For the &#8216;Maids&#8230;

For the ‘Maids…

June 27th, 2011 @ 4:23 pm by Mrs. Marmalade
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I can’t tell you how bad I am at making decisions for myself. I stink at it. I like to look at everything from all angles, until I confuse myself and start all over again. So imagine my struggle with selecting what my friends will wear. No, it shouldn’t be hard, but it is.

My first thought was, “Why not just pick a color and let them buy a dress they like?” (Side note: I’ve seen this picture all over the internet, and I still haven’t grown tired of it.)

Image via Bespoke Press / Event Styling by Angels Dreaming / Photo by Sugar Love Weddings

It was a good thought, but it was shot down pretty quickly when a.) I couldn’t decide on a standard color, like “blue” or “red” or “black,” and b.) when some of my bridesmaids felt that they actually wanted a little more guidance.

Oh well.

So I started looking for more traditional bridesmaids’ dresses. And there were a couple I liked.

Image via JLMCouture

This is the JH5080 by Jim Hjelm Occasions. I immediately loved this, but there’s something that still bothers me about it. The luminescent chiffon is maybe just too…luminescent?

This stunning dress has pockets! And still, it wasn’t right:

Image via JLM Couture

I guess my problem is: I just don’t want everyone in the same dress. That’s my group of seven friends, with seven different personalities, and seven different bodies. So why would I want them in the same dress?

And then I found it, the dress that is pretty much the object of my affection (for the moment).

Image via JLDesigns / Event styling by JLDesigns / Photo by Jasmine Star

The convertible bridesmaids’ dress! I want it. No really, I want one for myself. But I also want these for my bridal posse. I’ve been drooling over these gowns by TwoBirds Bridesmaids and Butter by Nadia. Even Dessy and Victoria’s Secret have versions!

Now the downside:

I don’t know how or if they will work on everyone’s body.
I’m really particular about color, and I haven’t found one that I like in this particular style.
Price. So far, I’ve found this dress to range from $250–$300. Not good.

So, either I get over my hangups with everyone in the same dress, or I find a way to get this dress on the cheap. Any ideas?

Did your bridesmaids wear the same dresses? Or did they choose their own?

Tags: bridesmaid-dress, raleigh |

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35 Responses to “For the ‘Maids…”

1 2 Last

Member

bebefly (message) 1,348 posts, Bumble bee

ETSY.

Not even kidding.

TheJerseyMaid & Localovespirate.

6/27/11 @ 4:26 pm (reply)

Member

bebefly (message) 1,348 posts, Bumble bee

I pressed enter before I was done. I got my dresses from localovespirate.

6/27/11 @ 4:27 pm (reply)

Member

lsabic (message) 30 posts, Newbee

I had the same issues with my bridesmaids. I was going to let them do the general picking, but they just kept bouncing it back to me.
As for the convertible dress, I’ve seen it for way less lots of places, so if you want to go with that, research it some more, it’s out there for I’d say like $100 or so.

6/27/11 @ 4:33 pm (reply)

Member

MissMusic (message) 318 posts, Helper bee

I bought a multi way dress from target that I love! I think it comes in long too. check it out:

http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Multi-Style-Convertible-Collection/dp/B004RD0I7G/ref=sc_qi_collection_item

6/27/11 @ 4:33 pm (reply)

Member

qwerty1 (message) 154 posts, Blushing bee

yeah, the convertible dress is seriously like 2 stitches. if you’re not handy with a sewing machine, etsy it.

6/27/11 @ 4:33 pm (reply)

Member

flamingred (message) 1,929 posts, Buzzing bee

My BM’s chose their own dresses. They I went shopping with each friend individually and it wasn’t as overwhelming. The girls looked FAB and their dresses were the stars of my wedding. Everyone still talks about them. I’m all like “ahemm…helloooo. BRIDE!” lol. j/k. I really did love how they looked. It was like Runway Bridal.

6/27/11 @ 4:34 pm (reply)

Member

chrispygal (message) 1,198 posts, Bumble bee

I went with a dress that I liked well enough, but not my “dream” dress for the girls because I felt bad making them pay $250-$300 for a dress. It was something I just had to let go of. *sigh* Hopefully you have better luck.

6/27/11 @ 4:36 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Candy Apple (message) 1,465 posts, Bumble bee

Lovely! Struggled with the BM dresses too! I love the convertible dresses - I think that, since there are SO many different ways to wear the dress, it looks flattering on different body types, although I’ve never actually seen the dress in person, just pictures.

Hope you found some that you love, that were a bit more affordable!

6/27/11 @ 4:38 pm (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Jam (message) 309 posts, Helper bee

Lady, I had the same EXACT conversation with myself about this–even got inspired by the same picture of those darn GORGEOUS mismatched dresses. Once upon a time, it was even the wallpaper of my computer…creepy, I KNOW.

I also had a brief romance with the idea of convertible dresses, but they wouldn’t work for my ladies’ diverse body types. And when we found some that COULD work, they were expensive and some of the style variations of looked downright skanky. We were genuinely afraid a boob would fall out.

My maids weren’t too keen on picking out their own unique dresses AT ALL because they didn’t know what style to go for. And they were afraid of which EXACT color to pick out. In the end, they did pick their own, but we gave them oodles of guidance (but they still turned out super unique and different). I also illustrated color & style suggestions with emails, texted pictures, paint chips, napkin drawings, pep talks, etc.

This is so long & rambly (let’s blame it on that picture which never fails to get me all thrilled and worked up) but the point of this whole comment is that my gals were a little afraid of picking a dress that wouldn’t work for the wedding, but guidlines were the absolute key.

If you want mismatched deep down in your heart, GO FOR IT. : ) Can’t wait to see what you really pick!

6/27/11 @ 4:42 pm (reply)

10.

Member

CameraGirl87 (message) 31 posts, Newbee

I love the convertible dresses too. I’m thinking of getting one for the honeymoon. I think, even though I’m more petite, I’ll get mine with the tube top.

Also, Ms. Ferris Wheel has worked with katesy on Etsy and loves her (http://www.etsy.com/shop/katesy) and I am currently awaiting fabric samples that she’s sending me so I can pick something for my dress. She even can customize different widths/lengths. Her stuff is VERY cute. And most of the dresses start at $100. Score!

6/27/11 @ 4:48 pm (reply)

11.

Member

adreynolds (message) 208 posts, Helper bee

We purchased our convertible dresses from a seller on etsy and could not be happier!! The girls are all going to get to wear it how they choose, and some are even switching up for the reception. We used etsy seller Coralie Beatrix for ours. The girls loved them because they are so versatile that they can wear them again and again! Plus, they were less than $100/each!

6/27/11 @ 4:51 pm (reply)

12.

Bee

Miss Pony (message) 4,176 posts, Honey bee

I love those convertible dresses, so versatile and unique for each lady! I can’t wait to see what you chose!

6/27/11 @ 4:56 pm (reply)

13.

Member

KCheer (message) 370 posts, Helper bee

I told my girls to get a pink fancy dress. I was there when they picked them out, so that helped, but they were totally game and everyone loved the mis-matched look! Good luck! My only concern with the convertible dress is a possible wardrobe malfunction…especially with all the dancing later in the evening.

6/27/11 @ 5:06 pm (reply)

14.

Member

reginaphalange (message) 730 posts, Busy bee

I got my convertible dress from coralie beatrix on etsy (though it looks like she is currently on vacation so you can’t browse her shop):

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoralieBeatrix?ref=seller_info

I was considering this dress for my bridesmaids, so I ordered one for myself in yellow/gold to check it out. Glad I did. I’m super happy with the dress (such a gorgeous fabric and color) except for one thing: it’s pretty see-through in the upper region (not only will everyone see when you’re cold, but they will also see the, uh, darker outer circles too). So, I had to get creative and wrap it around myself a few times (which means the wearable styles were seriously limited). Those adhesive cups things made it even worse/more noticeable.

So my advice? Order a darker color. The support was pretty good, it was just a matter of, uh, transparency.

6/27/11 @ 5:20 pm (reply)

15.

Member

reginaphalange (message) 730 posts, Busy bee

Forgot to mention, it was only like $80 and a nice satiny material!

6/27/11 @ 5:21 pm (reply)

16.

Guest

Wedding Favors

I have seen that done at so many weddings and think it is such a great idea! Just have the bridesmaids run the dress past you to make sure it is something you approve of… Its awesome as they can wear it again, and they really appreciate it!!

6/27/11 @ 5:26 pm (reply)

17.

Member

believe (message) 85 posts, Worker bee

my bridesmaids wore convertable dresses and they turned out amazingly!!!! The seller I used had a ton of different colour options. pm me if you would like to see them and ill give you the seller and a picture.

6/27/11 @ 5:31 pm (reply)

18.

Member

canuckbee (message) 319 posts, Helper bee

Tart and Victoria’s secret also have convertable dress options.

Or, if you want them to choose from different dresses - I let my maids each pick a different dress in the same color from Jim Hjelm AND I ordered them from halfbridal.com and got them for 40% less than the store price!

6/27/11 @ 5:36 pm (reply)

19.