bridesmaid dress rant.

can i just say something and be completely honest?

bridesmaids dresses are horrible. absolutely, totally, completely horrible. 

i haven't seen a single thing in any of these magazines yet that i looked at and thought "yes. THATS something my friends will look good in AND like wearing"  - i mean, seriously, either everything is too matronly, too tacky, too wrong or just looks like there was some extra god-awful fabric lying around, so someone said "damn, i guess we can make a bridesmaids dress?"

i'm not one of those brides who wants my bridesmaids to look bad in order to make me look better.  I want them to look and feel pretty on my wedding day, and even though it sounds horribly cliche, i would love to find a dress that they would be able to wear somewhere again - 

i've seen a lot of the generic strapless, A-line, satin dresses, and i just think they are plain and too boring.   I'm getting married outside in the summer, so obviously i don't want my girls in anything long (i really don't want anyone sweating to death!) so i'm probably going to go with something tea length - the color i'm looking for is a platinum gray (why are ALL the bridesmaids dresses i see in really loud obnoxious colors?!?!?!)  and when i HAVE seen one and thought "okay, that could be cute" i soon discover that it only comes in really random, really ridiculous colors (you will never convince me that there is a large market for a color called "sherbet" but they make EVERY dress in it for some reason).  i also have bridesmaids who are all very different in every way - they each have their own style, and i don't really want to force them to dress in any certain way.....i kind of like the idea of saying "here's the designer i like, here's the color i like, go find your dress!" and letting them pick their style.... i've been in a wedding where the bride gave us that freedom and (even though i wasnt a fan of the color...) we all looked great because we got to choose the style of dress that best fit our personalities and body types.....perhaps that's the direction i'll go in, if i ever even find a designer i like! 

i sometimes wonder...wait, no, i ALWAYS wonder what people think when they stick their friends in something that is completely heinous - I've always gotten lucky in the situations when i've been a bridesmaid, and I've never been put in anything awful - but i've been to enough weddings to know that the whole ugly bridesmaids dress thing truly does happen ALL the time, and it's obvious that the "bridesmaids can't look as good as the bride" mentality is alive and well just based on the crap i've seen in this bridal magazines.  

bottom line is i want my bridesmaids to look beautiful and i want them to feel happy and confident - not like ridiculous technicolor puff balls walking down the aisle and then spending the reception secretly wishing they could change out of their dress.... i promise Kim, there wont be any green and purple combo dresses! ha! 

the search is on...if you know where they are hiding the non vomit inducing bridesmaids dresses, please let me know.....