Bridesmaid Dresses: Found!

After the initial trip, Bridesmaid R and I decided to continue our search at Lasting Bridal Couture where I had purchased my bridal gown. I cannot speak highly enough of Sarah, the consultant at Lasting Bridal Couture who helped me find my gown. She has been so helpful and patient over the phone as well the multiple times I have been back to the store to show different family members/bridesmaids my dress. I knew that if we went to check out the dresses there we would not only get a better price for the girls on their dresses, but we would get the wonderful assistance of Sarah. So, off we went!

Just a reminder, we were looking for:

• A non-strapless dress
• Some sort of detail on the shoulders - beading, flowers, etc.
• Light, flowy material
• A dress that was offered in a nice shade of red

After the previous trip, I had found a few dresses online I was really hoping to see in person: a one shoulder option, similar to what we had already tried, as well as a two shoulder option with beautiful draping on the shoulders:

After Six 6638 

Lela Rose LX 160

Unfortunately, Lasting Bridal Couture only carried one of these options. Bridesmaid R was able to try on the two shoulder option, and we loved it, but not the one shoulder option. She also tried on two others that we liked, one very similar to the dress she had tried at Georgio's with the flower detail: 

After Six 6611

We decided this one was a little more flattering and it became a front runner in the decision. After trying on a few others, including the two-shoulder option I had found online, our top three choices were the After Six Dress above, as well as the two dresses below:

Bill Levkoff 115  

Again, the After Six 6638 / The sample was big on
R's tiny self, but still beautiful!

After much debating we decided to knock out the first option. (Side note: I have no idea why each of the sample dresses we liked happened to be in blue! Crazy coincidence!) I wanted something a little more unique, and I felt as if I had seen this option a lot. 

So, our top two were the Bill Levkoff dress and the After Six I had found online previously. I really liked the Levkoff dress. I thought the sweetheart neckline and the shoulder detail was gorgeous. On its own it was a beautiful gown. However, the decision came down to what we thought would look good on three girls standing side by side, as well as which dress would look good next to mine. Again, Sarah was a tremendous help. We agreed that the After Six dress would really compliment the look of my gown, and this was the deciding factor.

It. Was. Tough. They are both beautiful dresses, and in some ways I liked the Bill Levkoff dress a little more, but the other gown was beautiful as well, and it happened to be significantly cheaper, which made a difference. (I actually discovered later that the Bill Levkoff dress was not even offered in a true red option, so that would've been a huge letdown if I had my heart set on it!)

So, we had made the decision! ...... Well, not so fast. 

Remember that one shoulder option I had mentioned earlier that I had also found online? Lasting Bridal Couture did not carry it, but another shop literally five minutes away had it in the store. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see that dress in person. 

We hopped in the car and hurried over to Circle Park Bridal to try on the dress before they closed. The dress was beautiful and it looked great in person, but we both quickly agreed that it didn't match the two shoulder draping of the other dress. Bridesmaid R came out and went back in the dressing room so quickly I didn't even think to snap a picture - we knew the After Six dress was the one.

Lasting Bridal Couture has a great online setup to order the dresses, which is great for my girls because they are in three different cities. They were each able to order theirs online shortly after we made the decision, and got to take advantage of the great online rate that was offered. I chose to go with the color option Flame. Although online I thought another version of red looked better, the swatches in store said differently and Flame was the choice. It will (hopefully!) look like this once the girls receive it. I can't wait to see it in person!

After Six 6638 - Flame 

Am I the only one who just HAD to see one more option before I made the final decision? Or were you able to say yes to the (bridesmaid) dress as soon as you saw The One?

The (Bridesmaid) Dress Hunt Begins!

The lovely Bridesmaid R and I began our search for dresses in a shop in Waco called Georgio’s. To be honest, this shop pleasantly surprised me. We went one evening, without an appointment, but one of the girls working greeted us and left us to look on our own – I actually really appreciated this because we were just getting started with our search and just wanted to browse. Waco isn’t exactly known for the nicest shops you’ve ever been to, but the staff was friendly, and the store served our purpose well. I will say that right as we were driving up, we saw an employee locking the door, which completely confused us because we had checked the hours. When we asked her about it, she replied “No, we aren’t closed – this is just Waco.” Well said, lady. 

We got started quickly, each choosing a handful of dresses for Bridesmaid R to try on. All of my bridesmaids are very similar in size, so I felt that if we liked the way the dress fit her, it was more than likely going to look good on the other girls.

Most of the dresses that we picked looked something like this:

After Six 6637 

Dessy 2863 

After Six 6622  

I really wanted the girls to wear something with straps or one shoulder because *spoiler alert* my dress is strapless, and I really wanted the contrast.

Most of the dresses were a bust. I decided very quickly that I did not like the heavier look of the satin dresses. I just wanted the girls to wear something flowy and romantic. I also did not like when the one shoulder option completely covered their shoulder and arm, I wanted more of a strap than a sleeve.

After Robin had tried on all of the options, we decided that these were the ones we liked best, although, admittedly, we weren’t super excited about either of them.

Bari Jay Style 644 

We left empty handed, but had gained a little more information about what we liked best and what to look for next:

• Flowy fabric, such as chiffon
• ...but not too much fabric on top
• No strapless! Okay, this was really just one of my demands :)
• Fun detail of some sort on the strap/near the top

How was your first bridesmaid dress shopping experience? A waste of time or learning experience? Or did you knock it out in the first try, and leave with a decision made?  (Lucky!)

What to Wear: Bridesmaids Edition

As you’ve probably already figured out, it typically doesn’t take too terribly long for me to make a decision with many wedding related items. Of course there are exceptions – sometimes my decision is really just a lack of one, as we saw with the floral decorations. But so far, it has really just been a matter of doing some research online, meeting with the vendor in person to make sure we like them, and then putting down a deposit. This was the case with the DJ, Harpist, and the person who will do my makeup (more on that coming soon!).  Following suit, choosing the dresses for the bridesmaids was a fairly simple process, which I am very thankful for!

It seems as if finding a dress for your ladies to wear can sometimes be one of the more stressful choices during the planning process, which I completely understand. The process is filled with difficult questions like whether or not to have the entire group of ladies match, or to allow them to each choose a unique dress style or color. And if you do choose the route of matching dresses, it can be difficult to find a style that is flattering for each bridesmaid or find a style that everyone can agree on. 

I did my best to have most of these factors decided before we started visiting stores and trying on dresses. I wanted the girls to wear red, so I was hoping to find a dress we all liked in a shade of red that looked good as well.

Because I’m in love with pictures like this:

image via Continuum Photography

And this:

image via Southern Weddings, photo by Virgil Bunao

..I chose to go the matching dress route. I do love bridal parties with different dresses in a coordinating color scheme, especially in light, neutral colors like so:

Photo by: Edyta Szyszlo Photography on Grey Likes Weddings via Lover.ly

...But I was honestly afraid that with a small bridal party of just three bridesmaids it wouldn’t have the same effect if I let them choose individual dresses. My lovely bridesmaids are also very similar in height and size, so I felt that the streamline matching look could work really well with this group.

My next choice was whether or not I wanted the dresses to be floor length, at the knee, or somewhere in between. If our wedding was during the summer I would’ve chosen a short dress, no questions asked. Likewise, if it were a winter affair I would’ve chosen a floor length gown with a heavier fabric. However, we chose to have the wedding in October because of the pleasant weather (among other reasons) that is so rare in the Lone Star State. With the wedding at this time of the year, either style of dress could really be appropriate, so it was just up to all of us to decide what we liked more. 

Personally, I liked the idea of a long dress. I thought they would look very elegant and fit the style of the venue really well. I just wanted to check with the bridesmaids to be sure before I made a decision. When I asked the girls for their opinion, I suspected each of them would prefer a short dress. I was extremely surprised that each of them was not only okay with the idea of a long gown, but actually thought it would look really nice. So, it was settled, and the search began for a red, floor length, elegant bridesmaid dress that would satisfy each of our tastes!

How did you decide what style you wanted for your bridesmaids? Did you come up with an idea before you started shopping, or did you wait until the girls were trying on dresses to decide you liked a didn't like?

This One's For The Girls!

I'm back for the second time tonight. There is just so much I want to share with y'all and I really need to get to posting!

I briefly mentioned in my last two posts the topic of bridesmaid dresses. Then it hit me a little while ago that I had never even introduced the ladies who will stand by my side on my Big Day! So, without further ado, my bridesmaids:

First off, my main gal, Maid of Honor Larkin:
We've been the best of friends since middle school, and she's been with me every step of the way through some difficult times. This picture was taken on a vacation to Cabo San Lucas, and I'm officially taking a new picture of us the next time we're together because this sucker is OLD!

Aren't we cute!? ...and so, so young. / Personal Photo

Next up, another childhood friend, Bridesmaid Jamie:

Jamie and I met in the first grade, and she's one of those friends that you just can't think of a memory that doesn't involve her. She is such a joyful person, and I'm so thankful to have her in my life.

Another old photo alert! / Personal photo

I just love these girls!

And last, but certainly not least, Bridesmaid Robin! Robin is one of my newest friends, but still so very important to me! We met Freshman year of college, and have been roommates the last two years. She has been so helpful in the planning process, and more importantly :) she shares my sense of humor!

Finally, a semi-recent picture! / Personal Photo

Choosing the ladies to be my bridesmaids was one of the easiest decisions I have made in the planning process. Each of them holds a special place in my heart, and I love the mixture of new and old friends standing next to me, representing how important they are in my life. These girls are so wonderful, and obviously BEAUTIFUL, and I can't wait to share my wedding day with them!

Tell me about your bridesmaids! Old friends, new friends, how did you choose?