we got married on easter weekend and I had bridesmaid all over the continent. A couple were 6 feet tall and willowy, one was 5 feet tall and all boob. The spring before there were lots of suits out in pastels that all had short sleeves and skirts. They all wore different colours and had a jacket that flattered them. They carried white bouquets and I had all of their colours in my flowers. Looked great

definitely beats wearing The Happy Hooker's afghan.

that's me on the left - oh crikey, i forgot about the hat.... *shudder*

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._7583693_n.jpg

Originally Posted by chickadee32:
That's what we did. We were having a Saturday evening wedding in November, and I specified a black dress, ankle or floor length, with straps (no sleeves and not strapless). We ended up with one bridesmaid in a calf-length dress, two bridesmaids in strapless dresses, and one bridesmaid in a one-shoulder dress - and everyone looked spectacular. Everyone spent what they wanted and found something they liked and would wear again. One of my friends just mentioned a few months ago that she wore her dress yet again to another event - more than 8 years after the wedding. Definitely a good way to go I think.

Did everyone look great together? I'm planning on just picking a color and having everyone get their own dress too, simply because all of my bridesmaids are all over the place in terms of height and size.

My only issue with letting them pick their own dresses is that my friends don't have the greatest fashion sense. I think I'm going to let them pick their dresses, but I'll have veto rights if their choices are hideous.

the only advice i have to offer is if you want them to look the same color in the pictures, make sure every one picks the same type of material. shiny materials like satin photo differently than material like chiffon. i told my bridesmaids that the rule was "chiffon in this color" and they all ended up liking the dress that i wanted, so my bridesmaids all ended up in the same dress even though i told them they could pick something else if they hated it. and since the dresses were about $100 and could be worn for other dressy events later down the road, they were not upset about the expense.