Weddingbee Blog

I really love Florida weather. To me, there’s nothing better than being able to wear flip flops all year round. Summers are hot and humid (just how I like ‘em) and just about when you’ve had enough, it starts to cool off. While the temperature can start to drop in September, we generally don’t hit the low 70s till November. A floor-length dress was out of the question. I want the ladies to be comfortable and feel beautiful; even if the summer sun doesn’t cut us some slack. A gray, short, and flowy chiffon number seemed to fit the bill.

Dress via J.Crew

If you recall my inspiration board, I really liked their Taryn dress…in theory. But for a strapless dress the bust didn’t seem ample enough; last thing I wanted was for my ladies to keep adjusting themselves throughout the evening. I wasn’t keen on making them order the dress just to see how it looked, especially given the price tag. Taryn wasn’t it, but our dress was out there somewhere.

MOH Sassypants and I spent a good chunk of our office downtime searching bridesmaids’-dress shops online as well as Macy’s, Dillard’s, and Nordstrom. We found a lot of OKs but no clear forerunner. That was, of course, until I saw Mrs. Hot Wings’s post. I thought #831 had potential, so MOH Sassypants and BM Mermaid met me at the only dress shop that carried Mori Lee. Just like Hottie, we thought it looked “meh” on the hanger; boy were we wrong. Sassy was up first. “I think you’re gonna like it!” she proclaimed prior to stepping out.

The skirt had a fair amount of movement when she walked, and I’m sure it’ll flow a lot better when the hem is taken up to the knee. Then it was Mermaid’s turn. “It’s really comfortable and looks so much better in person.”

We were sold, but I wanted to see what BM Gunslinger thought. I wanted everyone to be on board, so I sent the details to Gunslinger and kept my fingers crossed. With 100% approval, this was the dress! Sassy also had the great idea of taking apart the strap and wearing a few of the flowers in her hair. It’s up to each of the ladies, but I think it’ll be so pretty in pictures.

When it came time to place the order, I wanted the ladies to get the best deal possible. With such a small wedding party, many salons won’t even consider a discount. I also didn’t want to have the dresses delivered to one location, only to have to ship them out separately to each lady. That’s where French Novelty steps in. Not only did they have the best prices, the dresses weren’t taxed and they’ll ship for free. But what about different dye lots and the fabric matching? Don’t you have to place your order all at once? The ladies simply included the names of the other girls in the comment box before placing their orders and French Novelty took care of the rest. They should receive their dresses mid July.

How was your bridesmaids’-dress-shopping experience?