Not every wedding warrants matchy-matchy bridesmaids dresses. So, how do you get your girls to match without actually matching?
Hawes Photography
1. Give your girls some guidelines. Whether its length, color, style. With a few rules in mind, they can go on the hunt for a dress that matches their style, but fits with your rules.
2. Give the girls a list of specific styles to pick from. Shops like Bella Bridesmaid, J.Crew, and David’s Bridal make this easy!
Beth Berry Photography
3. Ask to see the dresses before they purchase (or make sure they are returnable if the girls end up purchasing). This will give you the opportunity to preview all of the dresses and give them the okay.
4. And, lastly – don’t feel like you have to have your girls match (or not match). Go with your gut, and pick an option that works best with the overall look and feel of your wedding.
It’s no surprise I was quite stoked (yes, stoked) about the debut of Bella Bridesmaid in St. Louis. And, when owner, Carrie, invited me to meet with her and check out her adorable shop in Town & Country for the Grand Opening – I could hardly pass up the offer.
For all you St. Louis brides (or out-of-town brides in the St. Louis-area this weekend), Bella Bridesmaid will play host to the Joanna August trunk show January 21-22.
Besides the fact that I would be more than willing to purchase every. single. dress. in Bella (and, ignoring the fact that I am only in one wedding in the near future), Joanna’s gowns are: Romantic. Beautiful. And, 100% completely and totes re-wearable. Which means, you have to check them out for your own wedding!
Be sure to give the St. Louis boutique a call to schedule your appointment for this weekend!
About Joanna August: Launched in February 2010, Joanna August is a collection of Wedding and Bridesmaids dresses for the discerning modern bride who is looking for more fashion forward options and is tired of asking her friends to spend money on dresses they will never wear again. All of Joanna’s dresses are chic, flattering, stylish, come in over 100 colors for the bride to choose from and, most importantly, are unrecognizable as bridesmaid dresses. Accordingly, Joanna’s dresses walk down the aisle and red carpet alike and have been seen on celebrities such as Meg Ryan, Malin Akerman and Bree Williamson. The Joanna August Collection is available in the US, Australia and coming soon to the UK. Please visit www.joannaaugust.com for information regarding locations, styles, colors and pricing.
While I start working through some of the fabulous real wedding submissions thanks to Two Bright Lights, I had to toss in a version of my own “Thursday Purseday.” This set is brought to you straight from our wonderful wedding photographer, Lisa Hessel. We opted to have our gals carry clutches instead of bouquets. It was a little bit more practical (like me). Plus, the flower is a brooch the girls can remove and use the clutch in its plain version (or with the flower, if they so choose).
I had the clutches made from a seller on Etsy, Babbs Boutique. And, I couldn’t recommend her more!
Photo courtesy of Lisa Hessel Photography
P dot S – Full recaps will be coming up soon, including honeymoon details. All over on Weddingbee!
So, you’re not sure how to dress your ‘maids. You could go the traditional route, and have them all wear the same thing (I did). Or, you could have them coordinate a monochromatic look. Or, you can have all of them wear the same thing, except the maid of honor. Of which, I am a fan of when it is executed beautifully.
Case in point: Bridesmaids in a neutral, Maid of Honor in a bold wedding color. Two words: Le Swoon.
Photos courtesy of Megan Thiele Studios
In my own planning process, St. Louis lacked a little direction for the bridesmaid. While there are tons of fabulous bridal stores in town, there was one thing missing:
But, have no fear, this fabulous bridesmaid chain will be debuting in St. Louis this October in Town & Country. And, what will you find?
Alix & Kelly
Simple Silhouettes
Lula Kate
Plus, you’ll find bridesmaids dresses by Priscilla of Boston, Melissa Sweet, Thread, Jenny Yoo, twobirds, Cynthia Rowley and Lela Rose. And, accessories from Nelle and M. Flynn Accessories.
The fabulous (and adorable, might I add) owner, Carrie, is so excited to bring this boutique to St. Louis. And, granted my wedding is next month, you can bet I’ll be popping in on occasion to check out the new shop and the latest bridesmaid styles.
These dresses are hands down my favorite dresses to-date. They are modern, chic, classic. AND, they are totes re-wearable.
Images courtesy of Lisa Hessel Photography
You may recognize a few of these girls from this video.
