Dressing the 'Maids, Part 2

Shortly after getting engaged, I went out to lunch with two of my six bridesmaids. After lunch, I casually mentioned that it might be fun to try on some wedding dresses at Macy's Bridal... you know, "just for fun". Thankfully, they decided to indulge me and we spent the next hour and a half picking out and trying on heavy beaded princess ballgowns. I quickly learned that I looked like a jerk in anything with pick-ups and that I probably should start thinking about a plan of action for my "arm wings".

Meanwhile, the girls had started to peruse the bridesmaids dresses and asked what I was looking for. I gave them my requirements, and while they couldn't find anything floor length and under $150, there were a few contenders that they decided to try on "just for fun"... and just like that, we had decided on a gown for the girls:

(Jordan Fashions)

I remember walking out of the store thinking, "Wow, I have no idea why people say wedding planning is so hard. Could that have been any easier???"

Of course, we didn't buy anything that day, because who picks out bridesmaids dresses before their own wedding gown (or any other crucial elements, really)? And as time went on, and our plans began to evolve, suddenly the iridescent taffeta didn't really fit into the big picture... I wasn't liking how the taffeta was so shiny, and really, it didn't even come in navy blue. It came in "indigo", and the swatch looked more and more purple every time I looked at it. So we scrapped that first dress right around the time I scrapped my first (purchased) wedding gown and kept holding back on looking for a replacement, fearing that the hunt for bridesmaids dresses would turn out to be like my hunt for my wedding gown (another tale for another time).

They say that bridesmaids dresses take 3-5 months to come in, and it was really April by the time I started to feel the pressure to pick something out. I dragged my little sister and mom to David's Bridal, knowing that I'd be able to get a simple, inexpensive, floor length gown. Well, Claire looked stunning in each dress she tried on:

(Top is style #81250, bottom is style #81253, plus sash)

(David's Bridal; not available on the website any more)

(style #81535)

We were thrilled with the choices, really liked the middle dress (in light blue, above), and loved it's price tag - $135! You really can't beat that price, and we loved the way the fabric draped. i remember walking out of David's thinking, "OK, that was easy!"

I soon found out that while my 5'3", 100 pound sister looks good in anything, the unstructured bodice and loose fabric didn't, um, drape quite as nicely over everyone else. My girls were wonderful, saying they'd wear whatever made me happy and that it was my day, but who would want to pay $135 for something that didn't make them feel good?! I knew I wouldn't, and furthermore, wanted my girls to look good. I couldn't do that to them.... and so the search continued. Stay tuned for the final installment of Dressing the 'Maids, where the gown of choice is revealed!

And as a side note (or question, rather), am I the only one who had the MOST DIFFICULT TIME EVER picking out bridesmaids dresses???