Bridesmaid heaven, not bridesmaid hell; how to pick the perfect dresses
Congratulation on your engagement, but planning wedding and coordinating bridesmaids dresses can turn into a scene from a horror movie without planning. Fear not a great action plan can get you all what you want without the tears.
The minefield which is picking bridesmaids can seem like a trip in a park compared to picking out ideal dresses for them when you get into a shop. By planning in advance and sticking to a plan of action, your budget and maids of honour can all be happy with the choice you make.
First of all have a good budget in mind, your average bridesmaid dresses can cost from £150 upwards, plus there may be alternation charges and shoes to dye to match the dress, so don’t be alarmed at budgeting for £250 per bridesmaid. Once you have your budget in place then pick your supporting women!
Keeping them in the loop is a simple idea, but if everyone is kept aware of the budget and colour theme they will feel more involved and willing to assist in the process. A great idea is to let them know that if any one of them finds a cheaper dress they all like, the remaining budget can be spent on treats for everyone!
Researching dresses online is a great way of looking at great styles without the legwork, again get the girls involved and pick a Saturday night to get everyone over to browse through them with you. Ask them to turn up with their favourite wine and posh dress, getting an idea of what types of dresses and colours suit them all. Armed with this information, you can browse through online dresses with more renewed focus.
Be size realistic, unfortunately styles and sizes are not going to suit everyone and with this in mind, be prepared for some disappointment if you think you have found the ideal dress. Most bridal shops will have helpful assistants to pick out alternative styles.
If a couple of your bridesmaids are completely different sizes, then try to go for plainer bridesmaid dresses in matching colours and tie both together with matching accessories or shoes. This comprise will leave everyone comfortable on the day and happier with the choice of frocks.
Make sure you have angelic bridesmaid dress shopping and with some advance planning and preparation to make the whole experience a blissful one.