Picking bridesmaids dresses can be time consuming and stressful. Some brides find it to be even more difficult than picking out their own dress!
So, we here at Bella Bridal Gallery have decided to outline some simple steps to make bridesmaids dress shopping much easier for you:
1. Make an appointment
Because bridesmaids dress shopping often requires you to bring a few girls with you, and can take a long amount of time, it is important to book an appointment with your preferred store to ensure that you have a room and salesperson available to help you.
2. Be flexible with your color scheme
By leaving your color options open, you allow yourself more designer options, and therefore more dress options. Picking out an incredibly specific color for your bridesmaids dresses can make your shopping experience more difficult.
3. Don't visit too many stores
This step is essential when shopping for bridesmaids dresses. We would recommend picking no more than two stores, and to make sure that these establishments have a wide selection of dresses. Anything more than two stores can confuse and tire your group, drawing out the process for much longer than it needs to be.
4. You do not have to bring all of your bridesmaids with you
It is important for brides to remember that every decision in their wedding is ultimately up to them, even bridesmaids dresses. Bringing all of your girls with you to shop for bridesmaids dresses may become a bad situation, as the girls may disagree and argue on what dress to pick. Some brides choose to, instead, bring two girls with them: the smallest and the largest girl. That way, they know that the dress will look good on the two extremes of the group, therefore it will look good on everyone else in the group. This strategy is effective at limiting most confusion and argument.
5. Be prepared
Walking into a store without any idea of what you want can be a disaster. Your girls will pull several dresses to try on and narrowing the choices down will be nearly impossible. Instead, it is best to have a good general idea of what you're looking for. For example, you could tell the salesperson something like this:
I want a short dress, chiffon, in some sort of light pink shade.
This simple instruction helps the salesperson narrow down your choices, and therefore helps you by eliminating confusion.
6. Set a timeline
It is important to set a strict timeline when it comes to bridesmaids dress shopping. You should begin by assigning a date to try on bridesmaids dresses about 6-7 months before your wedding. Then, you should assign a mandatory date for the bridesmaids to place their orders by. Make sure each of your girls is clear on this date. After that, it is up to the girls to schedule their fittings about a month or two before the wedding.