It’s the recession – this much you and your bridesmaid will agree on. Still, the show must go on and it must go on as you envisioned it in your dreams. So, what do you do? Well, you find ways to beat the recession with these tips to save costs on bridesmaid dresses, that’s what!

Go Dutch Treat

Although it is not uncommon for bridesmaids to buy their own bridesmaid dresses, there are instances when you will have to ask them to do just that! Your bridesmaid may even like the idea because then they will not be made, or rather forced, to wear designs they either will not like or will not able to use again.

You must, however, set simple guidelines. These can include hem length, textile type and color combinations while leaving the cut and style to their imaginations. After all, your bridesmaids do have different body sizes and shapes so it is only right that you leave them to decide on what cut suits them best.

Scour the Internet

If you are Netizen, then you must know of the goldmine that the Internet is for cheapskates, or at least, for those looking to find good bargains. In fact, with a little online haggling skill on your part, you can save up to 25% of the list price!

Another source of cheap bridesmaid dresses are discount mail-order sites, which offer 20-40 percent the prices in stores. Plus, you get to shop without leaving the home, which means more savings!

Check Out the Department Stores

Don’t discount prom dresses at department stores. You can actually convert these into bridesmaid dresses, maybe with a little alteration to take out the prom details like ribbons and bows.

Or better yet, you can always ask for the department stores’ catalogs for more choices. This way, your bridesmaids can look at the pictures first before deciding on initial selections that you can then order for them. You will have to decide whether you will split the cost with them or apply Dutch treat.

Do-It-Yourself

If you are nimble with your hands at the sewing machine and you still have time on your hands, then you can always sew the bridesmaid dresses yourself. Or better yet, assign one of the bridesmaids with similar talent to help you with the task.

This ought to save you and your bridesmaids tons of money simply because the professional fee of designers take the most cut out of the total cost of the dress. Besides, it will be fun looking for the textile, choosing the right design and sewing the dresses with the girls!

In all your efforts to save on costs for the bridesmaid dresses, one dictum remains true. Always make sure that your bridesmaids will be comfortable wearing them during your wedding day. You want them to be happy, too, and be happy for you!

Besides, do you really want to look at your wedding pictures 10 years from your wedding day and say “Yikes! My bridesmaids looked like Frankenstein’s harem”? Probably not!

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“Evening dresses”, or otherwise referred to as evening gowns, is a general term used to refer to anything that a woman wears during a formal occasion. It is the feminine equivalent of suit and tie that men wear on black tie events.

Evening dresses, as you know, are also worn by guests in a wedding ceremony. Today, weddings, though considered as a formal event, have already provided guests with some leeway in terms of their choices of designs. Therefore, your guests could get as creative as they can on their evening dresses. Provided that they do not look ludicrous, lewd or malicious, then they can choose a gown that would make them look fabulous!

But what is expected of you on black tie events? Are there some do’s and don’ts related to your wearing of evening dresses? Here are a few of them.

The Dress Itself

If men were to be in a formal wear, so should the ladies. Therefore, it is but proper for you to “dress accordingly” when you are in your evening gown. Dressing here does not only refer to evening dresses but to other elements of your overall ensemble as well. Evening dresses in black tie events could be full-length or tea-length (mid-calf to ankle). Cocktail gowns are also acceptable in weddings.

The Shoes

Shoes need not be expensive so they would look fabulous on your already stunning evening dresses. You can go with pumps, evening sandals, or even ballet slippers. If they go with or complement the color of your evening gown, the better!

The Accessories

Surely, being in that stunning evening dress is not enough. You must be able to “carry it;” and the best way to do this is to use some accessories. While it is optional to wear those glittering pair of earrings, necklace, bracelet or ring, it would not do any harm if you do.

Fashion gurus also believe that a watch is not appropriate for evening dresses. If you really want to wear one though, make sure that it’s a jewelled version and that its “face” is not that obvious so it will resemble a bracelet.

The Handbag

If you want to carry a handbag for your phones, money and other precious items, ensure that it is a clutch bag or a small evening bag. The traditional rule of thumb when it comes to bags is that it should match the color of your shoes. Today, however, you don’t have to abide by this.

If you want to be a little adventurous, you can choose a color that complements your gown or your shoes. However, if you want to stay safe, black, white, or even gray handbags would do the trick.

Evening dresses, though already stunning, would be more fabulous if you properly accessorize. You don’t have to buy expensive and top-of-the-line accessories. As long as these are appropriate — both for the occasion and the style/color of your evening gown — then you are good to go. In the end, what matters is that you are able to carry your gown and you are comfortable in it…comfortable looking fabulous and but still regal.

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Being asked to be a bridesmaid in a wedding is an honor. Not everyone would have that opportunity. Being a bridesmaid is a chance for you to be part of the most precious day of a couple’s life. Of course, when you’re requested to be one, this pride comes with the opportunity of wearing a bridesmaid dress.

But do you really know what you’re supposed to do in exchange for being in a stunning bridesmaid dress? Did the bride express what kind of help she needs from you being one of her bridesmaids? Or are you just expected to walk down the aisle along with the other members of the wedding entourage and sit and stand as the celebrant says so?

The fact is, being a bridesmaid carries a number of responsibilities. While these may not be explicitly expressed (because more often than not a couple only hopes to have a complete roster in the entourage), you are actually saying yes to a number of responsibilities the moment you accepted the invitation and the moment you agreed to be in a theme-styled bridesmaid dress.

Here are a few things that any bridesmaid is expected to do:

Idea Generator and Provider

Yes, while making the plans, you must be able to help the bride think of ideas about wedding dresses, wedding favours and wedding invitations, among others. These things are too girly for the groom to get involved with. This is where the bride could well benefit from your presence. If she requests you to go hop from one place to another for venue scouting, go ahead. Who knows, she might even take your suggestion of a bridesmaid dress design.

Since it is already stressful for the bride to be in the wedding, she may have moments where no ideas will come out from her head. You could then provide her with your suggestions. After all, you are coming from an “outside perspective” and an outsider’s point of view is always helpful.

Companion

When the situation calls for it, you must accompany the bride for fittings and even in registering for wedding gifts. You can even go the extra mile and be in-charge of gathering all the other members of the entourage for fitting and measurement adjustments. After all, you don’t want anyone, especially not you, to be wearing a bridesmaid dress that looks like a hand-me-down.

Fashion Consultant

Of course a bride would hire her own make-up artists but it wouldn’t hurt if you can assist in her dress and makeup. In her effort to look stunning, the bride would always look for confirmation that her makeup looks good on her. Be that source of confirmation.

Usherette

Especially during the reception, usher the couple’s guests in. Lead them to their seats. You are wearing a fabulous bridesmaid dress so put that into good use and be seen.

Sometimes, visitors would request for pictures with the couple, so offer your hand and be the “photographer.”

Being a bridesmaid is more than just wearing a bridesmaid dress. You have some duties to attend to as you are actually a major player in ensuring the success of the wedding ceremony. So do your job cheerfully and “beautifully” — in that stunning bridesmaid dress.

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There are many superstitious beliefs attached to weddings. And this is not only true to the wedding ceremony itself; some superstitions travel as far back as wedding preparation.

Yes, you can claim to be a 21st-century individual and you can contend that superstitions would no longer apply these days. However, your parents, your groom’s parents, and your grandparents will never run out of reminders regarding these beliefs — however crazy they may sound when put in today’s context.

Here are a few superstitions about weddings in general and wedding dresses in particular. And by their nature, these beliefs may or may not have explanations. Let’s revisit some of them.

1. It is said that it is unlucky for a bride to make her own wedding dress. While this may come as a very attractive idea to hit up on those savings, you might want to think again.

However, borrowed wedding dresses are lucky — for you, at least. Seriously though, would you ever allow someone to borrow your wedding dress? A keepsake of one of the most important days of your life? Well, this whole wedding-dress-practice is mostly seen among mother-daughter or grandmother-grandchild relationships. In these cases, wedding dresses can be labelled as sort of an heirloom.

2. Worried about the weather? Well, when it rains during your wedding day, you don’t actually have to panic. Many cultures consider it as lucky because the pouring rain signifies blessings –the heavier the downpour, the more blessings for you and your husband!

The worrisome part comes in because of the fact that no one would feel comfortable wearing wet and dirty wedding dresses. This issue would be more pronounced especially if you are having a garden wedding!

3. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Ever wondered what this famous phrase is for? A new bride should have some “things” old, new, borrowed and blue. But there’s actually another phrase that’s been deleted, and this is: sixpence for my shoe. What do all these mean?

“Old” symbolizes the bride’s life before the wedding; “new” is symbolical of new beginnings; “borrowed” is all about luck — especially when such an item is borrowed from another bride; “blue” actually represents the color of pre-Victorian wedding dresses. Lastly, “sixpence for my shoe” denotes wealth and financial stability.

4. In some Asian cultures, in the Philippines for example, wedding dresses should only be worn on the wedding day itself. Otherwise, something bad will happen and the wedding will not push through. With such a belief, the need for proper fitting and careful measurements are paramount. Imagine wearing a wedding dress that’s inches bigger than you!

Despite the modernity of our times, some superstitions still survive. In fact, they are practiced still. It may be sound unscientific if you believe and practice what superstition says about weddings and wedding dresses. However, there’s no harm in abiding by them right? You will not lose anything.

On the other side, if you completely ignore what the “oldies” believe to be true, you might feel guilty and you may become anxious. Of course, when something bad happens, your parents, or grandparents would then blame you for not believing in superstition.

Therefore, to make everyone happy, why not accept these superstitious beliefs as they are? This way, you can dress for the occasion, and for tradition.

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There’s no stopping the Internet. This powerful and modern fountain of information could even be of service to you if you are planning and preparing for your wedding and looking for an online bridal store.

Yes, weddings are special moments and it is but proper that you deal with the planning stage with careful and meticulous eyes. As such, you need the services of a bridal shop that has a physical presence. But who says that an online bridal store cannot do this task as dutifully as your local shops? In fact, online bridal shops have advantages over the traditional wedding stores located within your vicinity.

Let’s take a look at some of them.

No Need for Tedious Shortlisting

With an online bridal store, you can accomplish a lot of tasks in no time. And the better part is, you don’t have to physically hop from one shop to another just so you can get what you want. You don’t even have to spend for transportation or lunch because your feet grew tired of walking.

If you employ the services of an online bridal store, you can view numerous selections of wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses and even wedding favours in less than an hour.

You may contend that some things would look different on photos and in real “life.” Yes, this is true but you could always use an online bridal store in doing your shortlist. You don’t have to decide on what wedding dress to choose by merely looking at pictures. This internet-based service is there to cut the selection process short, and an online bridal store can do this job effectively.

No Need to Deal with Physical Stress

Needless to say, some of the stress associated with wedding preparation has to do with the physical aspect. You need to visit a number of shops and malls just so you will find what you are looking for. With an online bridal store, however, you don’t have to do this.

In addition, if you are someone who is not comfortable with face-to-face interactions, then you could truly make use of an online bridal store. This service merely requires a few exchanges of emails, some chat or a number of phone calls, at most. Therefore, you can do away with physical stress all in all.

No geographical limit

The beauty of employing the services of an online bridal store comes with no limits. In this sense, you are not bounded by geographical limitations, weather conditions, or even language barrier. With an online bridal store, you can take advantage of the wedding dress designs of the whole world.

Imagine using your local bridal shop and then find yourself being told that only their other branch — located on the other side of the world — has the design that you want. If you use an online bridal store, however, this would not happen to you. You simply have to order it from another online provider, and viola, you will get what you want in no time!

Sometimes, using the Internet is way better than doing it the traditional means. And sometimes, using an online bridal store would prove to be more efficient and less costly — this is especially true when your specs are not that common, and you don’t have the luxury of time to plan for the wedding.

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Looking for the perfect store to shop for your wedding necessities, such as bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dresses, and of course, your wedding gown, is not easy. You could always choose to go searching for those items the traditional way, i.e. hopping from one shop to another. Or, you could make use of the Internet to make your job easier.

But from thousands of online bridal shops, how do you know which one to choose? How do you ensure that you did the right thing in choosing a particular online bridal shop?

Well, make this task handy by taking the following suggestions:

1. Get Referrals

As with anything else, the referral system is one of the best ways in properly choosing an online bridal shop. If you know of people who have done the same thing, ask them. They would be more than willing to share what they know about online bridal stores.

If, however, you don’t have friends and other close acquaintances that have been into the same endeavor, then let the Internet do the talking. Surely, the websites of these online bridal shops have promoted themselves through customer feedback.

Sometimes, however, relying on customer testimonials alone is not that objective since normally, no online bridal shop would put in negative feedback on its site. That would be negative advertising for them.

Don’t worry though as there are a number of wedding forums available. Still using the internet, you can search for reputable wedding forums, sign up and ask for the best online bridal shops. Surely, they will have various responses but if you are just patient enough, then you’ll find yourself dialling the number of the best online bridal shop in no time.

2. Go for Functionality

Online bridal shops differ from each other according to their flagship products or services. While most of them promote wedding dresses, some actually focus on other wedding items, such as wedding favours and wedding invitations.

Therefore, when choosing your online bridal shop, get the one that can properly address your need. For instance, if you are letting a celebrity designer in your locality to make your wedding gown, then don’t look for online bridal shops that specialize on wedding dresses.

3. Get an easy-to-remember name

Most of the time, online bridal shop names are easy enough to remember. After all, that is their way of landing themselves on top of the page ranks. Therefore, take advantage of this marketing strategy. Online bridal shops that have the URL’s of “onlinebridalshop”, the “bridalshop” and “shopofbrides” are stores that would easily retain on your memory. Choose them.

Thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to go from one shop to another, spend at least three hours in every shop and go from one state to another just so you’ll find the perfect wedding items that you need. The Internet is truly a wonder.

And since every modern individual would take advantage of modernity, get into the groove as well. There’s barely nothing that the Internet cannot do. Therefore, make use of it. Hire the services of an online bridal shop now.

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The role of the bridesmaid has evolved through the years. In the olden times, their responsibilities could go to the extremes, of fending off evil spirits that are present during the wedding. These ill-mannered spirits are said to be administering hexes on the couple. Today, bridesmaid roles no longer have to turn into such a life-threatening twist. They simply have to don on their bridesmaid dresses and bear witness to the ceremony.

Know what’s expected of you

To become the best bridesmaid, you must know the nitty-gritty of your role. The couple did not spend money on bridesmaid dresses just so you can stand there and do nothing. If nobody has oriented you of your exact role yet, then ask around. Ask your friends or research the Internet perhaps.

Your usual roles include witnessing the ceremony, helping the bride on some minor errands and providing her with whatever support that she needs. While the maid of honor normally does all these stuff, it doesn’t hurt to give out a hand. After all, these are what your bridesmaid dresses are for.

Dress for the Occasion

There are times when the couple is really out of budget. When you happen to be chosen as one of their bridesmaids, have the heart to spend a little. You can even take it upon yourself to personally spend for your bridesmaid dress. There are a number of inexpensive bridesmaid dresses that you can choose from.

So that your pocket would not feel the pressure, why don’t you choose a dress that can be used for other dressy occasions? This way, you are hitting two birds with one stone. Of course, being a bridesmaid, you have an excuse to buy a new dress! Just remember to keep it simple though. Go with the wedding motif and try not to be out of place.

Accessorize

Simple bridesmaid dresses can be made more appealing and more fabulous if you take on your creative hat and use accessories. If the couple can provide you with the said accessories, the better. Otherwise, you can always shop for inexpensive bridesmaid jewelry. There are also various online bridal shops that cater to this kind of product.

Do your part

There’s nothing more responsible — and more gratifying to the couple — than by keeping your end of the bargain. As they have provided the bridesmaid dresses, then it’s on you to carry out the role. Usher the guests, provide customer service and take care of the tiny little tasks that need immediate attention. While these responsibilities would be very minute, still, you are taking some weight off the bride’s shoulders.

Being a bridesmaid is no ordinary role. Some people get anxious walking down the aisle with a lot of watchful eyes on them. The pressure becomes more pronounced because they are wearing bridesmaid dresses and wearing high heels.

Therefore, to appease yourself, it’s important that you know what’s expected of you when you take on that role. This is perhaps the best way that you can repay the couple for spending on those fabulous bridesmaid dresses.

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Any wedding ceremony is sentimental — it draws strange and mixed emotions such as love, happiness and contention of finally getting at the start of your happy-ever-after. These emotions are not only felt by the members of the wedding entourage but by all the guests and visitors present and who bear witness to such a memorable event.

This special moment is especially tear-jerking for the respective families of the bride and the groom. As a bride, you see to it that you have your family’s needs covered so as to appease them of whatever affect that they are feeling right now.

Your mother, for instance, would feel as if she’s giving you up forever and that her baby has finally grown into a full-pledged woman, ready to start her own family. With this thought, it is but proper for you to scout for the best mother of the bride dresses just so she too will look fabulous in your special day — a day that she herself has undergone some decades ago.

But how do you ensure that you’ve chosen the best out of the many styles of mother of the bride dresses? Here are a few tips:

Go with the Motif

Make sure that the dress that you’ve chosen for your mom complements with your bridal gown, or goes with the wedding motif. Otherwise, you may risk making her feel out of place. Out of the many occasions in your — and her life — this is not the time that you should make her feel that way.

Choosing mother of the bride dresses that are in line with the wedding theme creates the impression that you want your mom to “be” in that moment with you.

Go with Your Mom’s Style

Give her that. Let her don a gown that suits her taste. You don’t want to be too controlling that you’d also dictate the styles of the mother of the groom and mother of the bride dresses. For all you know, your mom, and your mother-in-law, would choose styles that would accentuate their curves or that will make them look slimmer. In a sentimental moment such as this, this is one of the best things that you can give them.

Color Do’s and Don’ts

White or even off-white is off limits not only for mother of the bride dresses, but for bridesmaid dresses as well. You as the bride should stand out and being the only one who wears white is the best way of accomplishing this task.

Black, no matter how slimming and how elegant, should not also be a choice for mother of the bride dresses. If you let your mom wear a black gown, it might give the impression that she is mourning for your loss — and that she hates your future husband.

Choosing mother of the bride dresses would become handier if you don’t really have to dip your fingers on every aspect related to it. Your mother has wholeheartedly let you go and agreed for you to have a life of your own. The least thing that you can do for her is let her decide for the style of her gown.

Did you know that the whole wedding ceremony has a long and rich history? Yes, from the groomsmen to the bridesmaids, a lot has been written about the how they entire wedding entourage came to be.

Today, it is but proper for the bridesmaids to wear the best and the most interesting bridesmaid dresses. In the past, bridesmaid dresses are limited to mimicking the bridal gown? Let’s see why.

The Early Roman World

During this period, bridesmaids formed some kind of a protective shield or an infantry in order to protect the bride as she travels from her place to the village of the groom. Protection was needed as there’s always a possibility of thugs hurting the bride or suitors stealing her away. You can see here that even at such an early civilization, violence has always been one of the by-products of unrequited love.

In the Western World

The tradition begins with complying with the wedding ceremony requirement of having ten witnesses. The aim of this requisite is to outsmart evil souls and spirits who are believed to be in attendance during the ceremony. Thus, it is but proper that bridesmaid dresses are identical to that of the bride (the attire of men ushers must also be identical of the groom’s) so the so-called evil spirits would have a hard time identifying which of the ladies and gentlemen present are being wed.

If you take a look at wedding photographs of Victorian marriages, you’d really have a hard time identifying which of the couples got married simply because of the sameness of the clothes that the entourage is wearing.

In Today’s World

These days, the need for a female troop to protect a bride is no longer imminent. This clearly eliminates the fact that bridesmaid dresses need to be identical with the bride’s. However, bridesmaid dresses should still be in harmony with the theme of the wedding ceremony.

And although bridesmaids are no longer required to help fend off curses and hexes and evil spirits altogether, they still maintain a vital role in the entire wedding ceremony.

For example, they need to provide key support to the bride. This may be in terms of shopping for the perfect wedding gown or scouting for the most reasonably-priced hotel for the couple’s out-of-town guests. In addition, bridesmaids would also prove to be such a great help in looking for least costly but memorable wedding favors.

Of course, their responsibility to the couple — especially to the bride — is not only confined in the wedding ceremony itself. There is still bridal a shower to host and organize.

Being a bridesmaid is truly demanding — in a positive way. If you are one, make sure you prepare yourself to get busy months or even years before the special date. You need to spare some time in taking care of wedding preparations. And the payoff for all of these hardwork and sweat? A gorgeous gown that you can wear down the aisle!

You see, the function of bridesmaids hasn’t really changed that much over the years. It has never really made a 360-degree turn, it simply has modernized and has adapted to modern times. Because the fact is, wearing those bridesmaid dresses (identical to the bride’s or otherwise) gives bridesmaids one role: supporting the bride.

Deciding on the best design of bridesmaid dresses is challenging, next to finding your perfect wedding gown. Ideally, as the bride, you don’t want to be stressing over this matter. However, unless you want your wedding to be dubbed as the “wedding with the worst design of bridesmaid dresses,” you definitely would want to have a hand in finding the best bridesmaid dress.

The dresses of your bridesmaids need not be overly sophisticated. After all, your wedding gown still remains central to the whole perfect wedding scenery. What matters is that each bridesmaid dress complements your gown. This results to a fluid and coordinated picture of merriment, style and tradition.

Uniformity

The gowns of your bridesmaids need not look identical. In fact, one bridesmaid dress can differ from another in terms of style. What’s more important is that all these bridesmaid dresses conform to the theme and motif of the wedding.

Consider your Wearers

Rarely will you ever assemble a wedding entourage where bridesmaids are identical in size, color and height. Therefore, it is also your lookout — or your wedding planner’s — to ensure that the design of the bridesmaid dress will look good on every size, color and height.

For instance, an empress cut gown – contrary to popular belief – would neither be ideal nor suitable for heavy-busted ladies. It would make them look pregnant. If one of your bridesmaids falls under “this category,” then you might to consider another design of bridesmaid dress for her. Perhaps, a low-neckline frock would do the job of flaunting this asset.

On another note, short ladies would look shorter when made to wear a floor-length bridesmaid dress. Dresses of this length are ideal for tall and skinny bridesmaids. Therefore, if you have someone who’s not that gifted in the height department, you may want her to wear a knee-length, or an above-the-knee bridesmaid dress. Just make sure that it’s not super-short that she’ll end up looking out-of-place.

Ruffled sleeves are also great for those with firm shoulders and arms. Therefore, you must ascertain that the appropriate design of the bridesmaid dress goes to the appropriate person, or body type, so to speak.

Go for Long Life

If you want your bridesmaid dresses to be used not just solely for your wedding, then look for designs that are sophisticated but safe enough to be worn on other dressy occasions. Otherwise, such dresses would only end up in the closet — waiting for them to rot and go out of style.

Going for a bridesmaid dress design that remains relevant outside of a wedding party also spells practicality and significance. You are practical enough to think of your wearers, that they will have an extra fashionable gown that they can wear on special occasions besides your wedding day. You also remain significant as you have thought of a design that can be flaunted to the world anytime, anywhere.

Remember, however, that your bridal gown should remain as the best-looking dress and the star of the most important day of your life. But, thinking wisely of how your bridesmaids would look on their respective gowns would also speak highly of you and your wedding. Together, a perfect wedding gown and well-thought-of bridesmaid dresses could send your day to the top of the Perfect Wedding List.