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I was planning on doing this as well but just a note...if you are doing any color other than black or white, I would all have them buy from the same company, as shades of the same color vary wildly! I think it looks nice, though, and it's a good way to earn bonus points with your BMs as they can pick a style that flatters them!
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Im letting them choose their own dress. Well kinda... lol because I have to go with them and see if I like what they choosen then its okay.
I am doing this for my wedding. I have seen a few of my BM's dresses and they were really cute. All of them are very different though. I did give them guidelines to follow and they did follow them. Its kinda nice that each of them is able to get a dress that they love and will fit their body type. I am eager to see the other two BM's dresses and of course I can't wait to see them all together. I think it will turn out really nice and all the BM's will feel comfortable and beautiful in the dresses they chose. :)
I suppose I'm doing something similar-ish...I have three bridesmaids, all with very different body types and tastes, so I'm choosing about six dresses (same length, similarish material, same colours), but all with various styles, ie/ strapless, halter, v-neck etc... and then they can choose which one they want from them...I figure this way it would still give them some choice, but avoid any awkwardness of me not "approving" of their dress.
Everyone got to choose their own dresses and it worked well...although two of the girls ended up liking the same dresses which was a bit awkward because I think if everyone is going to have different dresses...they all have to be different. Luckily it worked out and one of the girls found a different dress.
I gave my girls 3 options (for 6 BMs) wanting 2 to wear each style. They all chose the same dress and I accepted it. Then they went to try them on and only one girl liked it so I'm having everyone wear the same color from that one company, all different styles. It's working out great! They are all Dessy/After Six styles. Good luck!
I gave my girls almost the same guidelines - color, preferred fabric and a warning that it is an outdoor wedding in September. They did great! They actually got them from different stores and they are all similar but different. And most importantly they are all very expressive of their owners personality. Each girl asked for my input as in "do you like this or that" but ultimately I let them decide. Which took a lot of pressure off of me, then I wasn't picking the ugly dress or the most expensive one - it was all on them! They were all very happy and I am too!
I let my girls all choose their own dress. I only had two critera: 1)it be aqua in color and 2) they be knee length. All 5 of my girls looked amazing. They looked so nice together too. Most of them went to David's and wore exactly the same color, but my maid of honor got her dress from Watters & Watters. It was different in color, but in the same color scheme. It came together very nicely!
i asked my bridesmaids to all wear the same color. i went shopping with them for fun, and they all ended up picking the same dress to wear anyway! it's a very cute, strapless, knee length cocktail dress in a soft green color. i know they're going to look smashing!
I told the girls three styles to choose from. Three of them have chosen theirs. I'm glad I did this...each one is a different height and has a different bodyshape, so it made it much more easier for them and it's something they will want to wear again.
I love the idea! I'm thinking of doing the same with my BMs, and I know they will all look amazing. I like the idea of letting them wear what they feel comfortable in (no single dress is flattering on ALL body types, after all). Here's some inspiration:
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I had my bridesmaids wearing the Jcrew cotton cady dress in navy blue but they can pick the style, there is like 5 different types and pretty much every girl has a different dress. I'm happy because they'll look similar but everyone will look good in a dress that fits them well!
I tried to get my BMs to do this, but they wouldn't bite. They told me to JUST CHOOSE ONE. I resisted at first. But they explained that they wanted to look like bridesmaids, special, etc. (They were all married years ago, when different BM dresses was unheard of). I finally relented, and found a dress I liked alright. Then my MOH told me she was going to be 8 months pregnant.... Luckily the dress I liked came in a maternity option (bummer for me really, I was hoping she'd wear a different dress!). MY MOH is 5'9" and wears a size 4, or she DID before she was pregnant. My sister is 5'10" and wears a size 6. My FSIL is 5'3" and wears a size 10. So I think that even though they all have the same dress, they'll each look different....
Now comes the battle over the shoes. I want them to wear whatever shoes they have that will look nice, but a casual choice, like oh! these shoes will work!. I don't even want to "approve" them. Just wear them! FSIL wants hers to match the dress. I can't win.
I did this with shades of blue. I really had no guidelines other than "short blue dress." If you do have a specific idea of how you want the bridal party to look - tell them. We got married in Maui, where we live, and didn't want to increase the already high cost of attending our wedding for our wedding party. Two of my BMs were pregnant, and all 4 have very different bodies and coloring. It ended up being a light blue, a dark turquoise, a cobalt blue, and an aqua, and it was beautiful. They all felt comfortable and looked beautiful. All were different styles, brands, and fabrics (chiffon, satin, and jersey) and it looked great. They chose how much to spend and a dress that (hopefully) they liked and can wear again. We had a beach wedding, and this was one of the decisions that I was the happiest with. The pictures are at <span style="color: #5577aa; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px">http://jotano.zenfolio.com/p828073772 if you want to check it out.Go for it - your BMs will appreciate it - especially in this economy!!!
I was going to have my BMs choose their dress (just plain black, knee-length) and I went with my sister/MOH to try on dresses, we realized HOW DIFFERENT they could end up.... and after I bought my dress, we decided we wanted more dressy-type BM dresses, so I just picked one. All the girls are VERY excited about the dress (atleast they say they are), and I couldn't be happier. I picked one with similar fabric and details (silk taffeta, rouched at the waistline) and it will be flattering for everyone! Best of luck!! :)
I had my BM choose a black dress they liked from JCrew and I think it turned out great. I didn't want them to be too "matchy-matchy", so I thought this would be easy. They all chose different dresses, but I think they were all happy and comfortable with their selections. Plus, I got so sick of making decisions for the wedding, so I was glad to delegate this to someone else!
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I had my ladies choose anything in grey... of 7, 3 wore the same dress from Macy's, 2 had J Crew, one was Ann Taylor, and one was from Target (For $25!). They all had wraps from Nimli in our 'accent' colors to pull it together...
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I originally was going to do this but many of the dresses my girls liked, but they said they'd never wear them again. Then I started to think about doing the Victoria's Secret convertible dress because they can each style it in a way that flatter's their body and they'll get to wear it again! I'm pretty sure this is the way I'm going to go, but we're ordering early, trying them out and if they don't work we're going to go with traditional BM dresses.There is a similar dress by Two Birds that is more $$, but I think I like the way the VS dress hangs. We'll see how it works out, I'm hoping that it'll be easy and they will love them.
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I had my ladies choose the black cocktail dress of their dreams and it came out so well!
I gave the guidelines of:
1)knee/tea length
2) a-line-ish (just not tight anf form fitting)
3) you must and it and wear it again
I agree with iff going with a color to choose one store (a la David's or J Crew), but I am all about this idea! I felt like my maids' individual personalities showed through and I had less bridal guilt knowing they basically chose how much to spend.
I'm not planning on doing this, though I have seen it done. In my personal opinion it's way to distracting from the bride. I always wind up trying to take in the differneces in the girls dresses then focusing on the beauty of the brides dress. Remember you want them to look good, but in the end it's YOUR day, not theirs. You are the most imporatant woman up there.
I have mixed feelings about this. Ive seen it look really nice at wedding, and Ive also seen it look to chaotic and distracting for me. I think it just really depends how its done. Also I think it usually works for weddings that are a little less formal. My girls arent going to wear different colors, but maybe different styles in the same color and length.
I did this. We got our dresses from Aria and I just gave them the color and they picked the style. They each got something they loved and it added interest to the overall look.
maids_small.jpg (41.3 KB, 57 downloads) 2 years old You must log in to post.
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I think it's usually pretty cute when bridesmaids don't wear matching dresses, and thought I'd do this for my own wedding. I gave them some guidelines (color, length, and not satin), but am wondering about the results. If you let your maids choose their own dresses, was the process and final look how you envisioned?