Help me pick bridesmaids'' dresses

[basil]

I''m having a really hard time coming to a decision on bridesmaids'' dresses. First of all, I don''t really care that much. Plus, I really hate imposing on people, so I was thinking to just let them pick what they wanted. But now I''m thinking that may be even more difficult on them than me telling them what to wear.

Here''s the background: My wedding is in Sept in a garden. I''m likely wearing a lace sheath. I''m having 2 bridesmaids. One is my best friend from college (BF), and one is my brother''s girlfriend (FSIL). Both are extremely petite (
The reason that I''m doing this so early is cause FSIL is going to be in the US for a month in June, and probably won''t be back any length of time before the wedding. I''d like to pick out some things for her to at least try on, since I don''t know if the same dresses would even be available in Europe!

Thing is, I''m totally undecided about color. The colors of my flowers are lime green and chinese red. Neither of which I think is a great color for a BM dress if it is to ever get worn again. So I was going to go with black for simplicity, but that''s not a color I''m having anywhere else, so would that be weird? Then I was thinking champagne/gold since I''m having that color overlays on the tablecloths and other accents. But I don''t think that would be flattering to FSIL (red hair, pale pink-toned skin).

I like some of the choices for Ann Taylor and J Crew, but they seem awfully pricey (most are >$200) for FSIL. My parents have offered to chip in for her dress, but it still seems like a lot. I was excited about the new Target dresses, but they don''t seem to have a suitable color.

I''m guessing, if asked, BF would rather have something more expensive and easy than something cheap that she had to make multiple salon visits for. FSIL will only be in the country for a month before the wedding, so ordering a dress would be tough if she needed alterations.

This turned out longer than I expected, but the main questions are: What color do you think would be best to have bridesmaid''s dresses? Are there any lines that would come in quickly and not require many alterations? Any specific suggestions are very welcome!!

 

[lover in athens]

i hear you on this one!
even though i''m not using black in the wedding anywhere else, I decided on black bridesmaids dresses (our colors are pretty much pink and silver and a little green). i actually think it will be very pretty with the black dresses because the tuxes that the groomsmen wear are always (well, usually) black and i thought that would look nice and balanced...
i also didn''t want to impose on my bridesmaids, and i found very cute bari jay dresses online at nordstroms.com. i think they were around $150. a couple of my bridesmaids ended up ordering several different sizes...it was very easy to return to any local nordstroms...

 

[monarch64]

I think a little black dress for both your BM''s would be totally appropriate and would fit right into your color scheme of chinese red and lime green just perfectly, especially if you were able to tie in maybe a black ribbon on their BM bouquets! You could even let them choose a cocktail length matte jersey dress that would flatter both of them as far as necklines and lengths and I think it would look beautiful.

 

[diamondfan]

Black Market White House, a chain, often has some really nice things that look more expensive than they are...worth a look at least...

 

[E B]

If you were okay with doing something a little funky, this is cute:

Betsy and Adam Lace-Up Back Dress

 

[gailrmv]

I think Chinese Red is an awesome bridesmaid dress color. I second the Bari Jay suggestion. I didn''t know you could get them at nordstrom''s, but I wore bari jay for a friend''s wedding and although it was about $200 (kinda pricey), it was so nicely made and non-bridesmaidsy that I was able to wear it again.

 

[piccolascimmia]

Basil - you and I are in the same boat, almost exactly (September outdoor wedding, low cost/low hassle attitude)!

I just emailed my 2 maids and told them I haven''t picked any colors yet, that black is fine (unless they found a dress in a different color they think they could wear again). I told them I want them to pick a dress they''d buy if they weren''t a bridesmaid. Basically everyone''s hints above are links I emailed them. Hopefully they don''t mind searching for what they like and can agree on something that looks harmonious between the two. I''ll step in and tell them what I want if they don''t voice opinions in the next month or so.

Good luck with your maids!

 

[InlovewithJHK]

I don''t know if you are into this but what about black dresses with red or green sashes? They could wear a dress they already had or one they could wear again and just add a sash, which they could take off after the wedding!

 

[havernell]

Hmmmm. Tough one. I''m not against black bm dresses in theory, but I don''t think black would be my pick for a summer (Sept is still summer really) in a garden wedding. Gardens are colorful and alive- just kind of the opposite of black.

I would think more about the red- that''s a color thats easier to wear again than a lot of other colors (think holiday parties). Also, have you asked your FSIL if she has ever worn champagne/gold before? I''ve seen some redheads that looked good in certain shades of gold, so its worth asking. Sounds like that would tie in well with the accents of your reception.

Alternatively, since it sounds like your colors are asian-insipred, would you ever consider having your girls wear a chinese cheongsam/qipao? I''ll attach a photo because that''s easier than describing them... A red one with gold accents could be pretty.

Good luck with the decision!

 

[basil]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I will definitely look into Bari Jay and White House/Black Market. I sort of don''t want them to have to shop for themselves and coordinate themselves, because I think that would be a lot more effort on them than me just picking. Plus they don''t really know each other and don''t like close by, so it might be a little difficult.

Havernell, I hadn''t thought of that idea about the cheongsam. The reason my colors are asian-inspired is cause my fiance is chinese. I think both my bridesmaids would look awesome in that style! Can you buy those off-the-rack, or do they need to be custom-made?

Then, I wonder if the chinese relatives would think it weird that the bridesmaids wore cheongsams, but the bride didn''t! Plus, I don''t think it''s something that FSIL could wear again. I really wanted her to have something nice, because she doesn''t normally buy herself things, so I would hate to have her spend money on something that she''d get no further use out of.

Here''s another question - how much should the necklines match or not match my dress? My dress is sleeveless and has a v-neck. Should I stick with sleeveless for the BMs, too? Or would it look too matchy matchy? Or would a halter or strapless look like it clashed?

Argh, this is so much harder than picking out my own dress!

 

[luckystar112]

Basil-

Once again, I found something on ebay for you to look at if you''re interested! It''s the 8663 that you like. Not sure if it is less expensive than the original but it is worth checking out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jim-Hjelm-8663-AUTHENTIC-order-your-size-color-choice_W0QQitemZ250113036925QQihZ015QQcategoryZ63851QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem