Question for the people who have done this before--

[leahbobet]

--okay, guys? Bridesmaid dresses.

Where, how, and generally how much?

(It's a mid-fall wedding and I need to either have sleeves to the elbow or a jacket at least to the elbow, and ankle-length/floor-length hem. Colour is not an object.)

Comments

[sarahwilder.livejournal.com]

I'd search for local bridal stores/chains. In Michigan, David's Bridal is quite large and has a decent selection. Pricing from $100-250, depending on what you're doing. I'm in a wedding in November and my dress was $140.

Good luck!

[lisamantchev.livejournal.com]

Here's a "normal" selection (mid-range, I'd say... you can always go higher end or work on a tighter budget...)

http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids.jsp

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Oh for the love of god just something that isn't too expensive.

Every bride thinks she's picked something her bridesmaids can "wear again," which is of course Just Not True. So make it cheap if you love them!

I am no help in particulars, I don't think -- I got married in my back yard and everyone just wore what they wanted. (In my defense, I was practically a child bride and my parents were hippies.)

My sister-in-law picked very reasonable wine-colored gowns which had spaghetti straps but a nice wrap for her October wedding at one of the chains -- wine colored, which somehow looked good on my pale Irish coloring AND her Italian sister-in-law with very olive-toned skin. I think they were around $140, and I think it WAS David's, in Connecticut.

I was so grateful they weren't too much, and I never wore it again. It's still hanging in my closet because I don't know what the heck to do with it.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

OMG, you get to pick your own? I seethe with envy.

If you find one you like in a store, it may be possible to find the exact same on on ebay.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Oh, hey, browse by colour. That's useful.

Thanks!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's more reasonable than I was expecting.

Thank you!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I am The Only Bridesmaid, so yeah, so long as it's covering/modest enough (it's my sister, and she's having a fairly religious wedding) I get carte blanche.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Actually, wine-coloured was what I was thinking. Burgundy is a good colour on me. :)

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

And it's very nice for an autumn wedding, I think.

[haddayr.livejournal.com]

Wait a minute. This is for you? And you get to pick it?

Your sister is awesome!

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

If you are the only maid, you do not have to get a traditional bridesmaid gown. The only reason that people do that--that is, get bridesmaid dresses--as far as I can tell--is because it's the easiest way to get matching colors and styles in a variety of sizes. Or something.

I basically told my maids (three of them) that they could pick what they wanted, and I'd veto if it bugged me... which led to them picking exactly what I wanted, somehow, even though I never would have forced it on them, because I thought the dresses were too expensive.

Anyway, that last paragraph was pointless. What I'm trying to say is, since you don't have to match, find some non-maidy dresses you like and see what your sister says.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Well yes. :) I have not found eligible males to marry yet, so it is for me.

(I suspect, since they've decided to have a wedding end of October, that me picking it is a function of one more thing off their list. :p )

[mekkavandexter.livejournal.com]

oddly enough, a lot of people seem to find reasonable dresses at Fairweather. Might not be uber bridesmaidey, but they are fomarlly, at least when I've seen them!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Hmm, okay. Maybe I should try some targeted mall-trolling, then.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Right. I was my sister's (only) bridesmaid, and I bought my dress at an ordinary department store. (It was sleeveless, but ankle-length, and after the wedding I altered it and now wear it as an ordinary day-dress in summer.)

Go to the fancy-dress part of any given department store, and you'll find a reasonable selection -- fall collections are just about to come in, and fall collections are more likely to include burgundy and also more likely to have sleeves. (Although a nice formal jacket, in black, is a nice piece to have in your wardrobe.) I found a spectacular 3/4 sleeve, floor-length black dress for a winter wedding (as a guest) at Filene's Basement a couple years ago, for $40.

...Although that dress is way too boobtacular to call modest.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

And if there are any in or around Toronto, I suggest outlet mall shopping. Cheaper than straight up retail and still a good selection. You might find a dress you like that you couldn't afford otherwise.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I have paid between US$75 and US$200 for bridesmaid dresses.

If your sister wants something fairly bridesmaidy, some of the David's Bridal gowns are available in two separate parts, so if you're a different size on the top and on the bottom that can be a godsend. My sister-in-law's other bridesmaid had the opposite top/bottom difference from mine, so we could both get apparel that fit us. Glory be.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

No real outlet malls here, but if I am totally and utterly stymied instead of just a little there may be a trip to Buffalo in order.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Oh, now that is a good thought. Thank you.

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Eeee! A wine-coloured frock! (Port or sherry?) And old garnets! :-)

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I second the recommendation for outlet malls and dept stores. Or I'm sure you could find a seamstress. Or hell, a student fashion designer--some of them are WAY talented, and they'll often do it for the price of the fabric and a photo for their portfolio.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

I think for a wedding dress I'd get something made? But on this short notice, and for a bridesmaid's dress, I'm not sure it's doable.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

That indeed will be a help. I am of fascinatingly disparate sizes on top and bottom.

Thanks. :)

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Ooh.

I suspect that in general, I am way too boobtacular to call modest. I may have to start a betting pool regarding orthodox rabbis and being thrown out of places. *g*

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Alas, the only way I'm getting old garnets is museum robbery. ;)

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Aw. Next you'll be telling me Lord Peter's made of fiction. :-(

[txanne.livejournal.com]

I don't think mine took that long--you have 2.5 months, right? I don't see you in lots of frills and furbelows, somehow, and you can always get a fabulous wrap instead of a jacket, which is complicated to construct.

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Since it's just you and you have the choices, don't get a bridesmaid dress. They are usually cheap (in make) because they know no one is going to wear it again.

(Well, if you expect never to wear it again, then...)

I would recommend the formal department at a department store. It might be slightly more expensive (it could go crazy if you wanted!), but the selection will be (a) more sophisticated, and (b) possibly something you can re-use.

I had a formal gown that I wore to at least six occasions, and I looked fab in it ("you look like an opera star!" was one comment).

If you can, go for something sleeveless and gorgeous, paired with a contrasting jacket. (Say, a wine satin dress and a black velvet jacket.) At the very least, you can re-wear the dress at a convention.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Yup. I called the sister to check, and the date's October 27th. Which still strikes me as tight for getting something made and fittings and arranging around someone's working schedule.

But yes, no frills, no fancies, no silliness. When I have done formalwear in the past, it has usually been shooting for that elegant-to-the-point-of-severity thing: strong colours, basic simple cuts, nice fabric.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Oh, is that why they're all silly and shiny like they're made out of lining material?

I'm thinking the jacket thing is the best way to go at this point, yes. :)

[ksumnersmith.livejournal.com]

Let me know if you'd like company. :)

[bnbalder.livejournal.com]

You could for vintage...Queen Street West and Kensington Market, that kind of places?

[thesandtiger.livejournal.com]

I have four bridesmaid dresses in my closet (Two weddings were for my brothers, and two for friends).

The best of the bunch was actually a navy blue two piece (Long flowy pants with panels over and behind each leg, and a halter top). That's the one I actually have worn again.

I also have three satin (or satin-like) dresses in forest green, navy, and light purple. Note the word Satin. Anything with that "bridesmaid" shininess is not your friend. You won't ever wear it again.

You could also try going with a shawl/scarf instead of a jacket. It can provide the same amount of coverage, and be more versatile.

Stores to try? Fairweather of all places used to have an inexpensive collection of bridesmaid dresses - it may be worth asking if they still do (Ask if they have a catalog - they don't always carry dresses in the store).

Prices for the dresses I've worn ranged from $119-300. Since you get to choose, you can likely find something at the lower end of that.

I also second the vintage idea.

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yes, vintage!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I would. And thank you. :)

(I will keep you apprised of when and such.)

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Good thought -- I shall troll through Kensington next grocery day!

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Hee -- so it wasn't just me, that everything there was strangely shiny?

Thank you. This is all great help. :)

[joane.livejournal.com]

Just as a note, a good seamstress will be much more expensive than a dress off the rack at Fairweather's or David's. If you're getting a dress that will need alterations then they might start to be comparable, but otherwise, you're better off doing off-the-rack if money is a consideration.

[seabream.livejournal.com]

Black Market, by Pages at John (though there's also the one across the street) is also nice for vintage.

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

A co-worder got married last year, and another's getting married next year. They both got their bridesmaid's dresses at Le Chateau, and IIRC, they were around $100 or less.

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

Alas, I am pretty sure nothing at Le Chateau will fit me.

(That's the other wrinkle. At least size 14, and really it's one size on the boobs and a smaller one on the butt.)

[ginny-t.livejournal.com]

Oooops. I didn't think about that--sorry!