This one's for your girls!

Hello friends, I am so glad that it's Wednesday! Wednesdays are always fun - you are halfway through the week and you are anticipating the weekend, just wondering what fun and exciting things await you. I don't know about you, but when I am imagining my fabulous weekend plans, I see myself in a darling cocktail dress wearing a pair of killer Louboutins and sipping a sparkling glass of champagne. Granted, my real life doesn't exactly match up with my dreams, but that's ok! Back to that fabulous little cocktail dress...

In my day to day life, I spend a lot of time looking at bridesmaid dresses, some good, some bad and some just sinfully bad! But, when you start looking through the good dresses, you can actually find some hidden gems that would be perfect for that Saturday night out on the town! Now I know what you are thinking right now...there is no such thing as a "good" bridesmaid dress let alone one that I would wear again!! I know, I know, that concept was the underlying foundation of 27 Dresses and any other movie about weddings - "it's so cute you can shorten it and wear it again"! No one believes that idea - I have even been guilty of leaving a dress or two at the hotel after the wedding because I didn't need to ever see it again! But let me tell you, there are some darling bridesmaid dresses out there that even the most skeptical 'maid would fall in love with!

Here are a few of my favorites...

This dress is universally flattering - and the sash adds a bit of whimsey

This one shoulder dress is absolutely darling - I adore the bow on the shoulder

I love this simple cocktail dress from Priscilla of Boston - and how much do you love it in yellow?!

This is a great long dress option, it will work on all body types as well as for  a pregnant 'maid

Another classically beautiful cocktail dress from Priscilla of Boston

I love the use of cole in this dress, and the straps are ideal for girls with...girls!

This is another great long dress option from Priscilla of Boston - I see it at an 8:00 black tie ceremony

How cute is this little number! Perfect for a summer affair
Pictures from Siri, Lula Kate, and Priscilla of Boston

What do you think? I promised to find great bridesmaid dresses, and I believe these fit the bill. Now, there has been a shift from the long dress to the short dress in the last couple of years. Personally I think that short dresses are so much prettier, but they have their own set of issues. You must specify the type of shoes that your 'maids wear and make sure that no one wears a sandal of any kind. There is nothing worse than having a girl flip and flop her way down the aisle! Also, you might want to mention to your friends that they might want to just think about a spray tan or using self tanning lotion. Not to be a bridezilla, but simply because white legs sticking out from under the cocktail dress isn't all that pretty. And who knows, if you have a small wedding party, that could be something you could treat your girls to 2-3 days before the wedding!

As for the long dress, they are definitely more appropriate at some types of weddings. I would recommend wearing a long dress for a black tie wedding, it just looks a bit more formal. And with a long dress, there is a bit more room for camouflage if you have a girl that is self-conscious about her size or is pregnant!

As you can see, there are some great options for bridesmaid dresses that won't cause your friends to think back thoughts about you on your wedding day! And let's be honest, as the bride, you should really want the dresses you pick to be cute and pretty and fit well - you are the one that has to look at those pictures for the rest of your life!

Have a fabulous day and dream about your weekend...

Much love,

The Bridal Belle