Worst Bridesmaid Dresses

Bridesmaid.  The word has varying effects on people, depending on their past experiences.  For some, it was an honor just to be asked.  For others, it was a taffeta nightmare.

Some brides choose bridesmaid dresses that they are absolutely sure their bridesmaids will look terrible in.  That’s called, “I have low self esteem and want to make sure I’m the prettiest one in my pictures.”  Other brides have some bridesmaids that will look good in a particular dress, and others who WON’T look good in it.  “It’s not on purpose, Amy.  You’re just fat, is all.”

Other times, brides will choose bridesmaid dresses that they think are absolutely beautiful.  They’d be happy to wear the dress, if they were not the bride, but only a mere bridesmaid.  “And the best thing about it is you can shorten it and wear it again.”  Right?  RIGHT?

Just because it’s fun, and because we sometimes all need a laugh, here are some bridesmaid dresses that are sure to make you glad she DIDN’T ask you.

This is an easy one to start off on, because this picture is clearly from the seventies, and those dresses are probably still in tact somewhere, because that grade of polyester has the shelf life of a Twinkie.  And you know about Twinkies.

Again, we can chalk this up to the crazy days of hallucinogenic drugs and free love.  I just wonder why that one lady on the end got to wear a cape.  Where are all the rest of the capes?  That’s what that brown -haired lady on the other end is thinking, “Where the … is my cape?”

This one might be even older, but I think that any bride that forces you to dress like Mrs. Claus deserves to have a little Ex Lax slipped into her egg nog.  Just sayin’.

This might very well be from the Eighties, but to me this picture is like one of those “Can you find all the things that are wrong in this picture” things.  Yes.  Yes I can.

The only thing that would make this OK is if they just came from their dance recital.

And what you can’t see is the knife in the bridesmaid’s OTHER hand.

And all of the sudden there were a lot of very cold Solid Gold dancers…

And because of this dress, this is the only bridesmaid that showed up.  No, seriously though.  There was only enough fabric for one dress – IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

Wha?

Forsooth and verily.  I think I’m gonna puke.

there’s this

and this

and this.  Now tulle is extinct and satin is on the endangered list.

like you do.

Notice that the bride is wearing camouflage.  That means those dresses are “safety” or “blaze” orange.  Presumably so nobody shoots the bridesmaids during the ceremony.

At the reception, however, all bets are off.

Come on.  Really?

The brunette looks embarrassed, and we can’t even see her face.

Yet, strangely, none of these people look embarrassed.

And neither do any of these people.  Can you imagine the phone call on this one?  “Amy, will you be a bridesmaid in my wedding?”  “Um, I don’t really have enough money for  a dress.”  “Oh, that’s OK.  You’ll just need to wear black pumps, a g-string, and some pasties.”  “Wow.  It’s so nice of you to let us wear what we just wear to work.”  “Oh, it’s no problem.  The hat I’m wearing is so amazing that nobody will even notice your nakedness, so I’m sorry about that, but at least Joey’s going to wear his stripey socks and that Elvis clown mask he wore when he got arrested for snorting sand that time.”  “Oh yeah.  Joey’s such a trip.  See you at the wedding!”

What?  I make my own fun.  I swiped a lot of these pictures from Tacky Weddings.  Stay classy.

Thoughtful Bridesmaids’ Gifts That Don’t Break the Bank!

Let’s face it: planning a wedding is tough. Many brides admit that planning their wedding would be much harder if it wasn’t for their bridesmaids. Often your bridesmaids help with logistics and things that just can’t be handled by a single person. So when it comes time to say, “Thank you!” to these lovely ladies – we know you want to pick out special bridesmaids’ gifts. But after the expense of a wedding, adding any other expenses can be a challenge. Here are some of our favorite bridesmaids’ “Thank you” gifts that are thoughtful and won’t have you reaching the top limit on any credit card.

Personalized Makeup Mirror. Many women like to touch up their makeup during the day, and what could be better than a personalized makeup mirror as their bridesmaid’s “Thank you” gift? This is an ideal gift, as they will think of you each time they use it and it is reasonably priced. Best of all, it is personalized with their first name or monogram for a sophisticated and elegant look. Any bridesmaid will appreciate this gift ideal for daytime and evening use.

Birthstone Jewelry. This is a thoughtful gift for your bridesmaids and you’ll find a wide selection of birthstone jewelry to choose from. There is personalized birthstone jewelry and simply birthstone jewelry that features the lovely gemstones on their own. One of the best things about this choice is that each woman will feel special and remembered as “their” birthstone month is uniquely their own. While they are there to share your Big Day, their “Thank you” gift is something that remembers them as unique individuals. You’ll find birthstone jewelry for every budget price and both daytime to evening looks.

Handmade Gift. Now this can be a very special and thoughtful gift if done with care. A handmade gift is best when it is created specifically for the recipient. So you are using their favorite color, their name or initials and including themes or topics that they enjoy. Any ways you can make this special for them or about your friendship/relationship will make this a grand-slam gift. Let’s say you are known for making delicious chocolate pretzels. So you choose to make this as your bridesmaids’ “Thank you” gift. Make this even more special by dipping each bridesmaid’s set of pretzels in their favorite color of sprinkles. And then put them in a pretty re-useable tin or jar. Include a thoughtful note saying how “sweet” they are. You see? Your handmade gift suddenly becomes something uniquely about them.

Plan a Fun/Girly Activity for After Your Honeymoon. This is a great choice especially if your bridesmaids are conveniently located and can all come back together. Treat them to a “Thank you” barbeque, fancy picnic or day at an amusement park. Or go be girly together and take them for manicures and pedicures. The key is to choose activities and themes that they will especially enjoy. Simply remember that this day is not about you as a bride or your getting married but about your friendships and celebrating them.

How to pick your perfect wedding dress

If you ask most women what the most important thing is on their wedding day, we’d take a guess that the majority are dead set on finding that dream wedding dress to walk down the aisle in.

Women spend more time and energy looking for their dress and more thought is likely to go into this decision than any other!

Of course, everyone has their own idea of what their perfect wedding dress looks like with some preferring sleek and elegant gowns and others opting for more traditional full skirted dresses and of course there are endless options of length, colour, styles and accessories to choose from as well.

A few things to remember about choosing your wedding dress is that you’ll be looking at these pictures for years to come so picking a dress with timeless elegance, rather than going with the latest fad style is probably better in the long run so your pictures will always be something you are proud to show off.

Pick a style that suits you. It’s all very well falling in love with a style of dress that looks fantastic on the hanger but shows off all of your lumps and bumps or doesn’t show off your best features. Try out a variety of styles, and take along a trusted friend or relative to help you choose a style that makes the best of all your attributes. Try everything on, sometimes a style that you think will look horrible on you will actually turn out to be the one that you fall in love with, it’s worth trying as it’s a once in a lifetime dress so you want to get it right!

The most traditional colour for wedding dresses is white and you’ll find that the majority of wedding dress stockists have most of their dresses in this colour. Of course white isn’t for everyone and you’ll be pleased to hear that many dresses are offered with other colour tones in them, resulting in many off-white colours such as ivory, cream, gold and many other hues. There are also dresses available in completely different colours so if you look good in red or blue there’s no reason why you couldn’t go for a wedding dress in those colours as well.

When you find that perfect dress, the best advice you can take is to buy it on that day, especially if it’s a dress on sale or there’s only one left in stock. There’s nothing worse than finding your dress, only to have someone else buy it while you think about it and come back a few days later to find it has been sold! You can tend to reserve dresses as well, so at the very least make sure you do this, you can always change your mind but once it’s gone – it’s gone forever! With Very.co.uk you can order the dress and try it on and of course, if it’s not the right one for you it can be returned.

Another important factor in the bride’s mind is the issue of bridesmaid dresses. Whether you’ve got one bridesmaid, or a dozen; coordinating them to wear the colour and style that you want can be tricky, especially if you have a few bridesmaids you are all different shapes and sizes.

The first thing to decide on is what colour you want, many brides will fit the bridesmaid dresses into the colour scheme, so if you’re having pink and white flowers and table centrepieces for example, it’s likely that pink will be a good colour for the bridesmaid dresses.

You could also go for a colour theme, such as purples, which include plums, lilacs and bright purple colours so you are able to find a colour that suits everyone.

Once you’ve chosen your colours, then you’ll need to find a style for your bridesmaid dresses, which again can be a little tricky if you have a few bridesmaids of differing shapes! The best thing to do is take them all to try on a variety of styles and pick out the one which is best across all of your bridesmaids.

If you’re going for block colours then you can dress up the bridesmaid dresses with accessories that match your colour scheme, such as corsages or hair pieces which fit into the scheme. This is often a nice idea if you’ve gone for plain block colours, such as cream as it brightens up the outfits and also makes the bridal party easily identifiable!

To get some ideas for your ideal style of wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses then there is a beautiful selection at Very.co.uk where you will find inspiration not just for dresses but also everything from accessories and jewellery right through to wedding shoes and veils to make your wedding day absolutely perfect.

The Benefits of Being a Recession Bride

Let’s face it: trying to do anything big and splashy like a wedding is tough, no matter the time you try to do it. But getting married during one of the worst recessions the International economy has ever seen – has been tough on a lot of brides. But do you realize there are actually some benefits to being a recession era bride? Let’s talk about some of the “good” reasons that getting married during the recession isn’t quite so bad after all.

A tighter wedding budget forces you to focus on what’s important. Do you really need calla lilies flown in from an exotic location at every table – or would you rather have delicious food at the reception? Do you really need an open bar all night long – or will a single signature cocktail do the trick? Do you really have to invite your very best friend from summer camp you haven’t seen for ten years – simply because you always wanted to do so? The recession era bride has an easier time of focusing on what is really necessary and needed at her wedding and what can be tossed by the wayside.

Today’s bride is a savvy shopper. Gone are the days when a bride would pick the very first wedding dress that gave her tingles up the back of her neck. The recession era bride knows to go to a variety of wedding dress shops and to take digital photos of the dresses she likes. To do more comparison shopping. Also not to be afraid to ask for a better deal – when a competitor’s shop is offering a coupon the shop you are in just might honor it as well – you never know!

A wedding truly isn’t about what you buy – it’s about what you are doing. Getting a beautiful dress and going on an exotic honeymoon is certainly fun. But the recession era bride realizes more than ever what matters is the special moment she’ll be saying her wedding vows with her husband-to-be. That moment when they’ll kiss for the first time as husband and wife. The treasured father and daughter dance or having her father walk her down the aisle. These special moments can’t be bought in a shop or charged to your credit card.

A recession era bride isn’t afraid to get a little creative. If that banquet hall is just too far out of your budget – or you can’t afford flowers or something else you’ve been dreaming of – the recession era bride doesn’t pout – she gets to thinking! Could she get married in the big backyard of a family friend or at her college or university chapel? Could she visit a flower market on an early morning and buy flowers at a discount or get flowers from the grocery store? Or would small potted plants from a nursery make great centerpieces (sure…why not?) that you just wouldn’t see anywhere else? In another economy that bride might not get as creative – but the recession era bride learns to stretch and expand her thinking like never before.

So if you’re a recession era bride – enjoy the special and treasured moments your wedding day brings. Enjoy being with family and friends and your first day of married life!

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How to Choose a Bridesmaid Dress Video

In this how to choose a bridesmaid dress video, an expert from Brides.com gives us some tips on picking bridesmaid dresses that our bridesmaids can actually wear again. A little-known secret about being a bride is that we have some sort of hypnosis or disorder when we’re planning our weddings that make it so we can convince ourselves that any dress we pick for our bridesmaids will be something they’ll be thrilled to wear again. Later, after the wedding fog clears, we realize that it ain’t gonna happen. Truly, after this video, I’m still not convinced, though she gives some good suggestions, like making sure the fabric and color are current or classic, pick something with a little detail (because, as she said, “nothing says ‘bridesmaid’ like a completely plain dress.’” She makes some cool suggestions, like choosing a dress with a pattern, and suggests different accessories to help the dress make the transition. Now, if they only offered different ways to wear that wedding dress!

The Running of the Brides

Twice yearly, Filene’s department store sponsors  a  well known event that is recognized around the world wide as The “Running of the Brides”.   On the selected day(s), brides line up at the door to participate in a race, in search of their dream wedding gown.   Many have already brought along lawn chairs, tents and sleeping bags in anticipation of being amongst the first to grab the best bargains.

The gowns selected for sale are usually available due to cancelled orders, cancelled weddings, or shops needing to relieve their inventory.  Many famous labels are included and gowns are usually priced at astonishingly low prices.   This “no holds barred” event begins when the doors open and a flood of  mostly women, race in to grab as many gowns as possible.  Future brides often enlist the help of friends and family members to assist them in the free-for-all.  The  vast rows of gown –filled racks are said to be often cleared in less than a minute . This race  is not for the fainthearted, nor is it the time to be picky in making selections.    After all of the initial chaos is over, the real work begins.

Each participant then examines the arms full of gowns to determine whether anything is worth keeping or trying on.   Soon the real “wheeling and dealing” begins!  Negotiations involve trading amongst the group for correct styles, sizes and prices.  Many purchasers enjoy the fun and the high energy surrounding the event, and so attend with a  specific shopping strategy in mind.  In any case, fun can be had by all.

And yes, men can also attend….if they dare!

Wedding Hair and Makeup – To Thine Own Self Be True

Unless they are having a shotgun wedding, it  can be said that most brides prefer to look their absolute best on their wedding day.  Sadly though, oftentimes, in search of the perfect ‘look’, many brides have rendered themselves to be almost unrecognizable on the day of their wedding by wearing far too much makeup and sporting a hairdo that most in attendance would agree (although not to her face) that she would not dare wear in real life.

Of course, the special event will call for a little more than the usual, but it should not be so far off the mark that it seems totally out of character.  If a future bride is not accustomed to wearing a lot of makeup, then her wedding day should not be the day that she would choose to pile on as much as possible.  If she is uncomfortable with the idea of having her hair tightly wound, and piled up on top of her head, then alternatives should definitely be pursued. Perhaps a softer look; one that she is more comfortable with, may suit her best. There is a balance that should be met, and if necessary, she should not be afraid to enlist help from those who know her well.

If any of these are not available, she should consult a professional…while still attempting to bring along with her, either a trusted friend or family member.  After all, this will be her day and there will be pictures and memories that will no doubt last a lifetime.  Remember:  If they are to be thought of with fondness, they will need to be true and authentic.

Photo: by ElektraCute

15 Things I Learned from Being a Bridesmaid

Being a bridesmaid is a great honor but for grown-ups, being the bridesmaid, or worse, the maid of honor for one of your best friends can be an experience that you may not want to repeat too often or ever again!

Here are 15 things I learned as a bridesmaid veteran of five weddings:

1. Remember it’s not your day!  The bride is the center of attention and it is her big day so be prepared to cater for her every whim.  After all, as bridesmaid you only have to deal with Little Miss’ tantrums and spats for a few rehearsals and the day of the wedding, after that the poor guy she’s marrying has to deal with her for life;
2. While you may not be the center of attention as far as the wedding is concerned, you can be assured of being the center of attention for lots of guys!  I should know because I met my husband when I was a bridesmaid for the 4^th time but be careful if you are thinking this will be a great way to find a catch because:
3. Never, and I mean NEVER! Let a guy open the door and escort you if he calls you “Sugar”, “Babe” or worse, “Sugarbabe!”;
4. Do not let a bride convince you to wear grapevine as headgear.  Yes you can still find it, on a remote hillside in South Carolina on property owned by a gun toting hillbilly aged 72 and related to Jed Clampett as both his brother and second uncle;
5. Wearing woven grapevine leaves marks, both physical and emotional, which last for up to 6 months, if you have the choice, wear a crown of thorns instead;
6. Glue guns are a great invention for people who want to stick things and are not worried about whether they will explode or not – just remember that glue guns do overheat and will overheat because they are going to get a lot of use and as bridesmaid, you have to pitch in;
7. Brides want everyone to wear matching ear rings so be prepared to get your ears pierced if you haven’t already done so;
8. If you are asked to write a speech, do not retell the time when your “Best Friend”, who is getting married, was violently ill after drinking too much and ended the evening clinging to the toilet, swearing the world was ending and she couldn’t let it go because there was an earthquake (we lived in Ohio at the time);
9. If you are serious about catching the bouquet when the bride throws it, make sure you are wearing an outfit which will hold you in, as falling out of the top of your dress while stretching for the flowers can be very revealing resulting in more guys calling you “Sugar”, “Babe” etc;
10. Do NOT get drunk at the reception!;
11. The old saying, “Always a bridesmaid and never a bride!” is simply not true, I’m happily married to my husband whom I met when serving as a bridesmaid at wedding number 4;
12. Do everything you can to convince the bride that bridesmaid can get out of their dresses and into practical dress as soon as possible for the evening.  If she won’t budge on this, make sure the bridesmaids dresses are comfortable and practical if you have to spend the day in them;
13. The same applies to shoes!
14. Buying gifts for the bride and groom should really be about getting them things they will enjoy – people buy the most boring and unoriginal gifts which cost a fortune but the ones that make an impression are the ones where a lot of thought has gone into them;
15. Being a bridesmaid for five friends I am not interested in repeating the experience unless by new baby girl really wants me to do it for her !

Pearls: The Ideal Wedding Gemstone

Many brides put on their mother’s or grandmother’s pearl necklace for their wedding, thinking this is a sweet sentiment. But the meaning behind pearl necklaces is just as thoughtful and special to a bride-to-be. We’d like to share it with you now – so you understand exactly why women for centuries have chosen pearls as their wedding jewelry of choice giving them as much importance as their engagement rings.

Most of you surely have noticed the pearl, lustrous, white and smooth. They have been considered precious by men and women for centuries – some might even say as valuable as diamonds. Pearls represent innocence and purity, ideal for a bride to wear for her wedding day. The most popular color for pearls is white. Pearls have a beautiful, shining luster to compliment a bride’s love light in her eyes and her traditional white wedding dress. The radiant glow of the pearl easily reflects back the bride’s natural beauty. These natural gems are an ideal choice for brides of all ages and personal tastes and styles. What if the bride isn’t wearing white? Not to worry….pearls are available in a variety of colors now from deep purple, soft pink, gold and even black. The very fussiest of brides can be soothed and pleased with a feminine, pretty pearl necklace to suit her wedding day dress.

Pearls are also available in many different styles of jewelry, from necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. Go for a truly luxuriant look with a three-strand choker on your wedding day. Or tiny seed pearls in seven or eight strands for a feminine look. Or a classic single strand pearl necklace in white or ivory. These pearl jewelry styles easily compliment many wedding dress looks.

To obtain pearls, one needs to find them from oyster shells. Some have said that pearls were created from raindrops falling from the heavens. Very romantic thoughts indeed! But we have to admit there is certainly something romantic about the very act of finding pearls. You have to search to find just the “right” oyster and not every oyster will have that pearl. Just like finding your lovely bride – pearls are selective and special. The perfect way to show the woman you love that you’ve found someone you truly want to keep forever.

The pearl is a romantic gem and often is given as a token of love. For many years the pearl was considered to be the most valuable of gemstones. To give or receive pearls showed the value of a relationship. One’s bride is valuable and precious indeed.

So as you put on your pearl necklace like your grandmother and her grandmother before her, remember the romantic pearl’s history. This sweet sentimental gem is honored to be with you on your wedding day!

Source: http://crystal-cure.com/pearl.html

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