I feel like this is one area that every bride treads very lightly with. She asks her BFF’s to be int he wedding but then there is the daunting task of choosing dresses. Often times for all different shapes, sizes, height, and styles. How do you find a dress that your 17 year old punk rock sister will love while also trying to please your preppy Yale Med School friend? The long time go-to place has been David’s bridal but, personally, I’ve found that the dresses are often ill fitting and very frequently seams are ripping and pulls have been made on the dresses by the time your girls hit the dance floor.
In the last few years, thank God, tradition has been broken ever so slightly and a lot of brides are getting creative and/or relaxing when it comes to choosing dresses for their girls. For starters, the pressure is officially off to do floor length satin gowns that they will never wear again. The floor length satin has now been replaced with knee length frocks that they could wear more than once. I think I just heard all the past and future bridesmaids of the world sing the Hallelujah chorus, in perfect unison. It’s not uncommon for the bride to choose a color or color palette and let her girls choose their own dress within those parameters. By doing this, each girl ends up loving her dress! It’s also become popular now to stray from the typical brands of Jenny Yoo, Alfred Angelo and David’s Bridal and exchange that for classy and chic dresses from places like J. Crew, Ann Taylor, and Anthropologie. But before I get into my recommendations for bridesmaid dresses, let’s take a short look back on WHY you need to reconsider your choices…
This would be the Beverly Hills version of Jersey Shore.
Not sure which is worse – the color fo the skirts or the fact that the color of their skin matches their skirts.
Why do I feel like Michael Jackson would totally dig these dresses?
I know there are a lot of DIY and budget brides out there, but let’s not get crazy and go stealing Grandma’s curtains, ya hear?
In light of all the bridesmaid dress tragedies that have happened over the years (remember “Bo Peep” from 27 dresses?), I figured I’d make a list of chic, cute, and overall WIN dresses for bridesmaids of today.
1. J.Crew
One of the things I love most about J. Crew is that their clothes are effortlessly chic and stylish. This extends into their bridal line with their gorgeous and simple gowns and bridesmaids dresses. The also have some fun colors that you usually can’t find at the more common wedding stores.
2. Ann Taylor
Ann Taylor is clean, classic, and simple. If you are looking to find something that isn’t gonna make Aunt Betty fall out of her chair, but still makes your girls happy, Ann Taylor is the place to go. And their one shoulder dresses are TO DIE FOR!
3. Anthropologie
One of the things I love most about Anthro’s dresses is that you are guaranteed to find something that is a bit quirky and fun. If you are really looking to break away from tradition while still keeping things fun and simple, Anthro is your store.
4. Two Birds Bridesmaids
These are actually the dresses we are using for my wedding because my girls are all different shapes, sizes and heights and I, honest to God, have never seen this dress look bad on anyone! They can tie it any way they want so the fabric ad colors are consistent but the style of the dress is customized to suit their individual bodies. TBB has a few different options now but I still prefer the classic, long option.
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