Bargain Bridesmaid Dresses
New brides are the best source of advice for planning your wedding. If you know anyone who's recently gotten married or is a few months ahead of you in planning a wedding, ask her where she bought her bridesmaid dresses. You'll get recommendations and possibilities you might not have thought of.
Bridal Salons
You can find some great deals at the bridal salon where you bought your wedding gown. Sometimes, bridesmaid dress prices will be adjusted if your wedding gown is pricey or if you order a certain number of brides-maid gowns. Ask about this when you go to buy your gown.
Remember that if you're planning your wedding far in advance, your attendants can take advantage of end-of-season sales. Stick with a classic style and it won't be outdated when your wedding takes place.
Essential
A-line gowns basically look like the letter A: fitted bodice, natural waist, and flared skirt. They are flattering for almost every body type. Empire waists begin directly under a fitted bodice. Be aware that they can make heavier women look pregnant, although the style works for most bridesmaids.
Make Your Own
Even better, hire someone to make your bridesmaid dresses. You may be able to find someone to sew dresses more cheaply than you could buy them.
Find a seamstress experienced in sewing bridesmaid dresses by looking in the Yellow Pages under “Alterations,” then ask to see some of her work. Be sure to set a realistic deadline for completing and fitting the dresses before the wedding.
Essential
Go bridesmaid-dress shopping with no more than one or two of your attendants at a time. The fewer people accompanying you, the easier it will be to reach a decision. Try to go with the bridesmaids most representative of your attendant group to get a sense of how different dresses will look on different people.
Nontraditional Bridesmaid Dresses
A bridesmaid dress doesn't have to have “bridesmaid” written on the tag or be located in the bridesmaid section of your wedding salon. Try looking in the prom section of department stores. Prom dresses haven't looked sweet and innocent in many years. Today's prom dresses are smart and stylish and are well-suited to women over high school age.
Evening wear can double as bridesmaid wear. You'll find dresses of every description that can be wonderful for a wedding. Look for simple, classic designs, and let the saleswoman know you want the dresses for your bridesmaids. She'll be able to guide you to appropriate styles — nothing too revealing or too sexy.
Some evening gowns come with matching jackets or wraps, which is a nice bonus, especially if the outfit is to be worn in the cooler months.
The bridesmaid gowns we bought look too simple. How can we fix them?
Add gorgeous satin sashes — maybe even tie one on your wedding gown — or try some metallic belts. Jeweled appliqués are simple to sew on for drama and are budget friendly, too. Add brooches or pins for just a touch of sparkle to punch up a dull dress.
For best selection, ask when the store gets its seasonal shipments. Many retail stores offer a discount when you open a store credit card, and this purchase is a good chance to take advantage of that opportunity.
Saving Time
Let your bridesmaids know what color and/or style you have decided on and let each woman choose her own dress. You'll spend less time agonizing over finding a dress to suit everyone, and you won't have to deal with bridesmaids whining to you about how alarmingly fat they'll look in the dress you chose. Each bridesmaid will be able to pick the dress that suits her best, and everyone will be happy.
Fact
When you look for gowns for your attendants, check out two-piece gowns. You can mix and match different bodice types with different skirts. You'll get variety, a better fit, and savings on alterations since your attendants can pick a different size for the tops and skirts.
Kylie chose a teal organdy fabric for her bridesmaids and an aquamarine shade of the same fabric for her matron of honor. Then each attendant picked out a dress style that best suited her.
The maid of honor, a tall, slim blonde, found a halter-neck A-line gown. The pregnant matron of honor loved the two-piece gown she found in the maternity section of a catalog; the portrait collar brought attention to her face, while the top was cut to flow smoothly over her tummy. She found it so flattering that she planned to have the floor-length skirt cut to knee-length to wear to another function later that season.
The other two bridesmaids happened to be twins, and they chose empire-waist gowns with spaghetti straps to accentuate their tans.
