Weddingbee Blog

After an exhaustive and exhausting search for BM dresses, I came to the following conclusion: with seven bridesmaids, it’s next to impossible to find one singular selection of anything that will appease and please all seven of them. Each girl has her own personality, style, preferences, and comfort levels, making the task of putting together an outfit for all seven of them to wear quite the tall order. I felt such immense relief once we finally picked a BM dress that I couldn’t really muster up the strength to go through the BM ringer once again, seeking the perfect accessories. I gagged at the thought of sending and receiving dozens of emails, all containing various votes and preferences for the umpteen permutations of options, never knowing if some people were being problematically honest while others were politely but unhelpfully biting their tongues. Nope. I’m not going to do it and you can’t make me.

Image via Science Notes by I Can Has Cheezburger

I decided to do what any mature, rational bride would do: force others into making the decision for me delegate. I didn’t see much point in scouring the internet to find some affordable/realistic/stylish/well-liked accessories for all seven girls. So, I washed my hands of this responsibility. I told all of my BMs that they were officially empowered to find their own accessories. I gave them a few guidelines, though, being the control freak that I occasionally am. As for the shoes, the ‘maids are supposed to pick black, preferably open-toe, and nothing that makes a nasty flip-flop flip-flop noise as they walk. For the jewelry, I am requesting pearls. However, the pearls can be white, gray, green, or purple (our wedding color palette), and they can be as simplistic, quirky, classic, funky, delicate, or chunky as the ‘maids want. The jewelry can also contain other stones or gemstones, as long as pearls are definitely in the mix.

Overall, I’m pretty content with the decision to hand off these choices to my seven lady friends. They have a pretty wide range in height, so I didn’t want to force anyone into a shoe that was too short or too tall for her comfort zone. My ultimate goal is to give the BMs an opportunity to reuse some nice pieces they already own, or to purchase some staples they may want to add to their wardrobes, like a great pair of black pumps. They each have great style, but in very different ways, so I’m confident that they’ll use this task as a way of adding a touch of individuality to the clone world of bridesmaid-dom.

Worst cloning EVER (Image via Wedding Pipe)

If I were a BM in my own wedding, here are some choices I’d be seriously considering.

Necklace from JCPenney ($17.99)

Necklace from Kohl’s ($52)

Necklace from Amazon ($39.99)

Nina Criana - Available at Zappos ($79.95)

Stuart Weitzman Gigiritz - Available at Zappos ($298)

RSVP Angela - Available at Zappos ($49.94)

…but that’s just me and my personal style.

How are you approaching the BM-accessory situation? Shooting for uniformity or individuality?