Hunting for the perfect bridesmaid dress can be so much fun for a bride and her bridal party in many ways or it can be a nightmare. It really depends on the type of bride you have, what her vision is and how flexible she is. Some brides give their bridal party the exact color and tell them to find whatever they want. Other brides give a color and perhaps a length specification and then tell them to go on the search. Then you have those brides who know the color, style, length, accessories and don’t allow their bridesmaids to have any say at all. With so many variables, it can be difficult to determine where to start this process. Here are some helpful tips to make it a bit smoother and fun!

1. Plan a bridal party night

Get together with the bride, maid of honor and bridesmaids, have some wine, everyone bring a magazine and have a great playlist ready! This kills a couple birds with one stone. If your bridal party doesn’t know each other, this is a great bonding opportunity. You can all openly discuss everything from styles to colors and come to a happy medium.

2. Talk Budget

This can be daunting as money is always an uncomfortable discussion to have with anyone, but the one person who needs to know your budget is the bride. This may be something that the bride will most likely have to initiate with each of her bridesmaids. Have a very honest and frank conversation with her about a budget you are comfortable with. Ultimately this will give the bride the ability to come up with a maximum budget that works for everyone so that no one is strained financially.

3. Keep in mind body type

Here is where it can get tricky if your bride isn’t open to many suggestions, not the ideal situation but it happens. In a perfect world if the whole bridal party has the same body shape, then the same style of dress will work for everyone. But women come in various shapes, sizes and heights so it is unlikely that the same style of dress will suit a woman who is 5’11 with long legs versus a woman who is perhaps heavier set and very curvy. Doing some research surrounding what dress styles match specific body types will really make the bridal party feel like they are cared about.

4. Set a “lock in” date

One last but very important aspect of hunting for the perfect bridesmaid dress is to set in a “lock in” date with the girls. It means exactly what it implies, when the date arrives it’s “locked in” and no more changes are then made. Lock in dates, are put into place to keep the flow of productivity consistent so time isn’t wasted. As that date approaches, finalize the dresses and ensure your finances are in order to put down at least 20%. When the lock in date arrives- no more changes can be made, the dresses are ordered and that is that.

Team work, openness and compromise are the keys to finding great dresses, bonding with your bridal party and having fun during the planning process. Don’t forget the most important aspect is that your friendships are important and still need to be nurtured to ensure you will have supportive friends throughout your upcoming marriage!

Photos provided by: Weddingbee.com, SocietyBride.com and WeddingIdeasMag.com