The Wedding Diaries: Bridesmaid Horror

This week on The Wedding Diaries, I battled the challenge of finding the right bridesmaid dress! Ladies, finding the right bridesmaid dress is more difficult than the hunt for your own dress. Every girl has a different body, skin tone, height, taste, and schedule! Trying to arrange a day, time, and dress with a group of women is confusing, usually unsuccessful, and definitely stressful. My experiences with various bridal parties taught me that the best way to shop for BM dresses is to do it alone. I started my journey in Downtown LA's South Santee St., which was once a hidden gem for finding unique and price reduced evening gowns. Unfortunately store owners have now confused this street with Rodeo Drive by overpricing their merchandise. Most dresses were priced from $200-$500 and many were only catalog orders. I do not recommend spending more than $150 on a dress from downtown. Im also not a big fan of buying from specialty stores that carry bridesmaid dresses. They are again overpriced, the sizes are always wrong and complicated, and they take way too long to deliver. Department stores like Macy's, Nordstrom,  Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, and even Saks Fifth Avenue  have started carrying bridesmaid dresses.

 Buying from department stores gives you many perks such as: Free shipping and return (whether you order online or not), discounts and sale promotions, pictures of what the dress looks like on, as well as a visual of what the dress looks like in different colors. You can pick out your favorite dresses online then visit the store with your bridesmaids.
Another fun and unique process could be hosting a party at a house with all your bridesmaids trying on different dresses. To keep costs down and the process funner I would order one of every dress you liked or saw potential in. Order the size of your largest bridesmaids along with some accessories and you'll have everything shipped to you within a week! Ordering the largest size along with the trick of clamping will allow everyone to fit into the dress!

You can order these mini spring clamps from Amazon.com. Also have a few 4x4" square cut outs of unused fabric.  This is a trick of the trade used in bridal stores and the fashion industry. Once the dress is tried on, roll the center back till the dress adjusts to the right size. Start clamping from the waist to the top, leaving bottom adjustments for last. Now the dress looks perfect on everyone!

Another fun idea for the hosting party is laying out the accessories so you and your bridesmaids can try on and photograph different styles.

Don't forget some yummy desserts and drinks!

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Last but not least: Bridesmaid measurements! Bridesmaid dresses, like wedding dresses, come in unusual set sizes. They are not like standard sizes we are used to buying, so don't feel fooled by your retailer. Most important measurements are the bust, waist, and hips. Depending on the dress, you must choose the size that matches your largest measurement. Do not order a smaller size (especially when there is more than 1'' difference) in attempts to lose weight and fit into it. Altering a dress down 1-2 sizes is not difficult at all.

P.S. Remember to always keep your extra fabric! You never know what emergency you or your BM can run into. Also, it might be nice to incorporate the fabric onto the BM bouquets.