Dear Divas,

I am having a destination wedding on a beach in the tropics, and I’m trying to find some bridesmaid dresses that will make all 6 of my girls happy.  We’ve been looking for months and I’m starting to get frustrated.  I want them all to be happy with the dresses, so I’ve let them send out options on their own.  We’ve been looking at “real” bridesmaid dresses, but I prefer to get dresses from a department store so that they can be worn again.  The problem is, no one ever agrees on anything!  Three girls will love the dress, 2 will be ok with it, and one will hate it.  I don’t want to force them to wear something that any of them will hate, so until now I’ve avoided making a final decision.  However, we’re getting down to the wire and we need to find something soon.  I could just pick a dress but I fear that they’ll be upset since I made it clear that they had free reign over dress selection.  How do I keep everyone happy and still get the dresses bought?

Dress Disaster

Dear Dress Disaster,

First of all, it’s very sweet of you to try so hard to find a dress that will perfectly fit each of your bridesmaid’s likes and dislikes.  However, as you’ve seen, it’s nearly impossible to find one dress that will match 6–actually, 7 (you have to like it too!)–individual tastes.  Women come in all different shapes and sizes and style preferences are even more varied.

At this point in the game, you just need a decision made.  It’s ok to bring some kind of order to the madness that is the dress selection.  Instead of letting your bridesmaids have free reign to throw dress suggestions out at their whim, why not select a list of 10 dresses that you love.  Email all of your ‘maids and ask them to vote on their top three.  At the end of the day, you’ll have a dress that not only you are sure to like, but that the majority of your maids will like too.  You can even ask them to list their three least favorite dresses–maybe it will help you to avoid selecting one that any of them will “hate”.

Another option is to go with a “real” bridesmaid dress (although I know you were trying to avoid that).  The upside is that you can have the dresses all made in the same fabric but in different styles.  That way, each girl will be wearing something that flatters her own body shape.
Finally, be sure to check out J. Crew’s bridesmaid line.  These chic dresses are perfect for weddings but can easily double as an any-occassion dress.  Good luck!

Unfortunately, on the wedding scene you tend to come across stories of hapless bridesmaids being tortured by the whims of a raging bridezilla. We’ve heard of everything from bridesmaids being banned from the beach because tanlines are simply unacceptable, to the ladies signing a contract that explicitly states that they will not get pregnant before the wedding out of a fear that they will “ruin the aesthetic” of a ceremony.

But brides don’t have to be completely out of control in order to torture their friends—simple budget demands will do the trick. In this all-too-common story from Smart Spending, a bridesmaid laments over being asked to pay $275 for a dress she hates, on top of chipping in for a bachelorette party and four separate showers!

Do you think that’s fair? How much do you expect the bridesmaids at your wedding to spend? Have you ever had to deal with insane bridesmaid costs? How did you handle it? Do pricey bridesmaid expenses make you want to rant or rave?

Learning that a bridesmaid is pregnant can stir up a lot of emotions for a bride-to-be. On one hand, the bride will probably be thrilled for her friend.  On the other hand, she may be contemplating how this will affect the purchasing of bridesmaid dresses.

Not to fret! Most major bridesmaid designers offer maternity lines that will not only fit your pregnant friend, but it will also be very stylish.  Below are just a few examples of dresses that caught our eye:

From L to R – Bari Jay: Style 351; Bari Jay: Style760; Isabella Oliver: The Wrap Column Dress; Alfred Sung: Style M423; Tiffany Roses: The Sofia Gown

Related Post- Diva Dish: Pregnant Bridesmaid