- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
Yes, finding non-strapless dresses were a bit of a challenge. Finding dresses in the colors we were looking for were a bit of a challege also. My girls are either recent grads, still in college, or/also are new moms, so finding something affordable that wasn't hideous was a HUGE challenge!
I won't be shopping for bridesmaids' dresses (I'm only having a maid of honor and she favors a more androgynous look), but when I worked in a tailor shop, I fitted a lot of disgruntled bridesmaids, if you're interested in their perspective.
The number-one pet peeve was high cost - most of the dresses I fitted were in the range of $300-400. Yikes!
Number two was not being able to wear it again. Bridesmaids definitely seem to prefer shorter, cocktail-type dresses over big fussy ball gowns.
Number three was iffy quality. I handled more than a few dresses so flimsy they had to be reinforced in a few places and several with obvious manufacturing defects. Cheap zippers were also a problem - no one wants to have her zipper split ten minutes before she's supposed to walk down the aisle.
Number four was the cost of having a dress altered. Multiple layers of fabric, having to re-set boning or beading, dealing with fussy trim, replacing one of those pesky cheap zippers, etc. involve a lot of work - an ill-fitting gown can easily set the wearer back over $100.
Number five was unflattering colors. This can be a challenge when all the attendants have different skin tones, but some colors are more universally flattering than others.
By the way, curvier bridesmaids especially dislike strapless dresses, due in large part to the fact that there aren't many sturdy strapless foundations in sizes above a C cup that allow the wearer much comfort. (I'm an F cup and really hate having strapless bra wires digging grooves into my ribcage. Ouch!)
the color choice and price range are the worst for me - basically if i find a dress that is in the right price range, its hideous. and as for color, its virtually impossible to find something that is what i want.
also for the range of sizes in teh same color different styles, not too broad.
who wants to spend over $250 on a dress that they will never wear again that is the color of baby vomit and fits like a once size fits all rubber glove?
cute dresses! i agree with the range of sizes, also those of us that are "plus" sized don't necessarily want to be put in a tent!
i wanted something that was different. i felt that everything looked the same, one color, maybe a sash. i wanted there to be some sort of print, or maybe a texture.
The bridal industry definitely doesn't 'get it' yet that fashion forward brides are looking for more variety in styles to provide options to BM's and not have such a cookie cutter look. I really wanted to pick a color and let my girls choose their dresses, but honestly beyond Davids Bridal (which they all vetoed) there were no options under $150 to do this. Jcrew and Ann Taylor are super expensive and the dresses are mostly unflattering. Then you get to the mainstream houses like JLM, Watters, whatever and the dresses start at around $250 for terrible quality and awful colors.
I finally just settled for my BM dresses from Priscilla of Boston since my girls will all get a discount. The total cost of the dress will be around $160. But the color options were so terrible I actually had to compromise and get "Platinum" as all of the blue's looked like they came out of the 80's.
So long story short, I definitely would have appreciated more options of modern styles that are all availbe to mix and match with a good color pallette.
I think something that would help a TON in bridesmaids dress-searching would be to run a line of groups. What I mean by that is, pick a color and then have a group of 5-10 dresses available that would all flatter that color but would be different enough to fit all tastes, skin tones and body shapes.
So for example, lets take the color red. There could be the classic red as well as other shades along with dresses that have patterns incorporating that color. Then there would be the different styles (halter, tank, cap sleeve, strapless, etc). Having the dress choices set up in such a way (either in catalogue or on website) that brides and their bridesmaids could easily see complimentary colors would be a great help.
Another thing that was very disappointing to me and my bridesmaids was the quality of the fabric choices. We ended up going with taffeta because its seemed like the only fabric available that wasn't (for lack of better word) cheesy. No one I know would wear chiffon out to dinner or to a party, and the quality of the silk and satin was not high enough to warrent buying (especially at those prices! at $200-300 we should be getting real silk and natural fibers for satin, but its all synthetic!)
I also don't like hearing that the dresses have to be ordered months and months in advance because they are "custom made" but then being told that no, we can't order them in specific lengths or with straps, etc. If its custom made, why couldn't we do this? Because its mass manufacturing, not custom.
Last thing: Making dresses available for rent would be HEAVEN.
In addition to everything that was said above, it was also hard to find bridesmaid dresses that didn't wrinkle!
I am super annoyed with trying to find a dress that looks good on 7 different body types and that costs less than $250. The busty girls want straps, but a lot of strapped dressed have deep-Vs, which does them no favors.
Not all of us like the mismatched dress look, so finding more styles that are more figure-flattering to different shapes would be hugely helpful.
Range of sizes AND being cute dresses AND not being ridiculously overpriced. That drives me nuts! I can't find any that are all three things. *grumble*
I adore giggling at slutty bridesmaids dresses though.
I don't understand that they don't have more options. It seems like as soon as I feel in love with a dress it wouldn't come in the color I wanted, it would be strapless, or it was too short or too long. I don't really see why designers can't just make a dress and then make it custamizable. For example, the same basic dress should come in some different lengths, different sleeve/top style, and different colors. It is silly to me to make a dress but then only offer it in 1 or 2 colors! Plus I would think this wouldn't be that difficult for the designer and sell a lot more dresses.
I really wanted to stay under $100 if possible for my girls. We needed to do long dresses and we went with a jersey knit because it was long but not dressy like the ballgown long. The one shoulder was VERY flattering on all of my girls.
I love 57Grand. I nearly had one of my bridesmaids in them.
A dress for the tall girls. That is a big (pun not intended) problem for us. I have 2 maids nearing 6 feet tall and almost never could we find an affordable dress that did not hang at their ankles.
I ditto the bad quality. It seems like if you are paying for a $100 dress they use polyester instead of silk and cotton. A $100 can go some ways in a department store but not for bridesmaids dresses? In the end all the bridesmaids that did not go with $300 dresses ended up buying them from the mall because I just gave them guidelines.
But I think what you will find many brides echoing at the end of the day is affordable, affordable, affordable. These days being a bridesmaid is expensive (I would know. I have been one many, many times before being a bride). Beyond just planning (and paying for parties), and paying for lodging, and tickets (if we are from out of town) and probably new shoes, makeup, hair and mani-pedis , on top of that paying for a badly made dress that we will never wear again?
Ugly fabrics EEK....and quality of the dress....a simple well made dress it the best choice.
Just my two cents; not that they're anything special:
I too hate the ugly fabrics of the traditional bridesmaid dress...everything seems to wrinkle! Also, I hate the cookie cutter look of BM dresses! I love how one bee posted that the BM dress industry definitely doesn't "get it" yet when it comes to being fashion-forward...why not weave ideas/trends of cocktail dresses/prom dresses with BM dresses?
I think the old tradition of making BM look ugly so the bride looks the best is DEF. a dying trend...I want mine to look goooood! :-)
Really, I think innovation in design along with affordability could go a long way with any line.
I don't have anything new to add, but I'd like a dress that doesn't shine like crazy or snag the moment you touch it. I'd like a pretty and cute dress that isn't over 250 dollars. I'd like the dress I found and liked to be in the color I want it to be in. I'd like a dress that's length looked as good on someone who is on the shorter side as on who is on the taller size. I'd really like to just find a dress!
I think it would be great if there were more bridesmaids dresses that look like regular dresses - the type of dress you would buy if you were attending a wedding as a guest. Also, more colors and more shades - having one red, one blue etc. to pick from isn't going to work for most people.
My colors are green, yellow and brown so I plan on having my BMs wear brown cocktail dresses. I have seen about 6-8 from Dessy/After Six that I LOVE (actually the color is latte) and not all of them are strapless! I, too, have a range of sizes for my ladies! I am letting them choose their own of the choices. I think the color looks good on everyone and it is a pretty brown that can be worn again (probably to another wedding!) I get 22% off from the bridal salon where I bought my gown so they will be about $200 but if you go to http://www.bestbridalprices.com you can find a lot of dresses there that are mainstream for much less!
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| ellisrobertson | 24 |
| fishbone | 22 |
| ndreighton | 18 |
| Brielle | 16 |
| MsPanda | 14 |
| ladyartichoke | 14 |
| aduarte3201 | 14 |
 rdownie1 |
14 |
| mypinkshoes | 13 |
| Samantha7 | 12 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Leahhh | 2 |
| Miss Shaezel | 1 |
| Loribeth | 1 |
| likelimeade | 1 |
| mandypop | 1 |
| MrsBlueSeptember | 1 |
| CrochetLulu | 1 |
| sylvia.riggle |
1 |
| Weebee1234 | 1 |
| sasi | 1 |
My biggest pet peeve was finding dresses that I liked that weren't strapless. :P
Other than that, it was pretty hard to find dresses that fit my wide range of bridesmaids. I have a range from size 4 to size 22. It was a pain to find one dress that would work for all of them, and I eventually had them custom designed.