Bridesmaid accessories...let the ladies choose their own??

[justwondering]

Hi!

My bridesmaids are wearing matching brown dresses, and I was thinking about letting them pick their own jewelry/shoes/hairdos. One small issue though: some of my BMs are MUCH wealthier than others. Will those with average incomes (like me!) feel bad if other BMs are wearing Manolos and expensive jewelry? I hate to dictate EVERYTHING, but I don''t want anyone to feel bad...

 

[Gwyn]

noone is really going to know. I mean the brand of your shoe or clothing isnt often displayed on the actual item. i dont know why they would feel bad. I think the middle class ones would more appreciate that you didnt dictate it (therefore requiring them to go out and spend more money).

 

[violet02]

Do you have a guideline for them at least? ie, everyone wear black shoes, stud earrings and no necklaces or something like that? You''ll probably want to at least semi-coordinate that. That way you dont get one blinged out bridesmaid that sticks out like a sore thumb.

I''m personally going with silver shoes, they pick the style, and I''m paying for hair and makeup (they can choose up or down). No necklaces since i''m not wearing one and I''m going to probably make their earrings for them. I''m pretty easy going though. I''d let them pick what they like in terms of what earrings to make or even buy them as long as it fits within a certain guideline. My one bridesmaid wanted to buy very expensive shoes but I asked that they coordinate a bit more on the shoes (ie, bring the price down) so it''s fairer for the other bridesmaid.

 

[gwendolyn]

I''d just let them wear what they want. One less thing for you to worry about!

 

[enbcfsobe]

no worse than they''d feel on a regular day. don''t sweat it. i agree that you may want to set some guidlines about shoe color. my girls are wearing dark brown dresses and i asked them to go with browns or warm neutrals or metallics (ie: copper or gold, rather than silver; nude or champagne rather than bright white). they still have plenty of flexibility, and i won''t know or care whether they spent 19.99 at payless or 399.99 at nordstrom. i think it is good to give lots of options, but set some guidelines so there aren''t any unpleasant surprises. other than that, people are going to spend what they want. this isn''t the office holiday gift exchange, so don''t worry about people comparing!

 

[Independent Gal]

I agree with enbcfsobe.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Date: 2/20/2008 9:35:22 AM
Author: Independent Gal
I agree with enbcfsobe.

Second! I mean if they''re wearing shoes with a huge bright and visible CC on them that''s kind of inappropriate anyway for a wedding I think. So maybe just in case ask for non-branded items? Is that being too unreasonable? Like brands that don''t display their name on the outside? I just feel like a wedding should not be extensively and obviously branded. I spend so much time fighting that anyway in myself.

Sorry my own opinions/pet peeves got in the way!

 

[justwondering]

Thanks all for your advice!

I agree, I would HATE to see branded shoes etc. in my wedding pics...I didn''t even think about that possibility...

I think the color restriction is a great idea. If I just told everyone bronze/gold tones with simple jewelry, that may be enough to create some uniformity with annoying anyone.

Isn''t it silly to have to worry about shoes on a day with such meaning?!!