DIY Bridesmaid Dresses

I Find Wedding Inspiration Everywhere

You know how when you're engaged you see something in the store or online that totally encompasses everything you want your wedding to be? Your dress to be? Your flowers to look like? Favors? Cake? Your inner bride starts doing backflips and you think, "Eureka! This is it!"

Yeah that happens to me almost everyday. I can literally be walking through the grocery store and think, "Ou! Cherries! Those would be awesome favors!" Or walking through the flea market, see hankerchiefs, and think, "Should I buy these? Oh my gosh! We could use those!"  

I've Always Got Our Wedding On The Brain

I wish I had the kind of money to buy everything I see that I love and think we could use for our wedding, but I just don't have that kind of dough. So what do I do? I take a picture.

I don't know what I would do if I couldn't take pictures with my phone! 

Take this cute dress for instance. I saw it at Forever 21 while I was shopping for an outfit for myself this weekend. I thought "This would be such a cute bridesmaid dress!" Then of course I realize that my girls might not agree. I realize I'm at Forever 21, the dress is pretty short, and the sizes run really small. I still wanted a picture though.

Then I got to thinking, I wish I was brave enough to let my BMs pick whatever dress they wanted and do the whole mismatched thing. I really, really like that look. I've had my heart set on it for awhile, but then I started to get a little gun shy.

 

Be A Brave Bride

It's not because I think my BMs won't pick nice dresses. All of my friends (seriously) have emaculate taste and a sense of style I envy. It's just that I'm afraid it will look weird. Too new age for our families. Too out-of-the box. I need to get over what other people think though, right? I need to be a brave bride need to do what I want. Cause at the end of the day, there's no denying how much I love this style.

How cool is this wedding party? I love it. I absolutely love it.

so terribly sorry, but I lost the source 

Taking the Easy (or Not) Way Out

The next best thing to mismatched dresses would be the same dress in different styles. It's a trend that's been gaining popularity over the last year and designers like Two Birds are exploding on the market. It's what I like to call the Easy Way Out. Brides are able to indulge in the urge to have mismatched, fashionable maid and BMs pick how they'll wear their dress. It's the perfect middle ground, right? Wrong.

Problem with Two Birds is that the dresses are really expensive, at least for my group. While I can tell my friends that the dress converts into 11 different styles and they're getting it all for the price of one gown, it still doesn't seem right. So. Back to the basics? Not quite. 

Thank God for Bride Bloggers

The clouds parted and the sun came up when I stumbled across these images this week. Obviously the color, being olive caught my attention:

  

 

here

Thinking Two Birds, right? I thought the same thing. Those cool convertible dresses in green! Yippee!

Nope.

Try DIY.

DIY?

Dresses?

Convertible Dresses?

This Brides Got Balls 

Don't ask me how I stumble across such an amazingly talented bride blog. These things, I swear are divinely driven. Lisa Welge, is a Sacramento Wedding Photographer and obviously a DIY extrodinare. While searching Google for images of convertible dresses, I came across the above photos and her post right here. Once I stopped hyperventilating, I realized the post was from back in 2009.

Wait whaaaa? That must means there are pictures of her maids in these dresses on her wedding day!! Ding ding ding ding ding!!! I quickly (almost frantically) searched her website. Show me the dresses on her friends, I thought! Please, God!

Ah!! Yet another Eureka moment for the record!

Absolutely stunning and with such special, personalized touches no doubt.

This Might Be The Solution To My Problem

Or I might be one ambitious sewer! The thing is, I have a sewing machine. I'm actually learning to sew. I got it for my birthday last year and I've wanted so bad to use it to create something (anything!) for our wedding. I know this is a big undertaking, but could this be a sign? How cool would it be to be able to make my BM dresses? My friends wouldn't have to spend a dime (Lisa said it cost less than $60 to make each dress) and I get to be a brave bride!

I started to think such a thing was totally preposterous, but then I saw a trail of breadcrumbs.

The source of all the DIY goodness.

The How-To (If You Dare)

Presenting the Infinity Dress and full tutorial right here from Rostitchery...

 

here

Isn't she cute? Do you think I could make them long dresses? I wonder what material I should use. I'm going to give this project some serious thought and consideration. I need to review the instructions and recruit a more skilled sewer for help. 

Am I taking on too much?

What big DIY project did you do?

Are you thinking of having mismatched BM dresses?

Bonus

Here's a great post on The Cinderella Project about this topic.

Shades of Peach and Stripes

Gorgeousness...

Absolutely love these two-toned dresses...

Looking sharp. I love this look. The groom wears all white, and the guys are in stripe ties...

Other details I'm loving...

{Laurel McConnell Photography via Style Me Pretty}

Cute Cocktail Dresses for Mah Maids

One thing you'll probably hear me talk about a lot is bridesmaid dresses. Why? Well, like the situation with my dress (we'll get there soon), I have no idea what I want. I'm indecisive and inspired by everything. Not a good combination!

I've talked about liking brand-name dresses and mismatched styles, but there's another type of dress that always seems to catch my attention: cocktail dresses. Short or knee-length styles in bright colors, such as green, yellow, or pink with flirty designs like ruffles or a sweetheart neckline.

When I came across the image below, I fell even more in love with the short-dress style. Aren't they gorgeous? Of course the green struck me (because green is my favorite color), but the dress is adorable. It's young and fun. It's casual and sophisticated. Check out the girl on the far left too. Her dress is a little different. Maybe she's the MOH? Cute, huh?

Source

Just as equally fabulous...

Are these Sarah Sevens gowns I found via The Knotty Bride.

Source

O M G

A D O R A B LE

(and custom made I might mention... how perfect)

Where have you been all my life Sarah?

I love these designs. They are just what I have in mind. Soft and feminine. Sexy yet suble. If they don't make it to my wedding, they'll at least make it into my closet! Ha!

One thing is clear, I need to get my inspiration in order! My girls aren't going to know what to pick with all these choices. I might take after Miss Elephant and make a powerpoint!

Do you love various types of bridesmaid dresses?

How did you share your ideas with your bridesmaids?

Tutu Meets Traditional

A few months ago, I entertained the idea of having our flower girl wear a tutu, like these:

Source

Source

While I'm sure my little sister, who is going to be the flower girl would love this, here she is:

I don't know that the look will fit in with the rest of the wedding party and our traditional wedding. It's really hard to say at this point since we don't have bridesmaid dresses picked out yet (heck, we don't even have my dress picked out yet), but I'm not sure the mothers and grandmothers will go for the idea.

I needed to find something that had the look and feel of a tutu, to appease my little sister and my desire for something unique, but that wasn't a full out costume. Then, I stumbled across these adorable outfits:

{Photo credit: Sweet Plume on Etsy via BonafideBride}

Aren't they cute? The perfect mix of tutu and traditional, right?

What is your flower girl wearing and how did you decide?

Anthropologie Dresses

The Dress for Any Occasion...

Lime Juice Dress {$138}

Drifting By Dress {$168}

Rising Vapor Dress {$198}

These dresses are a lot different than the bridesmaid dresses we've been considering from David's Bridal. David's bridal gowns (while they cost about the same) are much more formal than these dresses and I'm not sure which style I prefer.

I always thought the bridesmaids should be in long dresses, since my dress will be long, but I think there's something fun and flirty about a knee-length dress. I really like the trendy feel of these dresses. They've got cool textures, patterns, and colors. I want my girls to be comfortable and I want them to get a lot for their money...

Would you rather pay for an Anthropologie dress that you can wear more than once or a David's Bridal gown you'll probably be ready to ditch aftr the wedding?

The answer seems pretty obvious to me.

Also, how important is length? When is it appropraite to wear a short dress -- only during the summer or does it even matter?

Richmond Bridal Show

Sorry this is late!

Here are the pictures of our daytrip to Richmond, VA, for the Bridal Show at the Richmond Convention Center. Special thanks to Michelle for being such a great photographer, Amber for keeping us laughing (and talking) during such a long day, and Toya for making the trip out to join us! Love y'all!

Oh and to Mr. Ellis, my soon-to-be. I loved having you there, you are the best fiance in the world!