Your bridesmaids are your shoulder to cry on and your cheerleaders throughout the entirety of wedding planning. Although it's absolutely a privilege to be someone's bridesmaid - it's not always the easiest job, so it's super important to express how much you appreciate and adore each and every one of your girls for standing by your side.
Hosting the ultimate bridesmaid dress fitting is a perfect way to show how thankful you are for their constant support! Grace Lee, founder & CEO of Birdy Grey, is here to share her best tips on hosting a bridesmaid dress fitting your girls will never forget. As you're learning all about the best ways to shower your girls with love, get inspired by the gorgeous images of influencer, Melanee Shale's bridesmaid dress fitting captured beautifully by her fiancé, Raphe Wolfgang Photography! You may even recognize a couple of her gorgeous 'maids - fellow influencers Elizabeth Keene and Crystal Kong!
How To Host The Ultimate Bridesmaid Dress Fitting For Your Girls (8 Easy Tips!)
8 Tips for Hosting the Ultimate Bridesmaid Dress Fitting
1. Pick a date at least 3 – 4 months before the wedding, after you’ve finalized your wedding gown, so that you have a clear vision of bridesmaid dresses that will complement (not compete with) your gown.
2. If your bridesmaids live around the country (as most do), piggyback the fitting date around another event, such as your bridal shower, bachelorette party or a holiday, so that everyone can attend.
3. Choose a color palette before the fitting, and give the girls guidelines on the look you’re envisioning. (For example, if you’re going for a soft, romantic vibe, ask the girls to stick to chiffon styles, which generally look more floaty. Are you doing a winter wedding? Have them opt for darker, moodier shades.) Once you’ve set some ground rules, let your bridesmaids choose a silhouette they love most and flatters their body type. At Birdy Grey, every single bridesmaid dress is under $100 and ready to ship ASAP. We offer 15 versatile styles in 10 of the season's most-popular colors. All you have to do is pick the color palette, and let your girls choose a style they love—it's as simple as that!
4. Have measuring tape handy to measure bust, waist and hips. Leave a little extra wiggle room so that the dress isn’t too snug. (It’s much easier to tailor down a dress, than vice versa.) Here’s a helpful measuring guide!
5. Dress up the space with pretty puffy florals, such as a mix of pampas, roses and ranunculus. Scatter in vases of varying heights to add dimension to the table.
6. Create a fun brunch bar with fresh bagels, mini donuts, cotton candy or anything that’s easy to eat (and won’t drip on the dresses). Display on cake stands to elevate the look.
5. Dress up the space with pretty puffy florals, such as a mix of pampas, roses and ranunculus. Scatter in vases of varying heights to add dimension to the table.
6. Create a fun brunch bar with fresh bagels, mini donuts, cotton candy or anything that’s easy to eat (and won’t drip on the dresses). Display on cake stands to elevate the look.
7. Skip paper cups and serve up coffee or tea in vintage teacups—they’re way more fun!
8. A fitting party is the perfect time to give your girls their bridesmaid gift. (After all, gifting at the bridal shower or bachelorette might be awkward for other guests.) Treat them to a basket filled with fun swag, such as skincare from Peach & Lily, slippers by Birdies, beauty vitamins by HUM Nutrition and jewelry by Uncommon James.
Fun Facts about Melanee's upcoming wedding!
• Getting married in Summer 2020 in Italy
• Husband-to-be Raphe (who photographed the shoot) proposed in Positano in 2018
• Bridesmaid palette is a mix of mauves
• Bridesmaids are Elizabeth Keene & Crystal, and maid-of-honor, sister Natalee
How Melanee met Elizabeth:
• Elizabeth Keene: “We met 7 years ago. We were following each other on Instagram, so we were Instagram friends first. I was coming home from New York Fashion Week and I was getting on my flight, and Melanee was on the flight.”
• Melanee: “She ended up sitting next to me, and we’ve been friends ever since! To quote Casablanca, I always say about Elizabeth, “Of all the flights in all of the world, she had to walk onto mine.”
How she met Crystal Kong:
• Melanee: “We met 6 years ago while hosting a Poshmark event together, and bonded because we lived near each other. About a month later, there was a conference we were both attending, and Crystal texted me saying, “Hey, do you want to carpool?” And we’ve been friends ever since.”
• Crystal: “We live near each other and we both love boba! We get boba together once a week.”
