. With some smaller girls, some bigger girls, and all but one being busy girls, I really needed to see them try things on. I wanted a dress in a specific shade and I wanted them to be able to wear a real bra with it.

Turns out we had the perfect dress. Flattering on everyone, flutter sleeves, cute as can be, and only $145. The brand is Pretty Maids... Some of their stuff is yuck, but they also make really adorable dresses for cheap! Each girl paid for her own dress. They will also provide their own shoes, although I'm just telling them a metallic color and letting them go from there.

hehe I just googled 'Pretty Maids' and apparently there is a Danish heavy metal band with that name!

Hahah! The website is http://www.prettybridesmaids.com Oddly enough, the dress I chose isn't on there. Weird.

 

[amc80]

I have one bridesmaid/MOH. I was in her wedding and had to wear an ugly dress. I decided I would let her pick a dress (with my approval) that she could actually wear again, so we stayed away from typical bm dresses. I wanted it to be light blue but it was way too hard to find one. So we started looking for silver/gray. I found one I loved, but she didn't like it. Then she emailed me with one she says she loves and would definitely wear again-

http://www.bcbg.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3828227&cp=&searchId=3730287&filter=yes&keywords=silver&parentPage=search&searchId=57853898833

It's not really my style but if she loves it, fine.

 

[jstarfireb]

I had 4 bridesmaids, and they got their dresses from Alfred Angelo because...

-my seamstress said AA dresses were quite well-made compared to other low-cost bridesmaid dresses (e.g. David's Bridal) and had a built-in seam allowance to let out fabric if they didn't fit right
-my bridesmaids came from all over the country and I wanted them all to have a lot of options to choose from, since they chose their own dresses (within a few parameters...all had to be tea-length, satin, and celadon green)
-they were relatively inexpensive (around $150 each), and my girls paid for their own dresses
-Alfred Angelo usually has multiple sizes of the same dress, whereas a lot of smaller bridal shops only have one sample size. This allowed my girls to try them on in their actual sizes rather than guess based on measurements. I ordered a bridesmaid dress once based on measurements, and when it came in, it was HUGE.

I'm a big fan of having bridesmaids choose their own dresses. They're more likely to be confident and happy in the dresses, and they're more likely to be able to wear them again. I've been a bridesmaid twice - once the bride chose the same dress for all of us, and once I chose my own (the bride gave us a list to choose from at Jim Hjelm Occasions). I can't tell you how much more I like the dress I chose. I haven't had the occasion to wear either one again, but I'm MUCH more likely to wear the one I chose. I may actually donate the other one to newlymaid.com and get a black dress out of it. For what it's worth, at least 2 of my 4 bridesmaids have worn their dresses again.

ETA: If I had just a MOH and no other bridesmaids, I probably would have just picked the color and maybe the designer (just to get the color right). Fabric, length, and neckline/silhouette, would have been totally up to her.

 

[jstarfireb]

I just went back to AA's website, and now they have a line designed for rewearing:
http://www.alfredangelo.com/collect...tegoryId=4ace21e5-3588-4dd4-937d-5edc4e074d3b

They're silk and cotton, which is another thing to consider...poleyester and acetate can't be re-dyed, but silk, cotton, and rayon can. I might wear my other bridesmaid dress again if I could have it dyed black, but I can't.

The only unfortunate thing about this line is that the color selection is much more limited. Otherwise, I wish it would have been available in 2009 when I got married!

 

[zoebartlett]

My sister was the only attendant on my side for our wedding. She insisted on paying for her own dress and shoes and I picked up the tab for other wedding-related things. We got our dresses at the same shop in our area.

 

[Laila619]

My bridesmaids got their dresses from JC Penney of all places! They were really pretty and inexpensive. They paid for theirs but I would have paid if anyone had financial difficulties.

 

[iheartscience]

J. Crew because they have a great selection of dresses in normal sizes (no expensive alterations) and they're all silk and cotton as far as I know. The ones we went with were silk. We went around to several bridal stores and the vast majority of the dresses we saw under $200 were polyester. It's ridiculous to pay $150+ for a polyester dress, IMO. Plus the J. Crew dresses are very simple and pretty-my older sister has actually worn hers two other times.

My bridesmaids paid for the dresses themselves (that's what's done in my circle) and I bought them their jewelry to wear the day of, as well as separate bridesmaids gifts.

 

[Clairitek]

I just went back to AA's website, and now they have a line designed for rewearing:
http://www.alfredangelo.com/collect...tegoryId=4ace21e5-3588-4dd4-937d-5edc4e074d3b

They're silk and cotton, which is another thing to consider...poleyester and acetate can't be re-dyed, but silk, cotton, and rayon can. I might wear my other bridesmaid dress again if I could have it dyed black, but I can't.

The only unfortunate thing about this line is that the color selection is much more limited. Otherwise, I wish it would have been available in 2009 when I got married!

BRAVO to Alfred Angelo for stepping away from the traditional bridesmaidy looks and developing some dresses in natural fibers that are cute and also coordinated (for those brides that want the matching look).


To answer your question, I let my maids pick out whatever dress they wanted so long as it was a shade of blue and knee-length. I purchased two of the dresses for my MOHs, as a gift. They both got J Crew Sophia dresses (I eBayed them for a ton of savings... paid about $100 for each). The others came from a department store or bridal salon. One was from DB (their cotton sateen line when they first released it). I loved the look of my bridal party with each maid wearing something that they picked out themselves in my favorite color and in a length that was appropriate for our not-too-formal wedding. The hues ranged from aqua to navy and still, IMO, looked cohesive. I've had my bridesmaid pictures pulled from PS but if you want I will repost with their faces removed.

 

[Clairitek]

I allowed each of my bridesmaids (3 of them) to choose their own black dress from any store, so long as they cleared it with me before purchase. My MOH bought hers from Nordstrom on sale (Maggy London), one bridesmaid bought hers from the White House/Black Market outlet, and one actually already owned the perfect dress (which, knowing her, was likely also a WH/BM find). They each paid for their own.

I have been a bridesmaid 3 times and have always paid for my own dress. I've purchased dresses from WToo (via Pearl's Place, all ordered at the same time to ensure the same dye lot, shipped to the bride and retrieved at her shower), David's Bridal, and Alfred Angelo. For the WToo and Alfred Angelo dresses, the bride chose the color, fabric, and length, and we were allowed to choose our own dress from anything that fit in that category. The David's Bridal wedding we all wore the same dress.

IMHO, the bridal parties where the bridesmaids chose their own dresses photographed SO MUCH BETTER than the wedding where all the maids were in the same dress. Because they were all comfortable. And happy. And confident. Which is one of the many reasons I wanted my girls to choose their own dresses. And you know what? The same applied. Everyone looked fabulous.

Giant ditto to the bolded part.

 

[Future Mrs. Sterling]

I just have two girls in my bridal party - MOH (sister) and bridesmaid (best friend). We got their dresses from the same bridal shop where I purchased my dress. They treated us well there, and pretty much let us run our own show when it came to trying on BM dresses. They are wearing the same Alfred Angelo dress in fucshia. I gave them a color and told them they could pick the style. They both ended up loving the same dress!

We did go to two other bridal shops before returning to the one where I got my wedding gown, just to see what else was out there. The other shops had a poor selection - maybe because a lot of their floor space was dedicated to prom gowns since it was that season?

Edit: and yes, they paid for their own dresses. They were about $180 (can't remember exactly with the tax...). Luckily, neither girl needs alterations - the dress fits them both off the rack.

 

[slg47]

I just went back to AA's website, and now they have a line designed for rewearing:
http://www.alfredangelo.com/collect...tegoryId=4ace21e5-3588-4dd4-937d-5edc4e074d3b

They're silk and cotton, which is another thing to consider...poleyester and acetate can't be re-dyed, but silk, cotton, and rayon can. I might wear my other bridesmaid dress again if I could have it dyed black, but I can't.

The only unfortunate thing about this line is that the color selection is much more limited. Otherwise, I wish it would have been available in 2009 when I got married!

BRAVO to Alfred Angelo for stepping away from the traditional bridesmaidy looks and developing some dresses in natural fibers that are cute and also coordinated (for those brides that want the matching look).


To answer your question, I let my maids pick out whatever dress they wanted so long as it was a shade of blue and knee-length. I purchased two of the dresses for my MOHs, as a gift. They both got J Crew Sophia dresses (I eBayed them for a ton of savings... paid about $100 for each). The others came from a department store or bridal salon. One was from DB (their cotton sateen line when they first released it). I loved the look of my bridal party with each maid wearing something that they picked out themselves in my favorite color and in a length that was appropriate for our not-too-formal wedding. The hues ranged from aqua to navy and still, IMO, looked cohesive. I've had my bridesmaid pictures pulled from PS but if you want I will repost with their faces removed.

Clairitek if you have pictures that would be super-helpful. I like the idea of having them choose their own dress...makes it easier for me I only have three bridesmaids...wonder if that would look ok?

 

[violet3]

We ordered my bridesmaid's dresses from Mori Lee from the same bridal salon where I purchased my dress. I chose that line mostly because it was really affordable (under $150) and came in the color i liked for the wedding. My sister was very excited about the idea of wearing a cocktail length dress since she had been a bridesmaid 7 times in long formal dresses. She basically found a dress she felt fabulous in and we decided any dress in that length/color would be great. There were a LOT to choose from - i think it was the Mori Lee occasions line.

In the end, my sister got pregnant (after 5 years of trying) and had to wear a long empire waisted dress rather than her sassy cocktail length dress and another bridesmaid wore the dress she loved The only reason we all laughed at this was it was such a small price to pay for my sweet little nephew The only dress my sister really liked was chiffon rather than satin and another of my friends felt a little heavy (although she's SO not) and wanted one of the chiffon styles. Altogether we had three satin, and two chiffon all from the same dye lot. I thought they all looked so beautiful and the overall effect was great b/c like someone above said - they felt great!

Let me try to find some pics for you...

 

[kelpie]

I just told them to wear navy and they went where they wanted, j Crew, Etsy, Lord & Taylor, Thift store....

With the exception of a last minute addition to the bridal party, they all paid fortheir own dresses though I told them if it was more than $150 I'd pay the rest. They didn't take me up on it.

 

[slg47]

i just found this picture of different bridesmaid dresses...love it!

 

[violet3]

here's a decent picture of them coming back down the aisle - also i'll attach one of my sister in her long empire (preggo) dress....so cute!

 

[slg47]

violet those are great pics!

here is another one I found