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Tips for Making Bridesmaids Dress Shopping a Breeze

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Allowing your bridesmaids to choose their own dress is truly a gift! Each gal gets a dress she actually likes at a price she feels comfortable with– it makes the bride and maids equally happy!

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As a bride, shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses can feel much more stressful than it needs to be. We’ve seen it first hand, a bride will have a color or style picked out, but she worries the bridesmaids may decide they are not a fan of the chosen hue or design. Or perhaps the bridesmaids are unhappy about the cost of the chosen dress. Cue the stress. Most will wear whatever the bride chooses, but if they’re stuck paying more than they want on a dress they won’t like, it can lead to feelings of annoyance. No one wants that!

The Best Way to Choose Bridesmaids Dresses: Give Your Bridesmaids the Gift of Choice

Dressing your bridesmaids can be tough because of having to accommodate everyone’s size, shape, personal taste, not to mention their budget. Because these girls are likely your best friends, you want them to be happy with your choice!

The color, fabric, and style of these dresses are very important, as they will be seen in a majority of the wedding pictures. So how do you narrow in on the perfect style for your bridesmaids to wear? Follow these tips below.

1. Be considerate of their costs

Part of being a Budget Savvy Bride is keeping bridesmaids’ expenses in check. In 2011 Mint.com estimated the total cost of being a bridesmaid was $1,695.  Ouch! While that seems like an insanely high number, we can believe it! When you consider purchasing a dress, buying gifts, attending a bachelorette party, and hosting a shower, bridesmaid expenses add up quickly! Some brides feel they can’t in good faith ask any of their best friends to fork over that kind of cash to participate in their wedding day. In order to keep dress costs down, choose from an affordable bridesmaids dress retailer or give your bridesmaids the gift of choice!

2. Select a color and preferred fabric

One reason to keep the dresses all the same color is to keep it simple. A bride who is more laid-back is more likely to choose the same color for her party, and allow each maid to select her own style. This makes the process so much easier because you’ll know that the dress fabric and color will watch perfectly and each gal can select the style that suits her best. For example, you might select the color “dusty blue” from Birdy Grey in chiffon fabric. There are dozens of dress styles and cuts to choose from so each maid gets what makes her feel her best. Plus, there’s less room for a bridesmaid to end up “going rogue” and picking something too outside the box!

3. Make bridesmaids dress shopping convenient

These days, there are more options than ever for bridesmaids’ dresses, so it can feel overwhelming! Select an option that’s easy and convenient for your bridesmaids to shop. If you follow the suggestion above, you can direct your gals straight to the link to the retailer where you’d like them to purchase their dresses. From there, they’ll be able to order exactly what they want in the style they like. Check out the retailer’s return policy or check for a try-at-home option. Your maids may even be able to try on multiple styles from the comfort of home and decide which one to keep! Bridesmaids dress shopping from home– doesn’t get much simpler than th

4. Different styles for different body types

Choosing bridesmaids’ dresses that everyone will love is a challenge. No two bodies are the same and the thought of deciding for them can be hard especially because you want your girls to feel confident in their dress! Everyone is shaped differently, so choosing a singular style may look good on one bridesmaid, but may not fit or feel quite as comfortable to another. You chose your bridesmaids to be part of your wedding day because each one is a unique part of your life, and you admire each in her own separate way. Why not allow each woman’s varying styles to come through and be a reflection on your wedding day?

The Savviest Way to Style Your Bridesmaids

This approach also allows each girl to choose a dress that was in her budget, whatever that may be. This is especially considerate for anyone who may be traveling from out of state which is an added expense. One advantage to having everyone choose their own dress is logistics. It would be quite a feat to organize everyone coming together for fittings, not to mention the obvious travel expenses for any out-of-state bridesmaids.

Allowing your bridesmaids to choose their own dress is truly a gift! Tell each of your maids to pick out a dress they like in the color and fabric of your choice. Even with each of your bridesmaids wearing unidentical dresses, you can achieve a beautifully cohesive look among your wedding party. When each woman sticks within the same color scheme but chooses a dress she personally feels most comfortable in at an affordable price point, this makes the bride and the bridesmaids equally happy. Talk about a win-win!


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