8 x Ways To Make Shopping For Your Bridesmaid Dresses Stress-Free
Shopping for your bridesmaid dresses? Don't sweat it. We've got eight suggestions to help you on your way.
When it comes to hunting for the bridesmaid dresses (bride tribe in tow…with multiple - and varying - opinions) it’s best to attempt to hit the sweet spot with regards to your approach. This will lie somewhere in-between Squadron Leader and sheep dog (to sort of herd them in the direction you want to go)…and you thought finding your own big day dress was hard.
Luckily for you, we’ve got eight top tips for making the bridesmaid dress shopping trip stress-free.
Above image: TH&TH Bridesmaids, Photography by Kristida Photography
No.1 Research. Research. Research.
Heading into the bridesmaid dress search blind is not recommended. You may think you’re in for a girly shopping trip filled with champagne, sassy pre-wedding vibes and fun, but if you haven’t planned ahead even a little (we’re thinking: shopping stop-off route, stock checks, pre-planned lunch etc.) things definitely have the potential to go awry. Whittle down your boutique hot-list, make a note of your bridesmaids’ sizes and pre-book those cocktails.
No.2 Book ahead
For my own bridesmaid dress quest, I pre-booked a store’s private dressing room. Sometimes stores and boutique’s have larger - more private - dressing rooms for such circumstances, allowing you - and your bride tribe - to get that intimate trying-on experience you’ve always wanted (without the pressure of a changing room queue or other shoppers).
No.3 Don’t forget the champagne
For heaven’s sake, don’t forget the champagne! Some of your bridal party might be meeting for the first time and, with having to strip down to their undies and try on dresses, a little champagne works as quite the ice-breaker!
No.4 Plan. Plan. Plan.
Orchestrate the day like you’ve organised your wedding. Plan the best - and quickest - shopping route, pre-book lunch or cocktails for a break (no one likes a hangry bridesmaid), pre-book changing rooms (and dress sizes to put on hold if you can) and basically leave no room for error.
No.5 Explore ALL options
Get a hold on what the wedding industry has to offer! It’s no longer just about the traditional bridesmaid dress, there’s everything from bridesmaid separates to flexible multi-way gowns, cute denim jackets and palettes of colours to wet your shopping tastebuds.
No.6 Don’t ignore your bridesmaids’ shapes + preferences
This is an important one, and it’s all about compromise from both sides. You may want your bridal party to take to the aisle in mustard tulle, but if mustard really doesn’t suit Karen’s skin-tone and the elastic waistband is rather unflattering on everyone, its best to try something different, don’t you think? Find a happy medium with your bridesmaids and make sure you - and they - are happy and comfortable in the final choice.
No.7 How to adapt
If there’s a little tension due to a dress disagreement among bridesmaids and not everyone is happy with the choice - refer back to No.6 - and then adapt and move forward. Your dreams of a peach-adorned bride tribe may be dashed, but try complimenting tones, multi-way dresses that can be worn and styled to suit each bridesmaids’ shape and silhouette and the endless options out there. All is not lost, trust me.
Dresses by Motee Maids
No.8 Bring a little pick-me-up
Finally, it’s no secret that everyone loves a gift. So - to kickstart proceedings the right way - bring a little pre-hen-party favour to gift to your tribe and sweeten the deal. Team Hen, naturally, have some rather wonderful - and affordable - ideas. Simply click here.
