Weddingbee Blog

I let my bridesmaids choose their own dresses.

Let me clarify: I searched and searched for perfect bridesmaids’ dresses. I picked five and sent a Facebook message to my girls. I wanted them to all wear the same thing, but I wanted to get their opinions on what they were going to wear because, let’s face it, I’m not the one who has to wear it and I want them to feel beauteeful.

Because most of us are poor recent college grads, I wanted to keep them at a reasonably low price, and I wanted to delude myself into thinking they might possibly wear them again. So all of these fall in the $160-or-under range and are about knee length.

I had two runners-up that the bridesmaids liked but were not unanimous on. This Mori Lee was one of them. I took Hyena Sis out to go dress shopping, and she tried one on that was similar to this, but it wasn’t as flattering in person as it looks in the picture.

Dress by Mori Lee / Image via The Wedding Place

I thought the scalloped hem on the dress below was adorable, but I’d want to reverse the colors on the dress (hot pink with baby pink sash), like the flower girl’s dress.

Via Eden Bridals

I loooooooooved the dress below. This was another runner-up from my bridesmaids, but Mr. Hyena thought it was horrible. This was from the Sophia Tolli Spring 2010 Collection.

Via Sophia Tolli

All four bridesmaids loved this halter number! It’a also from Mori Lee. And the picture is in the perfect color, too!

Via Mori Lee

I thought this Dessy dress was cute, but none of them were that crazy about it either. They also didn’t have it in the right shade for us, even though Dessy goes by Pantone colors (LOVE!).

Dress by After Six / Image via The Dessy Group

Another option was to go the David’s Bridal route, since then each girl could pick her own dress in the same color. However, I was not thrilled with the options they had in pink—the color was either a little too loud or a little too soft, never juuuuuust right.

The one we ultimately chose was the Mori Lee #732! Ignore the peachy-pink and imagine this in the nice burgundy in the swatch below (which is also the same color as the image of the dress above).

Aww, my sister so prettyyy. (personal photos)

Are you giving your bridesmaids a say in picking their dresses?