It's official. I have now been asked to be in my 8th wedding. SuperBridesmaid almost didn't have a wedding to stand up in for 2010, but thank goodness Bride #8 got in under the wire and will be celebrating her nuptials December 12. (Congrats S&G). She took three of us out to dinner tonight and asked us to stand by her side on her special day, and we also went BM dress shopping at The Wedding Library.This got me thinking about the fact that I have yet to blog on a such an important part of the BM process-- the dress! I wanted to share some information with everyone on the dresses of my bridesmaid past, and offer some advice on dress shopping.
Wedding #1: We all chose our own long black dresses
Wedding #2: Champagne long Vera Wang, all the same dress
Wedding #3: Chocolate Brown long Amsale, all the same dress
Wedding #4: Navy t-length Jenny Yoo, all the same dress
Wedding #5: Black long Bill Levcoff, all the same dress
Wedding #6: Royal Blue short Lela Rose, got to pick one of three styles
Wedding #7: Navy short Vera Wang, all the same dress
To see pictures of all my dresses, visit Pictures of My Bridesmaid Past, or visit my Facebook page.
I've gone shopping for the dress a few times to help the bride decide and have learned a few lessons- for both the bride and the bridesmaid. In honor of my 8th wedding, here are 8 tips for BM dress shopping:
1. Chances are this dress will never be worn again. Don't pretend it will. Brides- don't try to look for a dress that your BFFs will wear again, because everyone has different taste. Just look for something you'll like in your pictures and you think your friends will not hate you for wearing.
2. BMs- be honest with your opinion, but be open minded. Remember, the decision really comes down to the bride and she has a lot of cooks in the kitchen. Don't make this difficult for her.
3. Brides- consider having your girls all wear dresses of the same fabric, but letting them chose their own style. This way, all BMs can chose the style that best flatters their body type.
4. When ordering, IGNORE the size. BM dress sizes are so different than normal dresses, so don't freak out if all of a sudden you are in double digits. Bigger is ALWAYS Better! (For bride #3, they accidentally ordered me a dress way too small, and it wouldn't zip! I freaked out, took it to the store and since it was their mistake, they had to alter it for me. It took some major reconstruction and a month full of fittings-- yes, fittings for a BM. Everything ended up ok in the end, but it's an easily avoidable situation.)
5. Remember it's only one night of your life, and the night is not about you-- it's about the bride.
6. If you don't love the dress, you can always make yourself feel better by going spray tanning (SuperB has fair sking and doesn't recommend ruining your skin with sun damage!), getting your hair & make up done, fabulous shoes, or gorgeous jewelry. (And if it's really really bad, check out http://www.uglydress.com/ to remind yourself it could be worse).
7. Make sure your dress fits correctly and it's properly altered. The only thing that's worse than an ugly dress is an ugly dress that doesn't fit right. Trust me, it will help you look your best that night.
8. After the wedding, if you know you'll never wear it again, avoid developing a closet like Jane in 27 Dresses. No one has space like that for dresses they'll never wear, especially not in New York City. Instead, consider donating your dress to a charity, there are many that collect prom dresses for girls who can't afford them. Check out local opportunities at inner-city high schools or donatemydress.org, the first national network to bring together local dress drive organizations across the U.S. They'll help you find one in your area. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
What's your favorite dress that you've worn?
Happy Bridesmaiding!
4. When ordering, IGNORE the size. BM dress sizes are so different than normal dresses, so don't freak out if all of a sudden you are in double digits. Bigger is ALWAYS Better! (For bride #3, they accidentally ordered me a dress way too small, and it wouldn't zip! I freaked out, took it to the store and since it was their mistake, they had to alter it for me. It took some major reconstruction and a month full of fittings-- yes, fittings for a BM. Everything ended up ok in the end, but it's an easily avoidable situation.)
5. Remember it's only one night of your life, and the night is not about you-- it's about the bride.
6. If you don't love the dress, you can always make yourself feel better by going spray tanning (SuperB has fair sking and doesn't recommend ruining your skin with sun damage!), getting your hair & make up done, fabulous shoes, or gorgeous jewelry. (And if it's really really bad, check out http://www.uglydress.com/ to remind yourself it could be worse).
7. Make sure your dress fits correctly and it's properly altered. The only thing that's worse than an ugly dress is an ugly dress that doesn't fit right. Trust me, it will help you look your best that night.
8. After the wedding, if you know you'll never wear it again, avoid developing a closet like Jane in 27 Dresses. No one has space like that for dresses they'll never wear, especially not in New York City. Instead, consider donating your dress to a charity, there are many that collect prom dresses for girls who can't afford them. Check out local opportunities at inner-city high schools or donatemydress.org, the first national network to bring together local dress drive organizations across the U.S. They'll help you find one in your area. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."
What's your favorite dress that you've worn?
Happy Bridesmaiding!
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