Outfitting the Entourage: Part 1 - The Gals

Can you believe that I stressed over selecting the bridesmaid dresses more than my own gown? Or that selecting and ordering the groomsmen outfits took hours longer than the entirety of my dress shopping? No? Well I can hardly believe it either.


Here I was thinking it would be a simple and easy process. . .  Perhaps it was karma's way of saying, "Ha! You thought you got off easy with the dress shopping, well think again silly bride!"

Choosing an outfit that multiple people can be happy with is tough. For a while, I was tempted to jump on the bandwagon of the mismatched bridesmaid dresses.

Perhaps a creamy coordinating pastel palette?



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Or how about these adorable vintage inspired patterned dresses?

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  Even one color with varying patterns looks simply stunning.


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In the end though, I said no to all of the above. I may be old fashioned, but I am still a sucker for the unified look of the bridal party. Also, I don't think that finding a dress to flatter multiple figures is as hard as everyone makes it sound. Sure you may be more limited with your choices but guess what? I didn't want a strapless miniskirt on my gals anyway!

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ahhhh, bridesmaid unity, how I adore thee. Classy, cute and effortless. I am loving the brick wall behind these gals, it is such an amazing pop of color, so bright, so sassy . .

ahem, right, back to the dresses. The criteria I had for the dresses were:

• No strapless, I want my gals to be able to dance the night away without doing the perpetual "pull up"

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No not that pull up (although I am insanely jealous of that woman's upper body strength), This one:

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Whew, good thing she was wearing a pretty bra right? Yeah, I don't want this to happen on our wedding day. Frankly, strapless dresses annoy the crap out of me, and I almost never wear them.

Other criteria:

• The dress needs to be an A - line. My bridesmaids are all beautiful shapes and sizes, so an A-line will be the most flattering for all of their body types.
• The dress needs to be a light, breathable fabric. The wedding will be outdoors, in the south, in the spring. Humid much? I want the ladies to be glistening, not drenched in sweat and counting the minutes till they can ditch the dress.
• The dress needs to cost less than my first car. In other words, we are all on a budget, so let's not go crazy with the dress price, mk? Thanks bridesmaid dress makers.

 Let's skip the boring part where I went through a million contenders for the dress and get right to the "and we finally found one!" part.

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It's Jim Hjelm style 5907 from their 2009 collection.

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It's light, feminine, romantic, and universally flattering. With a gathered natural waist, and fluttered straps, this chiffon over cashmere number is going to be stunning on the bridesmaids!

Oh and just in case you're worried, they won't be wearing it in Ivory. If you're not worried, well then. . good for you! They will be wearing blush versions of the dress.

Looks a little too bubblegum on my screen, but you get the idea! I love my bridesmaids and I want them to feel beautiful and feel like themselves. So while I choose the dress, I am giving them freedom on which shoes they buy, what jewelry they wear, and how they want their hair styled. If they're happy, then I'm happy!

How did the hunt for your B-maid dresses go? Any feedback on the chosen dress?

Up next: The guys get their gear!