The Long and the Short of It

The Long and the Short of It

April 2nd, 2010 @ 5:26 pm by Mrs. Jellyfish
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When I first started the hunt for bridesmaid’s dresses, I was 100% set on short (knee-length) bridesmaid’s dresses. Lately, however, I’ve been more open to the idea of long bridesmaids dresses. It all kind of happened when I went on my second bridesmaid’s dress shopping trip with BM Lindsay and came across these three dresses from the Belsoie by Jasmine line:

The Long and the Short of It : wedding bridesmaid dress 1 1

Belsoie Style L2064

The Long and the Short of It : wedding bridesmaid dress 2 2

Belsoie Style L3009

The Long and the Short of It : wedding bridesmaid dress 3 3

Belsoie Style L3001

Aren’t they gorgeous? They were really flattering on us, too. Here are a couple pictures of yours truly modeling the dresses:

The Long and the Short of It : wedding bridesmaid dress 5 5

I also really liked the silk chiffon material – it feels luxurious yet lightweight. All 8 of my bridesmaids liked the dresses too, which is no easy feat! So after much deliberation, and because time is running out – I decided that these will be my bridesmaid’s dresses!! The girls will get to wear their choice out of the 3 styles above. The color I’ve chosen is Cranberry, a nice wine color that should go with our vineyard setting and warm autumn color palette. Here is an inspiration board I created using images of our venue, my floral inspiration, the BM dresses and… wait for it… my dress!:

The Long and the Short of It : wedding bridesmaid dress 6 6

Sources: Bridesmaid Dress photos, Flower arrangement photo, Bride and her dad, Brown table arrangements, Wedding dress.

The only question that remains is – short or long? The dress samples are all long, but the store says we can order them in knee or tea length, too. The only problem is not seeing them beforehand is that it feels like kind of a gamble. I am thinking of going to the store are trying them on again, yet this time pinning them up to see what they would look like shorter. There are definitely benefits to both. Shorter dresses would probably work better for the hot summer weather, and might be more rewearable for most of the girls. On the other hand, long dresses are very elegant and they can be shortened later. Should I go long, or should I go short?

What do you think would go best with the look and feel of our wedding?

Tags: bridesmaid-dress |

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26 Responses to “The Long and the Short of It”

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Member

crayfish (message) 4,844 posts, Honey bee

I really love the long - it feels fresh compared to the overwhelming amount of short bridesmaid dresses!I think it makes them feel more special.

4/2/10 @ 5:38 pm (reply)

Member

bohemianbailie (message) 980 posts, Busy bee

I love the long look! I want my bm’s in a long dress too.

4/2/10 @ 5:39 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Thimble (message) 807 posts, Busy bee

I did the same thing- I was dead set on short and had a couple dream choices in mind. Then I changed my own dress, and I want to see long flowy chiffon now! I say go with the long ones. Can the girls shorten them later if they want to wear them again?

4/2/10 @ 5:41 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Thimble (message) 807 posts, Busy bee

I should check my reading skillz- yes they can shorten them later so go with long

4/2/10 @ 5:43 pm (reply)

Member

froggy518 (message) 268 posts, Helper bee

I’m usually drawn to shorter dresses as well, but I think the flowy, long dresses would be beautiful at your venue. Somehow they seem more vineyard/winery-ish than the shorter versions would be. Of course, you really can’t go wrong either way. All three of the dresses are lovely.

4/2/10 @ 5:47 pm (reply)

Member

kamiie (message) 115 posts, Blushing bee

LONG! I gave my 5 girls a choice of 3 long Belsoie dresses too! I let them vote on one that all would wear out of the three. They werent big fans of the dresses online but once they tried them on in person they LOVED them!

4/2/10 @ 5:54 pm (reply)

Member

mkendrick (message) 460 posts, Helper bee

These are sooo beautiful and elegant. I really wanted my gals to wear long flowy dresses like the ones you’ve posted but my idea was met from a resounding “no” from my maids.

4/2/10 @ 5:54 pm (reply)

Member

rawrkitty1022 (message) 516 posts, Busy bee

I definitely prefer short. I think they are a lot less “bridesmaidsy” and a lot more flattering and rewearable short. Especially if you are expecting warmer weather. In general, I think people are more comfortable with shorter dresses as well, especially if they aren’t in the habit of wearing long dresses. But you do raise a good point - they can always be shortened later if the BM likes it and wants to wear it again. My vote still goes for short. I really like the 1 shoulder dress a lot!

4/2/10 @ 5:57 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. French Bulldog (message) 7,730 posts, Bee Keeper

I love all three those choices, if I was one of your BMs Id have such a hard time deciding… but I’d probably choose the middle one
I had short (tea length) dresses because our wedding was outside in the summer. It just seemed to go with out venue more, along with the weather.

4/2/10 @ 6:47 pm (reply)

10.

Member

labrat (message) 472 posts, Helper bee

What’s the price difference between the lengths? If they are around the same price, they could be ordered in longer and hemmed if you change your mind.

That’s wonderful to give the maids the choice of their own dress from the series. I’m fond of the L3001 style but that’s because my maids chose a style similar to that from David’s bridal. =)

Is the fabric of all three dresses the same? That was one of our concerns with different styles. If 3 of my maids had a certain shine but one didn’t, we didn’t want that one to stand out…unless she was the MOH.

4/2/10 @ 8:24 pm (reply)

11.

Member

bridesmomma (message) 451 posts, Helper bee

Great dresses, perfect color for your wedding season as well as your venue. My daughter is getting married at CR in June, she originally thought short too, but ended up going with long chocolate colored BM dresses.

4/2/10 @ 8:41 pm (reply)

12.

Member

pvaulter718 (message) 2,116 posts, Buzzing bee

I chose tea-length because my girls dresses were a very heavy material and the beginning of September could be very warm. I’d say that the material of the dresses looks great long and flowy, and I’m not sure how it might look if it was shortened. Personally, I wouldn’t gamble unless I’d seen it in person first.

4/2/10 @ 8:46 pm (reply)

13.

Member

silverbrooke (message) 254 posts, Helper bee

I’m using the L3001 too in Bordeaux and Celadon.

We’re keeping them long, but I bet it would look cute tea length too. You could mix it up and let them choose.

4/2/10 @ 10:39 pm (reply)

14.

Bee

Miss Trail Mix (message) 6,328 posts, Bee Keeper

I have to say, 9 times out of 10, I would vote for short but in this case., I’m gonna say long! I think with the look you’re going for, long BM dresses will really complement everything…

4/2/10 @ 11:53 pm (reply)

15.

Guest

Marianne

I would go with the long dresses. There is definitely something more romantic about it. I agree with crayfish: there are so many short bridesmaids dresses offered today, that long dresses have become fresh once again. I might be biased since I am having my maids wear the B2078 B2078 in Scarlet. That dress was a favorite among my maids and was unusually flattering! I am really impressed by the Jasmine lines for maids:)

4/3/10 @ 1:37 am (reply)

16.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

Usually I like short, but the dresses look so gorgeous long. How tall are your bridesmaids? Mine are mostly short, so that is partially why I am opting for short dresses.

4/3/10 @ 1:52 am (reply)

17.

Member

nick-ster (message) 29 posts, Newbee

I’m just letting my bridesmaids know the color and letting them pick for themselves. To me it doesn’t really matter, some of them wanted guidelines so I gave them on. Of course at least one will have a “hawk” and another might color her hair the cobalt blue of my wedding color…just not going to overcomplicate things.

4/3/10 @ 2:54 am (reply)

18.

Member

prttypancake (message) 116 posts, Blushing bee

keep them long! i have had my eye on these BM dresses for a while as well. i absolutely love L3009!

4/3/10 @ 8:37 am (reply)

19.

Member

CaligirlSM (message) 182 posts, Blushing bee

I like them long as they would go with your venue and the feel you are going for. I also like all three dresses, but it seems like Dress 1 and 2 are closer to your them.

4/3/10 @ 12:08 pm (reply)

20.

Member

Iggy (message) 23 posts, Newbee

I had the same experience last weekend. I have always assumed I would have tea length BM gowns, but when I went shopping, I found one long style that I really loved. So, now I’m open to long, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, since it opens up even MORE options! What to choose, what to choose!?

4/4/10 @ 4:48 pm (reply)

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