Dress Shopping with an Entourage

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I mean, overall it comes down to which dress you want them wearing then so it doesn't make much difference how they look unless you are going to try and please all of them (which is usually hard to do).

If they have a store near them then it would be preferable to try and have it at the same time and do a video chat - but you could always go with the girls that near you first and then just don't purchase anything until the others go and try it on where they are? Most BM dresses take about 5 months or so to order so if you go now then there won't be a big rush on them getting to the store to see if they like it.

View quoted message Thank you for your advice!

View quoted message Thanks for the reassurance Tori! I'm sure none would be judgy since they know me and FH are in university and most are on a budget themselves haha. For the same dress, shouldn't they try it, or something similar, on so that they can see how they feel in it?

View quoted message Thanks for the bridesmaid dress tip!

View quoted message I went dress browsing with my FH a month ago so I'm fairly confident with the styles I like. Plus falling for an expensive dress is hard

Stick with a place that has a variety of styles within your price point. One of the issues that I had was going to a boutique where I loved the dresses; however, they had limited dresses available for me to try on within my budget. As a result, I left the appointment still uncertain as to what styles looked best on me, given the lack of selection. I did inflate my budget somewhat when I went shopping with the goal of being able to try on more styles, but I would only do that if you are confident that you can say no and stick to your budget. You need to figure out silhouette, style, fabric, and once you get that narrowed down, it's easier to know what to try on at other stores.

Go where you can afford dresses! It would be more awkward for your entourage when you tell them that you love the dress they picked but can't get it - over going somewhere that may be "cheaper". And if they feel weird going to a second hand store maybe you shouldn't be bringing such judgy people.

If you are sticking with the same dress for all of the bridesmaids then I would say to just be sending them pics that they can comment on right away. If they are to be the same colour but different dresses then just make sure you have the same store near them and you and then make a group chat where they can post their dress so the others don't get the same one!

Stick to a place that is in your budget. After watching a million episodes of Say yes to the dress (LOL), it is really hard to get a dress out of your mind when you really love it but can't have it!

Nothing weird at all about having people go to a consignment shop to get dresses!

As for the bridesmaid dresses, Check with the designer. The ones my girls ordered take 3 months to come in, and then a little bit of time for alterations. So we just got them, and they should be in the store by the end of August.

I would probably go to a bridal store. There is no rule that you have to buy your dress the first time you try any on.. Some people have to go out several times before making a purchase. it will also give you a chance to try on different styles then maybe when you find the one or kind you like if you're uncomfortable with the price, go somewhere else but this time you know exactly what you are looking for.

The first and only time I went dress shopping was at a bridal store that had great sales. It was just me and my FH. He picked out a dress for me to try on and it was gorgeous but it was a $1200 one.. so ya that sucks.
Thanks for the nudge, I've never heard of brides going anywhere but a bridal store with their ladies so I was worried I would seem cheap or something so thanks for the assurance that it's not strange.
I want to make sure that the girls can find things that they like and I don't want it to seem like they're an afterthought for their dress shopping

Stick to a place with dresses in your budget! Nothing worse than falling in love with a dress you won’t be able to buy.
I also don’t think it would be weird to go to the second hand store with an entourage. My friend went to one with 4 ladies and they had space for them all!

I went shopping with a group of ladies to a few different shops (most of the dresses were out of my budget though). It did give me a chance to try different styles BUT it was hard. Falling in love with a dress out of your price range is awful. I wouldn’t recommend going to a boutique (or even trying on a dress) out of your budget.

Dress shopping is about you - enjoy it. If that means going to an outlet shop, do it. Your group should go and support you. I think you’d be surprised at the amount of styles available at second-hand stores. I don’t think it’s weird at all to go to a consignment shop with a bride.

If the dress shopping doesn’t take up the full day (and if you’re making a trip to the city to shop) - I would try to look at bridesmaid dresses the same day. That being said, the brides wedding dress takes priority.


hope this helps!