So I came up with the idea of choosing 4 or 5 bridesmaid dresses and letting the bridesmaids vote on which dress is their favorite... but now I'm starting to second guess myself.
I liked the idea initially because I couldn't imagine picking the ONE dress that is supposed to fit every one's body shape and size from size 2 to 26 and every curve in between. On top of that, I wanted to be the nice, good, kind bride, and give the gift of a dress that the girls might wear again and not toss in the back of a closet forever more. My idea was in no way fueled by the movie 27 Dresses... in fact I only made the mental connection while writing this very blog.
Now, what makes this strange is the fact that when I know what I want, I stick to it. That's provided I know what I want... I often struggle with making decisions. And maybe that's why I wanted to take a vote on the dresses in the first place. I had a pre-feeling I wouldn't be able to choose 1 dress or 2 dresses and narrow it down myself without offending people who might not like the dress. Plus, I don't want to "force" people to wear a dress that might look good on every other bridesmaid but them. I didn't want to make my girls wear an unofficial uniform, robot-like dress. I didn't want to be the master of "My Own Little Pretty Girl Army"- referred in future as "MOLPGA"
I started looking at dresses with 2 of my close friends... the only 2 MOLPGA that live here in town, and I've heard everything. From the questions of my color choices to making everyone wear a different dress so that it suits them and their body. Not necessarily horrible ideas but it all reflects back to the whole reason I wanted to take a vote in the first place. You see, I have always liked to see bridesmaids wearing similar or the same dresses, with the honor attendant(s) in either same dress, different color; or different dress, same color.
But I have always taken opportunities to create my own set of rules. And my wedding isn't really much of an exception. Yes, I absolutely adore the notion of etiquette! Etiquette is like perfectly frosted cupcakes... small packages of sweet courtesy and tasty thoughtfulness. But, when it comes to setting, attire, food, etc, I've got my own operations manual. What I mean is, I'm getting married on or as close to the beach as possible. And then we're taking it into the grand ballroom for the drinks, food, and fun. So, read any website or blog, or watch any wedding TV show, check out any book. They all tell you that for beach weddings you should think simple, natural, light, airy, sheer, flow-y fabrics, etc. For ballroom-bound nuptials, think elegant, ballgown, rich and enhanced, opulence, etc. So, how do you mesh the 2 ideas without ending up with dumb little starfish photo frames that double as place card holders which end up being left behind at the reception as a reminder of the money you wasted on them?
Write your own rules, of course! And carefully blend the 2 ideas into a seamless transitioning event! But how?
So back to MOLPGA...
I've recently been introduced the notion of why NOT to have a MOLPGA. Why would you want your girls to look like little soldier servants to the bride? All in uniform ready to take orders, sounds like a Bridezilla's dream! I'm so NOT into having all different colors and different dresses combined into one wedding. So what about all different dresses but same color? Well, these days, dress designers are making 2, 5, or 10 dresses in the same fabric and color, but what if you only like 4 of them and have 6 bridesmaids? Then 2 have to wear the same dress? It really does open the possibilities more with possible negative options that positive ones. On top of that, the idea was given to pick 5 or 6 dresses and let each maid choose the one the want to wear. I can see that becoming struggle with 2 (or more) girls wanting to wear 1 dress and that leading to me having to step in and disappoint as least 1 of the girls.
Besides, I think I found the dress. One that is wearable again, and could transition between beach and ballroom well. One that everyone should be able to wear, wear well, and not have any problems with what-so-ever. it's super simple, but still elegant and could be dressed down easily with a cardigan and some ballet flats.
But am I selling myself short? I have always wanted a super-glam, elegantly formal wedding. But now that I think about that fact that we will be outside, in the afternoon, in the hottest part of the day, and direct sunlight, I now know for sure that I don't want to force my girls to be in polyester satin; thick and cumbersome dresses. So is it easier to just decide on the dress and cancel the vote?
Some of my favorite dresses in the past 2 years have been the lace bodice with the long skirt. I have loved it since Alfred Sung introduced them in 2007. But then, they were far too expensive as Alfred Sung was the only designer with them. But now, there's numerous designers that do them. But they come at the cost of wearing hot, un-breathe-able polyester satin. Like I said, I think I found the dress. But what's the harm in keeping my options open?
