It's June, which means a lot of you are probably shimmying into bridesmaids dresses you paid a bunch of money for and can't stand.
JoAnn From Bensonhurst is back and in this episode she tells whiny bridesmaids what's what -- namely, the bride has more on her mind than worrying about what dress YOU like! Check her out in the video after the jump. She is a trip. And she's right about this, but I have the key to getting bridesmaids to stop complaining behind your back about what you made them wear.
Pick a color and let them choose it themselves! I did it, and it was one of the better bride decisions I made. Check out the photo!
Letting your bridesmaids pick their own dresses means your friends can wear something that uniquely flatters them, instead of you trying to find one gown that will look good on women with a whole range of body types and coloring. Your friends can stay within their means and not spend $200 on a dress they hate, and you might even achieve the holy grail of bridesmaids' dresses: something they will wear again!
The most important thing is to send out a swatch of the color you want them to wear well in advance of the time they'll need to get to shopping. Make it a color that won't be impossible to find in non-bridal stores; black is good; "pink champagne" is not. And make your parameters clear: Floor length or short? Sparkles or no sparkles? If it's a religious ceremony, how covered up do they need to be?
Another tip: Be forgiving. If you go this route, you will get a million texts asking things like "when you said a solid color, do you mean on the whole dress?" or someone will show up in a dress you can't stand. Remember, though, that you did this to give your friends a break. Better that you hate their dress than they do.
For more of Joanne's unique take on life, and more on parenting and beyond, subscribe to CafeMom Studios YouTube Channel.
What's your worst bridesmaid dress story?
Image via Dave Pampreen
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Comments 17
I was going to let my girls pick out their own dresses but 3 of them picked out the same one. And my sister got stuck in it. I was okay because it had a matching nice junior bridesmaid dress, one sister was 11 at the time, so it worked out. They had to pay for their dresses, but I bought their jewelry, gloves, matching purses, and paid for their hair to be done. I told them silver shoes, which we all pretty much own and one even wore flip flops.
I chose several dresses and had my bridesmaids vote on their favorite. Luckily we were all in agreement, and they plan on finding some reason to wear their dresses again. Here is the dress, the color we chose was regency.
http://www.lightinthebox.com/Sheath--Column-Halter-Floor-Length-Chiffon-Over-Mading-Bridesmaid--Wedding-Party-Dress--CXWH003-_p44723.html
Here is a pick of my bridesmaids.
http://i50.tinypic.com/2j31rwk.jpg
We all have fabulous taste imo.
When I got married the first time, it was a courthouse wedding and I had no attendants. My second wedding, my husband and I each had one attendant, my sister and his best friend. My sister happened to have a dress that perfectly matched my colors and my dad and stepmom paid for tux rentals for my dad, hubby and best man. Honestly, I think too many people put way too much focus on the wedding day that they don't really look past that to the marriage, which is what's really important.
I chose a color and then let them choose and I wish I hadn't. They chose things that looked fine but really, the day was mine not theirs and so I wish I would have been more assertive about what I really wanted. Not just bridemaid dressed but a lot of things I ended up doing so I wouldn't be a bridezilla but it really just made me super stressed. My advise is to just do what you want, it's your day, and to not make a peep of compaint and do what your friends want when it is their turn to be a bride.
I only had two brides maids and one lived 3 hours from me and the other lived across the country. I tried to make it as simple as I could and I picked a color that was available at a bridle store near each of them (it was a cobalt blue) . Then they could go try on dresses and pick the one that fit them best. Well, it turned out they both hated the color. Neither one said anything before the wedding, but they both changed as soon as the ceremony was over and one even left the dress at at the reception and said she didn't want it back, lol. Oh, well...I tried.