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Without giving too much away about my wedding's style secrets & without spoiling the surprise for the Groom, I wanted to share the fantastic bridesmaid dresses I've been perusing! For those who don't know, I'm getting married in May & everything is quite last minute, so perhaps I don't have as much choice as I would like, but sod it! That's all part of the excitement! I'm having four bridesmaids in total, my two best friends Laura and Katie are the 'adult' bridesmaids and my daughter and niece are the flowergirls (which I count as being bridesmaids and didn't know they're conventionally called Flowergirls til recently but anyway)
The dresses:
1. Style 8611 by Justin Alexander
I have a soft-spot for Justin Alexander's designs. He strikes the balance between couture detailing and workmanship and value for money. I like the shape & the structure of the bodice and the colour. It's elegant and Rockabilly enough for my tastes (the bridesmaids have to be able to jive and have a lovely swishing skirt) but also, it's not too 'bridesmaidsy' & could probably be worn again. It is however, a teeny weeny bit on the expensive side for me (retail prices vary but expect to pay upwards of £600)
The Bridal Shop - Justin Alexander Wedding Dresses Style 8611
www.thebridalshop.com
Justin Alexander's 8611 Bridesmaid Dress in black
2. Great dress templates from Honeypie Boutique!
I stumbled across this site a few months ago & I think the concept is great. 1. Choose a dress silhouette 2. Choose a colour 3. Choose a petticoat. Bob's your uncle! The great thing about Honeypie Boutique is the range of colours and textures that are available too. In terms of price, once you've added the cost of the dress & the petticoat that needs to go with it you're in the £200+ range for the Luxury range and £100+ for the Standard Bridesmaid dress range. I don't think I've seen any other shop with quite as much versatility!
All the Pretty Colours from Honeypie Boutique!
A dress silhouette sample from Honeypie Boutique
I am quite tempted to order some of these dresses for my maids. I think I'd choose the 'Lauren' style in red or in black (these are the colours I've narrowed it down to!)
3. Whirling Turban Dresses - any/all of them!
Yes I want all of them and aside from me, I am tempted to have Whirling Turban bridesmaids! Whirling Turban is a vintage reproduction dress company based in beautiful, balmy Bali. Each dress is handmade to order and every design is to die for. Authentically vintage looking, I've never seen dresses quite so beautiful. If I don't purchase for the wedding, I definitely must buy some lovely dresses from WT for the honeymoon. Here are some of my favourite Whirling Turban designs
Whirling Turban 'Wing Bust' Bridesmaid Dress
Whirling Turban 'Slim Wiggle' Dress
Whirling Turban 'Extreme Mermaid'
Whirling Turban have a wonderful selection of dresses and, with an 8 week turnaround time for dresses, just might be in the running for my bridesmaids-to-be!
4. Vivien of Holloway
A vintage lover's staple: lots of ladies own Vivien of Holloway dresses! Reasonably priced, they offer 'off-the-peg' dresses in a variety of authentic 50s styles, colours and fabrics. I like this one:
Anna Fur Laxis in Vivien of Holloway's 1950s Halterneck Satin Dress. Image by "Jazz" Hans Photography
Hmmm. All these dresses are giving me plenty of food for thought & with 15 weeks to go before the big day I'd better make a decision!
