Choosing Dresses for Your Bridesmaids

Who looks good in a puffy-sleeved taffeta concoction that features a big bow on the backside? NOBODY!

Bridal folklore holds that a bride picked unflattering dresses for her bridesmaids to assure that she would be the best looking woman in the bridal party. Let’s hope that, if ever true, those days are gone.

Today’s bride not only wants to be beautiful, but also desires the same for the women in her bridal party. Choosing apparel that is flattering to all can be a daunting task - but it can be done!

Don’t put off choosing the bridesmaids dresses. Coordinating a group of women can be more challenging than a general assembling his troops for battle. Keep in mind that it can take four to six months for the dresses to arrive after ordering. After that, there are also fittings to be done.

Here are some tips in choosing bridesmaids dresses:

· Keep in mind the formality of your wedding. For an afternoon wedding, tea-length or long dresses are appropriate. For an evening wedding, long gowns should be chosen. It is traditional, and considered only proper by some, that if the bride wears a long gown, the bridesmaids’ dresses should also be long.

· The bridesmaids’ dresses should coordinate with your wedding colors. Few women, however, want to find themselves sheathed in Pepto-Bismol pink. A complimentary or neutral color should be chosen, instead. When choosing the color, keep the various skin tones of your bridesmaids in mind.

· Be considerate of your bridesmaids’ budgets when choosing their dresses. A price point of $200 is considered reasonable. Of course, if you can find something less expensive, the bridesmaids might actually be able to afford the gasoline to get to the wedding!

· Pick a style of dress that will be flattering to all your bridesmaids. You may have, in your wedding party, a woman who is six feet tall and one who is five feet tall.
As in the general population, body types can vary tremendously in your bridal party. You can’t go wrong if you choose dresses that are simple and elegant.

· In an ideal world, all bridesmaids dresses could be worn again. The trend is to pick styles that do not scream “wedding.” These days, many brides are allowing their bridesmaids to choose their own dresses. If you decide on this option, you may want to have uniformity in length and color, however.
If you follow the above guidelines in choosing your bridesmaids’ dresses, everyone will be happy and comfortable - and you will be free to enjoy your very special day.

Feel free to send pictures of your big day!

Submitted By: Deborah Armstrong

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Choosing your bridal party can be one of the most enjoyable wedding tasks-or one of the most stressful. To keep it as enjoyable as possible, follow these tips:

First, don’t choose your bridesmaids more than 9 months or so before your wedding. Relationships tend to change over time and you don’t want to end up with a bridesmaid you no longer feel close to or get along well with. Second, chose only the people you feel truly close to and who fully support you. Groom have a sister you aren’t particularly close with? She can stand up on his side! This is becoming an increasingly popular trend. If you have a close male friend he can stand up on your side as well. Call him your bridesman or man of honor if you like.

Don’t let anyone tell you who you should chose. The decision should be yours and yours alone. Yes, it’s nice to include all your siblings, but if you have a large family or a sibling you’re not close to, it’s fine to ask them to do a reading or participate in different way. When you chose your maids, keep the size of your party in mind. The larger it is, the more expenses you’ll have (bigger limo, more thank you gifts to buy, more plates to pay for at the reception, etc). Smaller parties are just as nice. No bride really needs 20 bridesmaids!

Don’t worry about things being “even”. It’s not necessary. If you have more girls or he has more guys, your photos will still be beautiful. Do make sure the people you chose are responsible so you won’t have to nag them to go get fitted or worry if they’ll be able to afford their dresses/tuxes.

When it comes to the groomsmen, let your guy decide. It’s okay to make a suggestion or two, but let the final decisions be his. If he picks a guy you’re worried won’t follow through on his responsibilities or afraid may cause problems, have a heart to heart with your guy.

If you’ve picked wisely you’ll most likely never have to deal with this, but if you’re wondering about how to “fire” a bridesmaid or groomsman, well you really can’t, except in extreme circumstances. If one of your maids hits on your guy or one of his guys turns out to have an drug problem, by all means show them the door. However, you can’t kick a maid out because she doesn’t look good in the dress you picked or a groomsman out because you think he’s annoying. That’s why it’s so important to chose your wedding party with care!

Stay tuned for future articles on how to deal with bad bridesmaids and groomsmen!

Choosing your bridesmaids gowns may be challenging. You have a lot to consider when making your choice-the various shapes and sizes of your maids, their budgets, and of course, making sure the gowns you choose compliment yours! Here is a great video that provides a quick and easy guide to choosing the perfect one!

Your engagement should be one of the happiest times of your life, and something those around you are happy about as well. Unfortunately that isn’t always the case. Sometimes a person’s reaction to an engagement is jealousy, and this can make a happy time a lot less pleasant. Here are some ways to cope.

First, try and understand where the jealous person’s feelings are coming from. Have they recently ended a relationship, or perhaps they are in one that isn’t doing well or not in one at all and wish they were? If this is the case, realize that their jealousy is a reflection of their own unhappiness and don‘t take it personally. Be as understanding and supportive as you can. When you are around them, minimize the wedding talk and be sure to show plenty of interest in how they are doing.

Another cause of jealousy is a simple fear that your impending marriage may mean you won’t have time for them anymore. Again, try to be understanding and reassuring, and take time out of the wedding planning to do simple things like going out to lunch, seeing a movie, shopping, or just hanging out. This will let your pals know their friendship is still important to you!

There is another kind of jealousy that is particularly hard to deal with-the kind borne out of simple selfishness or worse. I’m talking about the ex who’s jealous that you’re marrying someone else instead of them or the co-worker who’s had an intense secret crush on you and can’t handle their disappointment. This kind of jealousy is rooted in a deep insecurity and inability to handle rejection, and can be dangerous. Instead of trying to help such individuals it is advised to simply avoid them all costs. If you are in a situation like this and feel unsafe, listen to your instincts! Contact the police and take out a restraining order if necessary. If it’s a co-worker causing the problem, don’t hesitate to speak to your company’s human resources department. This is one time when you shouldn’t be worried about hurt feelings-your safety takes priority!

Have you had to deal with jealous people since you’ve been engaged? Tell us about it and how you dealt!

Wedding attendants are an important aspect of your wedding day. They are the people you want to stand up with you on your special day. You have them to help you with planning when needed and to set up on the day of. Choosing the right people for the job can seem easy for most bride’s and groom’s to be but sometimes the people you pick are not the right ones for the job. As a bride you need your attendants to help when asked, within reason of course.A sibling or close friend might be thrilled to be asked but do not always want to do the job required of them. Once they accept, they might begin to become upset when needed for picking out their dress, dress fittings, bridal showers, and various other duties. This is where you see true friendships come to light. And if during this time you see your attendants become distant, you should ask them to no longer be a part of your wedding. It will save aggravation later for you as the wedding date gets closer.

Submitted by: Diane

One of the most stressful things a bride has to do is pick out a dress for her bridesmaids to wear. Since people come in all shapes, heights, and sizes, it’s not easy to find a style that looks good on everyone. If you have a maid that’s particularly tall, short, full figured or flat chested, you also have to be sensitive to the fact they may be self conscious-this means not picking a dress with a plunging neckline for your A cup bridesmaid or a tight mermaid sheath for your full figured one. So what’s a bride to do? Here are some solutions!The simplest thing to do is to chose a color and length and let your maids chose their own gowns. To insure the best color match you may also want to limit them to a particular designer.Another idea is to choose a designer that offers separates. This allows each made to chose the top and skirt she feels best in. Again, just chose a color and length and let them do the rest!