Feisty Fashionista -- How to pick a bridesmaid dress they can so wear again.

Of course, that was drenched in sarcasm. Have you ever had the desire to shorten a forest green satin monstrosity? Neither have your bridesmaids. Why not pick a dress that they will actually like? Trust me, your pictures will turn out loads better if your girls are smiling and feel good in their dresses. Why not let them buy off the rack? Bridesmaids dresses are notoriously ill-fitting and by time they make the alterations they could have bought an amazing designer cocktail or evening gown. So I say let them! I am not saying by any means that you remove yourself from the process, it is necessary that you are involved. In fact, I find this a much more creative process then just showing up at a bridal store and rummaging through taffeta nastiness. I am not saying that you can't look at traditional bridesmaids gowns, designers like Jenny Yoo and Thread have great options. My only issue is the cost versus value, they can be absurdly expensive and not necessarily well made. An acquaintance of mine had her bridesmaids in Vera Wang gowns and while I am sure they looked great in photos, honestly, they were underwhelming in person. I love labels just like the next girl, but just because it says Vera on the label doesn't make it worth the money.

When your girls have the ability to choose their own gown, they are going to find dresses that fit them perfectly and like Morgan has mentioned in previous blogs, having your girls choose body flattering gowns in the same color is a fantastic option. I told my girls to each find a black cocktail dress and the variety looked fantastic in photographs. A trend that I find really exciting goes a step beyond that and mixes and matches colors and patterns. The goal is to have the gowns different yet unified. You are looking for colors and patterns that go together without actually matching. It creates such an interesting look and really adds a complex element to your color palette. When shopping it helps to find a patterned gown with a variety of colors which you can then break down and wear as solid colors. You also want to pay attention to fabric making sure they are the same weight, you wouldn't want to mix linen and velvet. When mixing patterns you really have to pay close attention the colors, muted generally work the best, like a light brocade. You don't want it to be spots and stripes. Unless, it really works. Do you see? I am no good at rules. Make sure that you see the gowns on before making the final decision. If you are unsure take pictures and ask around, your design oriented friends, a stylish stranger on the street...you think I'm joking? I'm not. Or if you really want, ask me, you know I will give you an honest answer.

Until we meet again, stay bridal and show your bridesmaids some love.

Lauren