As any of you who have already read my flower girl post will know, when I was 5, the only thing that was important to me in the world was becoming a bridesmaid. Alas, this dream has not come true, and despite numerous letters, Jimmy Saville didn’t quite manage to fix it for me. I now have forced my sister into agreeing to have me when she gets married, and every day sit and hope that one of my close friends will get engaged!
However, when I started looking for dresses for my own bridesmaids, I wasn’t so sure that this was an ambition I still wanted to fulfil.
Have you seen what’s out there?!
So at this point I should probably introduce my team bride…
Alex – my maid of honor. Have been friends since the first year of uni when they were the only ones left in reading week and Alex had broken her leg. Alex has red hair, likes dramatic makeup (red lips, eye liner) and the 50s is her favourite era.
Helen - my sister. Has no choice about being bridesmaid as I have already said I am being hers in order to fulfill Jim’ll Fix It dream. Helen has dark hair, always has a nice suntan (in contrast to my milk bottle like complexion, gah), and is very on trend in her style. Has just moved to a house where she has a walk in wardrobe (I hate her a little bit).
Cazza – became friends when we all went on a camping holiday to Norfolk and we discovered we both used to play the pedal organ when we were teenagers (yep, we were really cool). Style icons include Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg, and her style is vintage chic.
Rachael – met the same night I met Matt, at the now infamous Primal Scream gig at Brixton Acadamey. Rachael has recently acquired a very 20s style short haircut and is a big fan of a wicked dress – she owns over 45. Her style is comfortable cool.
Alex - Maid of Honour - Style = 50s fabulous
Cazza - Style = Vintage Chic
Helen - my sister - Style = bang on trend
Rachel - Style = cool and comfy
Four very different girls, with four very different personalities.
This was not an easy task. All of my girls had an idea of what they wanted, and of course, each idea was different. Of course it was going to be different. If it was the same, they would all look like each other and be the same person!
I had no intention of putting them in something they hated or felt uncomfortable in. That would be awful for them and make them miserable. But the problem is, that when you put all the ideas together, the list of requests looked like this:
No strapless, not long, not short, something sexy, pretty not sexy, something that gives a waist, something that isn’t too structured, something simple, something different, no green.
So how do you get a dress that everyone likes that suits everyone?
The first idea that came to me was that everyone has a different dress in the same colour. Now, this would be ok if I had more time, but it was January and the wedding was six months away. I couldn’t take four girls shopping together for a different dress for each of them – it would be chaos. But I couldn’t take them on their own because I simply didn’t have enough free weekends!
Next idea, dresses that were in the same palette of colours but not the same dress. I had seen loads of pictures of girls in artfully mismatched dresses in wedding magazines. They looked lovely. The reality of it was, it was too much of a faff. There, I’ve said it. If I had a stylist then great, but I don’t, I have four girls and limited time and it was not appealing.
I also had this bee in my bonnet that high street dresses wouldn’t be any good because they wouldn’t fit correctly. I thought I had to get proper measured dresses.
After 6 weeks of scouring the internet in a state of sheer panic, I found (or shall I say, thought I had found), the answer. I found a dress from the Dessy range of bridemaids dresses which was perfect. What is more, it could be brought in different styles if it didn’t look right on some of them. It all seemed ideal.
The first place on the list that stocked Dessy in London was a place called JS Couture. As with wedding dresses, the first free appointment was 6 weeks away. It was cutting it fine, but if I ordered the dresses by end of Feb there would enough time.
So all the girls cleared their diaries for the end of Feb and that was that.
Or so I thought.
The day before the big appointment, I get a call from JS Couture. They just thought they would ‘let me know’ that they are no longer stocking the dress I wanted to try on. Or even Dessy at all. There was a short silence while I sat for approximately 5 seconds taking this in. Politely I asked, ‘is there any reason why you are telling me this, the day before my appointment? The appointment I had waited 6 WEEKS for?’
Apparently they only found out that week. It didn’t matter to me. 6 weeks wasted. Of course, they had many other dresses in stock. That were all over £275.
There was a second, smaller, 3 second delay before I let loose a rage that I never knew was within me! I had become the bridezilla I never knew existed. 6 weeks wasted, and now there was no time to order anything. Even if I went to another Dessy shop Id never get an appointment in time.
I still had the girls free for the day, so I had no choice. Crash helmets on – it was off to Oxford Street to brace myself for a high street assult like no other.
I would like to point out at this stage that Dessy dresses are still lovely dresses, so if you can get an appointment do. But JS Couture? Sorry guys, you suck.
Dessy Dresses
At this point, I was on the verge of a bridal breakdown! I sat at my desk at work frantically staring round and calling people at random who weren’t picking up. I could have been calling the speaking clock or the police for all I knew. Then my mate Kate comes over and sees me looking rather distressed – and in a second says… ‘Get in the car, we can go to Brent Cross now. Its late night shopping, we can try on loads of dresses and then pick them in advance to make it easier for you on Saturday.’
Another person who I am eternally grateful to, and who is an absolute legend.
What followed was Kate and I stalking round Brent Cross at 9pm on a Thursday, taking armfuls of dresses into fitting rooms, and trying them on simultaneously while walking up and down the changing rooms pretending it was an ailse.
It hindsight I can laugh about this whole story, but at the time I can assure you I could not!
My ridiculous idea that the high street wasn’t going to deliver was utter nonsense. I need to big up the following retailers; Monsoon, Reiss, Topshop and Coast for having the best Brent Cross teams going.
Saturday rolled around, and off to Oxford Street we went. Having tried most of the high street on myself, I was able to steer the girls in the direction of the best dresses for them, and as a result the whole process was ten times quicker. By lunchtime we were happily sat in China Town with a dim sum lunch and 4 dresses purchased.
I am still on a crusade to find a reasonably priced bridesmaid dress stockists (or every day boutique or shop), that sells nice dresses. There are tonnes of these places on American websites but the UK is lacking. Are you one? Or did you get yours from one?
Answers on a postcard to emma@electricwedding.co.uk – I am not letting this one slide. After all, my bridesmaid moment is still to come!
The winning shop for my bridesmaid winning purchase? Monsoon. They all look gorgeous. Which dress did we get?
Nope, still not telling! Stay tuned and you’ll see!
Love
Emma xxx
