the ladies

My fabulous bridesmaids looked smokin' HOT at the wedding! Finding their dresses was a bit of a challenge with them all spread across the world (Southern Ontario, Northern Ontario, Calgary and Australia) but we managed to make it work. I was pretty set on finding dresses that wouldn't break the bank and weren't your typical never-to-be-worn-again bridesmaid dresses. That lead us to the Gap, where I ordered the dresses online and scored an such unfathomable deal that I was able to give them to the ladies as gifts.

These photos aren't of my girls, they're from a fashion shoot that was featured on a blog. I can't remember which blog they came from though, please let me know if you know.

montréal

Bonjour! Ce weekend que je dirige à Montréal avec mes filles pour un parti de célibataire sauvage et fou :) Trés bon!

new styles

Every now and then I re-visit checking out bridesmaid dresses, and since its starting to get closer to July I should probably avoid putting it off much longer. The Dessy group has some new styles that are very pretty. And the prices are pretty good too - I tried to pick out ones on the lower side. The colour is mocha with an ivory trim, rather Birch Bark-esque. Flowers will be white/green and the wedding being outside means lots of green as well, so hopefully this colour combo won't seem bland.

Top left to right:
1)Dessy Style 6524 2)Aftersix Style 6554 3)Alfred Angelo Style D416

Bottom left to right:
1)Dessy Style 2750 2)Dessy Style 2752IV 3) Dessy Style 2717

david's dresses

These dresses are from David's Bridal. There's a store in Duluth. Myself + 1 Lady will be there in October. Prices are good - $135 US. I like the mix of styles for the mix of girls. Easiest option?

dresses of a different shade

Oh the bridesmaid dress dilemma... so many options, such a tough choice. A bride featured on Little White Book decided on a scheme that I think looks absolutely fabulous, allows each attendant to choose their own attire, and allows attendants to buy from wherever they like at whatever cost they choose. Kind of seems to make sense I think. Check out the planning and the outcome below.

back to solids

I'm such a flip-flop-er, I know: prints, no solids, no prints! Thank goodness for my bridesmaids its all just empty ramblings since the real dress hunt has not yet begun. I'll wait to check out dresses in Minnesota come October's Tegan & Sara concert. {Oh Tegan & Sara, how I love you so!} Back to the dresses, this one is super cute AND unbelievably affordable. Its shocking actually... its only $39US from Newport News. This poor model's shoes are hideous but the dress is oh so pretty!


While in the US in the fall I plan on checking out Watters and Davids. Here are some cute dresses from those stores. The nice thing about Watters dresses is that they're available in most major cites so it might be the simplest route. And prices are decent, under $200, but are they too formal?

pretty pretty patterns

These bridesmaid photos may just have me convinced on pattern over solid. I absolutely love these dresses, as seen over at the knot and snippet&ink.


The fabrics below are all wonderfully Finnish Marimekko cotton, which I think would be perfect for our hot July wedding. I love the big, bold, graphic patterns. They're all $42US/yard (unless I could convince my Dad to bring some back right from Finland, how cool would that be?!). My little bit of research indicates that a strapless dress like the above would need 2-3 yards per dress plus another fabric for lining since its cotton. However, I have no idea what kind of costs are involved to have a dress made... Is it possible to do for under $200 total??

dresses at macy's

These cute bridesmaid dresses are from Macy's. I really dig them all but am totally swooning over the one that is of course the most expensive, the BCBGMAXAZRIA on the bottom right.

Top left: Maggie London Sleeveless Crinkled Chiffon Dress, $168. Top right: Tahari by ASL Silk Sleeveless Empire-Waist Shantung Dress, $168. Bottom left: Maggie London Chiffon Ruched-Waist Dress, $168. Bottom right: BCBGMAXAZRIA Stretch Satin Cross-Front Dress, $280.

stunning dresses

These dresses are gorgeous beyond words. What more can I say? Photos from the entire wedding can be seen here. I've been stalking the comments to see if a reply comes in as to where the dresses are from: oh here it is, they are by Alberto Makali.

more fun with dresses

I had some fun with polyvore and came up with an inspiration board for some bridesmaid styles. I love them all and totally dig the combo but with only 4 ladies the mix and match might not play out quite so well.

even more bridesmaid dresses

I wish I could remember where I found this lovely simple dress (Jasmine B2 in style 1085, also comes in green). They're surely pretty easy to make, if we go that route, as was suggested to me by a couple of the ladies.

Cross-Continental/National/Provincial planning with my bridesmaids will be a little tricky but we'll work it out for sure! Feel free to post comments on here ladies, what you love/hate. So far the "perfect" green and white patterned dresses seem to be the fav, which I'm thrilled to hear!

more bridesmaid dresses

Its hard to top the beautiful green/white dresses from earlier in the week but it seems I'm a bit bridesmaid dress obsessed these days. I guess because the other big stuff is taken care of I have time to peruse sites for dresses for my gals. I'm undecided on the whole "all the same colour/sytle" or just "all the same colour/different styles" or maybe I'll even go for "all the same general colour with different styles". Probably depends what we find.

Here are some I found today and here's the kicker - they're mostly on the cheap, like under $150 or so. I think if I recall they're from Nordstrom. Now I'm sticking to my colour pallet so that's one step closer. Plus these dresses are fun either way, I'd easily buy any one of them for myself.

bridesmaid dresses

I came across these absolutely beautiful images on a photographer's website. I am in love! The bridesmaid dresses are just perfect. Totally the look I was dreaming about - pretty pattern, green and leafy but not overwhelmed with colour, and nice and summery for our july wedding. I adore these dresses. I wonder where they are from...


And check out the wedding cake from the same wedding... in love yet again. So glad someone already planned my dream wedding!



While on the bridesmaid dress topic, I also came across this image on the same photographer's blog. If pattern doesn't work out then simple navy blue dresses are a good possibility, much like these ones. Love the colourful shoes as well. Maybe lime green heels (or flats for my incredibly tall sis-in-law-to-be)... so pretty!

bridesmaid dresses

I haven't decided on a colour for bridesmaid dresses yet (it won't be pink!) but I do have a pretty good idea of a few things I'd like for my bridesmaid's dresses: casual, simple, stylish, and inexpensive.

I'm completely in love with the styles at JCrew and can't wait to see what new styles/colours come out in the fall. They have some beautiful dresses and it might be worth making a cross-border shopping trip to check them out.