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The joke is always what you hear in 27 dresses - "this dress is so great, you could just shorten it and wear it again!" - and of course, the dress is always so hideous you never would.
I know a lot of people now say their #1 priority in b-maid dresses is re-wearability, and so a lot of ppl go with black dresses. I kind of accepted that, b/c I wanted pink dresses that were long, the chance of re-wearing was low, and I was fine with that - I supplemented the cost of the dresses so the girls didn't pay too much, so I didn't feel bad.
However, I seem to be the only one who never believed for a second that my maids would wear my bridesmaid dress again - the wedding I am in next month, the bride said "I would shorten this dress and wear it again" - I tried not to laugh. The dress isn't hideous, I just don't know where I'd wear a turquoise satin dress w/white accents in my daily life, right?
So, I am curious - anyone wear a b-maid dress again?
I wore one to my jr prom the year after the wedding and I wore another to a pagent-type event that required a formal dress.
Just for reference, this is the b-maid dress for my wedding - I love pink, and it's a gorgeous Badgley Mischka dress, so I personally would wear it to a spring formal event, but that's probably just me.
I plan on re-wearing the bridesmaid ddres I bought for my sister's wedding to my company's work party and hopefully a few other events. I actually really love the dress. It was a Priscilla of Boston, so it was a little pricey, but I didn't mind because I will re-wear it.
Check out this thread as well:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/have-you-worn-your-bm-dress-again
I personally have only worn won as a costume, though since I spent a fortune to have the top tailored for my sisters (it was 2 piece) I did wear that again a lot with slacks. It was a perfectly fit corset top after all the tailoring.
I was in my best friend's wedding in NY several years ago and we had very expensive two piece ensembles. The top was white lace off the shoulder and the bottom was a rose colored taffeta floor length skirt. Well, several years later my sister got married for the second time in Arizona. She asked me to be her MOH and didn't have any other bridal party so I showed her the 2-piece set and she loved it so I wore it in her wedding as well. It was a $400 bridesmaid dress so I'm glad I got to use it twice!
~ Kelly
No.
But if they had chosen a versatile LITTLE BLACK DRESS the answer would have been resoundingly YES!
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i picked a cute black a line for a friends wedding (we got to choose our own) and I have worn it a lot. I also plan to re wear the brown one i got for another friends wedding, if it ever stops raining! (it is a sun dress)
I know for a fact that my BM wore her dress again, to work! She just put a cardigan over the dress. (The dress was a navy blue silk shantung and above-the-knee.) I know it for a fact because I saw her wearing it when we went out to lunch! I was so proud of myself! :-)
I wore one to a law school formal and am considering wearing the same dress to a wedding this fall. To be fair, it wasn't a typical bridesmaid dress -- it came from Macy's I think, and was long and pink w/cute beading. Could definitely be dressed up or down.
Not yet, but if I got to wear a LBD I would. I don't wear a lot of pale pink taffeta. :)
I think it definitely depends on the formality of the dress and where it came from. A dress specifically designed/sold as a bridesmaids dress versus a "normal" dress from Macy's are two different things. I have a green & white bridesmaids dress from Macy's that I've worn a few times... to another wedding, to a semi-formal party and two christmas parties. The bride was debating between that dress.. and a silk dress from Davids Bridal... which I KNOW I (or the other BMs) wouldn't of worn again. It was beautiful and fit us well... but it definitely screamed "bridesmaid".
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All the ones I've had have been donated.
Again, if it were truly re-wearable, I would have preferred a black or navy...and not some ballgown style either..
I'm going with J Crew LBD and the fact they're awesome, and the ability to rewear is not even debateable! My friends love it.
My best friend is having us wear whatever LBD we want to for her wedding, but it's a semi-casual black, white, and red wedding. I'm all for getting BM dresses that can be reworn when it works with the event, but I don't think brides should feel bad if their dress can't be worn again. I usually hear of people wearing the dress again if they have a formal event to attend, which most of us don't. If a wedding is formal and the BM dresses are likewise formal, they probably can't be worn again by most of us, which is fine. If a LBD really won't fit into the wedding, a bride shouldn't feel bad for not doing it. My girls are wearing shorter dresses that I think would be perfect for wearing to a nice dinner or church, but other than that, probably won't see the light of day.
I agree with you, kitty25kat25, that I never for a second thought my girls would wear their dresses again. They picked out their dresses and they looked very nice, but none of us ever pretended that they would ever see the light of day ever again.
I haven't, but more because I've lost too much weight. I think I probably will rewear the dress I'm getting for the next one I'm in. But my company does formal Christmas parties, so I have an actual use for a formal satin dress. Otherwise, no, never would.
I've never been a BM, so I haven't, but I would hope that if I am every one that it will be one I can get some good use out of!
Of the 3 I have been in, I have worn 1 again (my sister's wedding). It is Siri, deep red, strapless knee length with a sash - and I wore it to a work event last year and a holiday party this years. I always get compliments on it!
The other two I will never wear again...they are both floor length satin and clearly look like BM dresses...
@bellenga: Do you mind if I ask where did you donate your dress? There is one sitting in my closet that isn't serving any purpose and won't be worn again.
If I were any of my girls I might wear it again, but I don't think yellow is their favorite color. It is short and cotton, so it doesn't need to go with a formal event, but I don't think they'll wear it.
They are so cute though! (At least I think so, but doesn't every bride, no matter how hideous)
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I have never re-worn any of mine, so this was something I desperately wanted for my girls. I ended up finding dresses at the White House Black Market outlet for $40 each! And I was able to find them in the right sizes for all seven of my girls! I really think they will wear them again, but even if they don't, it's only $40. :)
You can see them here: http://august15bride.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-future-sisters-in-law-love-their.html
Or here: http://august15bride.blogspot.com/2009/03/bridesmaid-dress-saga-final-chapter.html
I never wore mine again. (How often do we dress up that much? Unless you have prom or a college ball of some sort to wear it to, you won't wear it again. Even a LBD has a downside because you wouldn't (and shouldn't!) wear it to a wedding as a guest!
I've been a bridesmaid in three weddings. Never wore the yellow dress again, though it was pretty. I have worn the little black one again and the hot pink number too. Regardless, I don't care. I've just enjoyed being a bridesmaid.
I wore one to prom when I was in high school. My girls dresses are going to be short and I'm lettin them pick their own styles so I hope they can rewear them. We'll see though.
Nope, never. But I am entertaining the idea of wearing the black J Crew one from a recent wedding to a wedding next weekend. For the most part I don't mind.. I love being in weddings!
I've never reworn an actual bridesmaids dress (one that was made for that purpose), but my bridesmaid borrowed a little black dress of mine (that had been worn many times, both by me and by her) to wear in my wedding, and I borrowed my sister in law's bridesmaid dress to wear to a different wedding (again, it was a little black dress). The theme, I believe is little black dress- not a floor length black (or any other color) gown. Some might say that wearing a LBD to a wedding is wrong, but I think that this particular piece of etiquette is slowly (and thankfully) going the way of the dinosaur.
When my best friend got married she told us we could pick any black dress we wanted. I have reworn the one I bought a couple of times, and plan to wear it many more! It was the best thing ever!
I donated my old bm dresses to a local shelter about 5 years ago for women..they need all types of clothes b/c they're starting their lives over again.
The problem with bridesmaids dresses is this..I've been one almost as many times as Kathryn Heigl did in the movie..they cost $$ and if you've bought many over the years it's probably close to or over a thousand or so dollars. I love my friends, but seriously..have cringed over some of the dresses I've had to wear over the years.
I also want my bm's to look great and feel great..when you're wearing a dress you love, you FEEL it.
I've only been a bridesmaid once and luckily got to re-wear my two-piece floor length dress to a black tie holiday party at an old job (got lots of compliments on it too!). Since it's floor length, I really can't see myself wearing it again since I don't picture myself going to any other black tie affairs. I really should donate it.
Out of 5 bridesmaids dresses, I've only ever reworn one, and it was out of necessity (I had lost weight and it was the only thing that fit!), rather that desire to wear it again.
I'm hoping that my girls will rewear their dresses to another wedding, as I tried to choose something that didn't look like a bridesmaid dress to begin with (I'm decidely anti-bow).
Oh, I came so close! I have a lovely brown chiffon Jim Hjelm that I was going to wear to the opera with my fiance ... but it was freezing cold that night and I went with slacks instead so I wouldn't lose my limbs to frostbite. I may look into donating it like bellenga suggested.
J. Crew dresses seem to get a lot of re-wear mileage. I have 3 friends who wore coral pink cotton J. Crew dresses in a wedding, and all 3 of them have worn them again -- I have the pics to prove it! I hope my bridesmaids will be able to wear their navy silk J. Crew dresses again, but we got them at a really good price and my mom was nice enough to pick up the tab, so I won't feel so bad if they never take it out of the closet again.
I haven't worn either of my bridesmaid dresses (satin, long lavendar dress and shorter red taffeta) but one of my friends shortened a black bridesmaid dress and wore it to a wedding!
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I REALLY tried to wear my dress again -- It just never looks right anywhere except a wedding. And now all the weddings I go to black is the color of the ACTUAL BM dresses, so I don't want to look like the guest who wanted to be a BM, le sigh. Thank GOD Jcrew marked down a lot of their silk chiffon dresses and just sent me an email about it!! :)
My sister is wearing her BM's dress to work this week, I believe. BUT- I didn't choose satin dresses- I chose J Crew sundresses (super cheap!!)
Those can be worn again. A random satin dress? Not so much. :)
Mighty Sapphire--why wouldn't you wear an LBD to a wedding? Every wedding I go to most people are wearing LBDs. That said, I am planning to wear a navy bm dress to another wedding--it's black tie so the long dress works.
In my sisters wedding we had 2-piece dresses. I've worn the whole dress once, and I wear the skirt a LOT. Probably 8 or 10 times in the last 8 years.
And 2 of my 3 girls have already told me they're wearing their dresses to a wedding in August. (They're the ever popular J.Crew Sophia) The third probably won't wear her's again, but I'm blaming her baby bump on that one.
Nope! Way too formal for anything I would normally go to/be part of!
This is the major reason why my BMs (my twos sisters) are going to wear simple black dresses. Something they can wear over and over again. I may get them a blue sash or something to add to it to bring in the wedding color scheme, though.
Nope! Short champagne colored tafetta dress?? Way too unflattering. The seafoam green long chiffon gown? Too long, too seafoamy. Just going to resign myself to the fact that anything but the LBD is rewearable. I consider it "paying it forward" for my friends; one day they'll wear my pick! 
I'm a professional bridesmaid. So far I've only worn one of my BM dresses again. . . after I had it hemmed. I was able to wear it to a formal function and it was fine. The other rainbow colored dresses in my closet have been sitting there since the day I took them off.
Lessons learned: My BM's are wearing Little Black Dreses from a major department store.
I picked out this dress becasue I thought that the girls could wear it again. One has a b,ue dress and two have the yellow. It is not too bridesmaid looking and not as formal as some. All the girls love it and said they could think of at least three places to wear it after my wedding.
Let me know what you think....
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