As a bridesmaid, you have probably heard this at least once in your life- “you will totally wear this again!”, before shelling out for a bridesmaid dress. All too, only to have it chilling and losing its shine in your closet months later. Now that you are planning your own wedding, we know you would be wondering how to pick bridesmaid dresses that are budget-friendly, and universally flattering, but also work best with your wedding style. You are thinking if that is impossible, then we have got you covered. We assure you that it is actually possible and absolutely. So, if you are shopping for bridesmaid dresses, then this blog will be definitely helpful for you. In this blog, we have elaborated A to Z of choosing bridesmaid dresses for your girl's squad that they will love wearing on your wedding day and look glorious in all your wedding photos, too! 

Always Be Upfront About Your Expectations

Brides want their best girls and bridesmaids to look pretty on their wedding day! The overall experience is important for everyone and comfort and elegance are what matter. When you can be upfront about your expectations with your bridesmaids and even with your Maid-of-Honor, selecting the perfect gowns that match your bridal style, and their expectations will be a breeze. When you ask your friends to come to your bridal party, just let them know that you would like them to come with you when you go shopping for your bridesmaid's dress. Your bridesmaids are important as they are going to do everything for you to make every phase of your wedding day a memorable celebration. They will plan a bridal shower or a bachelorette party, and anything else along the way that you might want in order to have a memorable experience before, during, and even after your wedding day. 

Make Sure You are Upfront About the Financial Commitment

Well, this surely goes hand-in-hand with your time obligations, but it is definitely one of the important factors when it comes to shopping for your lovely bridesmaids. It is an extremely generous gesture to shop the dresses for your lovely bridesmaids, it is in no way required. That being said, along with the dresses, don’t forget to take into consideration the shower, bachelorette, and wedding day accessories that you may want them to shop for. So, just try to be as honest as possible. While there might be certain unexpected things that may pop up, as long as you are upfront from the very beginning with your lovely ladies, that won’t matter. In the end, if the finances are too much for one of your ladies, then do not get offended even if they decline or opt-out of some of the pre-wedding festivities. 

Stay on the Budget and Keep the Costs in Mind

If any of your friends have been to a bridal party before, we are pretty much sure that they will know that bridesmaids traditionally have to pay for their own dresses. But a gentle reminder is always a great idea. Especially when it comes to the price. So, when it comes to the cost of the bridesmaid's dress, try to be considerate of your friends’ lifestyles, after all, bridesmaid's dress probably is not the only thing they are paying for or have on their do-to list for their wedding day. And if by any chance you have planned for a destination bachelorette, then, of course, you have things in your mind like a pre-wedding party, wedding party-related costs also do add up. So, if you think that your wedding can lead to some kind of additional financial burden for your lovely ladies, all you need to do is focus your search on bridesmaids dresses in a more affordable range, or just select a specific color you like and let them shop for their own style from off the rack. In fact, you can also consider taking the cue from the guys and consider renting your bridesmaid's dresses. There are various online rental platforms that allow bridesmaids to choose dresses from classic and famous high-end designers in a range of beautiful colors and styles for a fraction of the cost. As a bridesmaid's dress is something that your bridesmaids will wear once in their life, this second option is indeed a great idea to have designer bridesmaids' dresses without going over your pocket. 

Be Inclusive About all the Wedding Day Details

Well, it is absolutely not mandatory for you to show your bridesmaids your wedding dress or need to bring them to a fitting, it is always nice to tell your lovely ladies some of the details not everyone else knows to get them excited about your big day celebration. We believe that leaving your best friends in the dark can only stir controversy and too many questions, as they will turn resentful every time you are elusive or dodge a question they ask you about your big and special day! So, you just need to make sure that your ladies have the full day-of details, which include the type of wedding shoes you are going to wear on your wedding day, the finalized hairstyles/nails colors, to the basic timeline well in advance, so there are no surprises at the last minute for them they that are not expecting on the wedding day.

Before Going Bridesmaids Dress Shopping, Ask What Their Ideal Dress Would Look Like

Well, if you are just unsure about anything related to your bridesmaid's dresses, then you can just simply ask them and ease out your bridesmaid dress shopping stress. Ask all the questions related to the style of the dress that they would like to wear on your wedding day like the types of sleeves they will prefer, the length of the dress, and whether they wanna go for a short dress or a floor-length dress, and even about the color that they would love to wear on your wedding day. Trust us, it is one of the easiest ways to get all the information that you will need when you go bridesmaid dress shopping for your wedding day celebration. 

Do Ask Your Bridesmaid About What Their Worst Nightmare Dress Will Be?

While you are penning down or making notes of the ideal dress that your bridesmaids would love to wear on your wedding day, don’t forget to specifically ask them about the worst possible bridesmaid dress of their imagination. Well, of course, every bridesmaid will be different from the other one, so there are chances that you may get some contrasting feedback, but at least after this discussion, you would have reached a happy medium, and would have known what are things that you should not be looking in the dress for your bridal party. For example, if one of your bridesmaids doesn’t prefer to slip into mini skirts, whereas there is another one who dislikes ankle-length dresses, then you can consider setting something in between and can choose a knee-length bridesmaid dress.

Shop Accordingly the Budget and Choice of Your Bridesmaids

You have to think about what kind of shopping experience will work best for your personality. If you tend to have strong opinions and are a good decision-maker, then it is always better to shop alone. But, if you are the kind of bride who prefers more input, then you can always take your whole gang along with you and give them guidelines, like color, fabric, designer, or style of the bridesmaid dress. If you wish to make the bridesmaid's dress shopping an incredible and enjoyable experience for your ladies, try to make a day of it. You can plan to start off the day with a leisurely brunch including some mimosas in order to ensure that everyone is relaxed and have a great time shopping together. To make your girls feel special during the shopping, you take all their opinions about the dresses they love and don’t love. Well, even if you don’t agree with their suggestions, it never hurts to make your friends feel heard especially when you are shopping for them. After all, they are going to be the ones wearing the dresses and posing for some fun-filled wedding party photos to add to your wedding portfolio. Happy bridesmaids always make beautiful bridesmaids, which our professional wedding photographers would love to capture in great frames!

Let Your Pretty Bridesmaids Embrace their Individual Styles, One Way or Another

The easiest, and most successful way to shop out dresses for your bridesmaids, is that you choose the designer, color, and material for your bridesmaid dresses, and then let them choose a style that they feel suits them best. If by any chance you want them all in the same dresses for your wedding day, allow them to choose their shoes within a color palette, a basic accessory either for their hair or for their dress, or a hairstyle within reason that will make them look and feel pretty at the same time on your special day. Compelling your bridesmaids to look a certain way might play out your dream wedding ideas and vision, but their frowns in all your wedding photos will last forever. Well, you are the bride, and you should do exactly what you want, but try to be considerate to your lovely bridesmaids so that they also glow while radiating their best versions of themselves. And you do not need to stress away, as you are the bride, you are the showstopper of the day, and no bridesmaids ever will be able to steal your thunder! They will love you for everything you will be doing for them, but trust us, they will never outshine you on the most special day of your life, and not even in your wedding photographs captured by our talented team of professional wedding photographers at George Street Photo and Video. 

Don’t Forget to Flatter Their Figures

While you get shopping for your bridesmaid's dresses don’t forget to take into consideration their body shapes before selecting the perfect bridesmaid's dress silhouettes. Suppose your bridesmaids have an array of different body types, and you are actually having a hard time finding the one perfect bridesmaid dress that will work for all of them. In that case, you can consider picking a color that goes well with your wedding theme or even can go for a range of colors and allow your ladies to choose their own dresses for your big day depending on their figures. Well, but if your heart is set on a specific silhouette for your ladies, try to be flexible where custom alterations are concerned if they make your lovely ladies feel more comfortable. Small tweaks to transform the dress and bring out the best, like adding cap sleeves to a sleeveless bridesmaids' dress, bringing up a plunging neckline, or toning down a high slit will make a world of difference but won’t drastically change the overall look of your bridal party. These simple changes surely elevate the look of the bridesmaid's dress. And, while this might seem obvious, you can make sure that you are always checking the maximum size available of the dress you choose to make sure that it will work flawlessly for all your bridesmaids. If one or more of your bridesmaids are lovely plus-size bridesmaids, you just can’t expect them to shop for a too-small dress for themselves. Well, in that case, let us tell you that there are lots of gorgeous size-inclusive options out there for you and your pretty bridesmaids to choose from. We can assure you that your squad will thank you for understanding the situation and working out in their favor. 

Lastly, Do a Double Check on Whether They Actually Like The Dress That You Decided or Not?

There is absolutely no denying that an honest friend would tell you their no holds barred opinion early on in the bridesmaid dress shopping process. But, there are chances that some of your bridesmaids may be super polite and might not want to hurt your feelings and will not be true about their opinion of the dress that you have decided upon. So, before you buy your bridesmaid's dresses, give them a metaphorical Get Out of Jail Free Card and double-check that the dress you've decided on doesn't cause them to frown. Just make sure that you get to know about their honest opinion, as you also want them to look stunning on your wedding day and in your wedding photos too. 

Of course, being a bridesmaid is always a privilege, but also having your nearest and dearest gals with you as you float down the aisle to start the most beautiful chapter of your life, is also a privilege too! There is no point getting stressed about the bridesmaid's dresses when there are endless styles to choose from and shop from nowadays. While you get yourself involved in the process of your bridesmaid's dress shopping, just don’t forget to enjoy yourself with all your gals in between the process. As it will be over in the blink of an eye! A year from your wedding day, all you wish you could do it all over again — even the bickering over the bridesmaid's dresses. So, just have maximum fun and minimal stress while shopping for your bridesmaid dresses.