Bridesmaids

[allisonswonderland]

Ok I went gown shopping this weekend and I am narrowed down to 2 and there is an Eve of Milady that they are going to try to get in for me to try on. Anyway looking at bridesmaids...I am trying ot find a pretty gown that is not very expensive and my color is pink. Mori Lee has good dresses that are very reasonable but I hate the pink they use (well I do not hate it, that is just not the color for me) anyway unfortuantely my cousin tried on a dress and the shop we were in and we loved it, well it was a Vera Wang (we should have looked first) and well over 300 bucks. Since there is already an expense for the wedding party to get there and I can not afford to buy them all Vera Wangs can you sugguest any brands that knock off Vera Wangs or what is the average price of maids that you are using. I was really wanting to stay well under 200 and actually closer to 125- Help....

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

If price is a concern (and it was for our BMs), stick with some of the national chain bridal shops. David's Bridal has a wonderful selection and a whole host of colors. They are also incredibly reasonably priced. I would not get alterations done there, however.

Just because one BM loved a $300 Vera Wang doesn't mean the others will even like the dress... let alone the price tag. If she is the MoH and you don't mind her being a bit different, she could go ahead with it.

I found the easiest thing with my girls was give them 5-6 dresses I liked. I told them these were the styles I was most interested in. I also qualified the statement and said that if, as a group, there was something they liked better, to go please let me know. Luckily, the dress they wore was in their intial choices and it was the one they all wanted. The MoH happened to see another dress that worked perfectly in a store one day. She called, described it, and gave me the dress number. I hunted for the dress online while she was in the strore. I called her back, said it was a perfect alternative and to go ahead and purchase it if she wanted.

For me, the hand's off approach worked very well... it was easy, clean, and I wasn't in the middle of it. It was their decision to make and let me know.

 

[RangerPooh]

For my girls price was certainly an issue as they were making the journey for our wedding. Sine they were spread all over I looked for a chain that they all had access to, which was David's Bridal. I showed them a selction of styles, from one pieces to mix and matches that were in their price range and the desired color. They made their decisions from there. It worked weell, at least for us.

 

[princesslisa]

My MOH is moving to Austrailia and will not be home until about a month before the wedding (yikes). She is a supermodel (literally, run-way, Milan) and no matter what she puts on, it will look perfect. I plan on having two other bridesmaids and I do not want them to feel uncomfortable trying to pull off the same dress standing next to a super model (NOT fair!). So, I told my MOH to pick out a short deep red color cocktail dress and ship it back to me. Then I was planning on taking my BM's to Macy's (or any retail store really) next year to find a cocktail dress that has a similar color and fabric. I have seen GREAT dresses on sale all the time in the department stores ($125-$150). I agree, even if they could afford Vera Wang, I would feel very uncomfortable having them pay that for a dress, and for then have to pay for the trip.
I also believe that a dress will only look beautiful if the person in feels that way in it!!

Good luck!!

 

[Chrissie-riel]

Good luck BM dress shopping! There are no perfect dresses for everyone. Just choose one that will be nice for all and let all your gal pals know! Some good options to choose are Bill Levkoff and B2/Belsoie; their dresses run $170-$220'ish with lots of pinks to choose from. I don't remember their exact websites, but they should have color options listed. Levkoff just updated their colors in the last month, adding a couple more pinks too. Depending on how many girls you have, ask your bridal shop for a discount too. The shop I work at gives up to 20% off.

Oh, enjoy that Eve of Milady gown. They are STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS!!!!! One of my fave, fave designers...

 

[nkkilala]

I have found several gowns by Bill Levkoff that I really like. They are normally around 200 or less. I just love the quality of the fabric that they have. You could try looking at thoes he has a great website.
Billlevkoff.com