Shopping for the Ladies

For someone as indecisive as me finding the bridesmaids' dresses was actually pretty simple.

It all started years ago when I stumbled upon this dress in a bridal magazine:

Image via Alfred Angelo

I want it. I need it. Oh baby. Oh baby.

I love everything about it. The color, the fabric, the style. Some people go crazy about mason jars and photo booths?  I went cray-cray over this bridesmaid dress. Basically, I had to have it in my wedding.

It didn't take me long to discover that it was Alfred Angelo. And as I browsed through their site I realized that pretty much all of their dresses are freakin' gorgeous. So I've decided to let the ladies choose their own. 

Because we are all scattered across the wonderful state of New York it just wasn't possible for us to all go shopping together. That meant multiple trips to multiple shops for moi. 

My first stop was with BM P and BM C. These girls love me so much that they woke up at the ass crack of dawn and met me at the bridal shop at 9:30 AM on a SATURDAY. That's true love my friends. (Oh, and I may have enticed them with brunch and mimosas. Love for me or for booze? It doesn't really matter.The point is… They showed up!)

Our first and only stop of the day was at RK Bridal in New York City. Now I had read some reviews about how utterly insane this place gets so I kinda knew what I was in for, but HOLY HAT it still didn't prepare me for the bedlam that ensued. First of all, they don't take appointments - hence our early arrival. We wanted to be the first ones in (yea, us and like 100 other girls… The place was mobbed). We were directed to the bridesmaid fitting rooms where we had to sign up for a room. It was one fitting room per party (not per person, so thank GOD I only had two girls with me) and you had access to it for 30 minutes. Yeah I didn't know that part. Cue my WTF face.

Image via Redux

So we ran around the store like lunatics pulling dresses. Then because we only had a half hour the girls changed in and out of the dresses as fast as they could. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos -- not that it mattered because honestly, we really didn't find anything. 

It's okay though… Because we did leave with good ideas of the style that each girl was looking for. BM P decided on this one:

Image via Weddington Way / Bridesmaid dress style 6548 designed by Alfred Angelo

And BM C chose this beauty:

Image via Weddington Way / Bridesmaid dress style 7071 designed by Alfred Angelo

After that trip I headed upstate to shop with MOH D. We had much better luck on this trip. We basically pulled as many AA dresses as we could find. And guess what?? We even found the dress that inspired this whole AA craze! 

Wanna see?

(Personal Photo)

Even though we both love this dress, my maids of honor have decided to coordinate and wear the same dress. I think that's such a great idea -- And I didn't even think of it! A few weeks ago they went shopping together and chose this dress:

Image via Weddington Way / Bridesmaid dress style 7203 designed by Alfred Angelo

Bonus shots: My mom came along and we convinced her to try on some MOB dresses!

(Personal Photos)

Absolutely LOVE the dress on the right. I wanted her to buy it right then and there, but alas she was not ready to commit. Like mother, like daughter! :)

Finally, Mom- and Sis-to-be met up with me for one last session. We all instantly fell in love with this:

Image via Weddington Way / Bridesmaid dress style 7130 by Alfred Angelo

At the end of the day I went shopping with four of my six girls and both moms at three different bridal shops. It was like wedding dress shopping all over again, just more exhausting.

How did you and your bridesmaids choose their dresses?