I like it because it's a pretty shade, and also none of the bridesmaids hate blue (unlike pink or red, which I'd originally liked). And, the price is not bad at all for a bridesmaid dress. The wedding is almost exactly one year away, though (6/28/2008) -- is it too soon to go ahead and get their dresses, or should I wait?
I feel like it is a little too far in advance. Some of your bridesmaids may gain/lose weight in that time period. I'm in a wedding where we had to buy dress 8 mths in advance and I hated that bc I have been working out and now I'm going to have to pay a ton for tailoring because it is way too big. Hopefully they will still be around in about 6-7mths. I understand getting them for that reason, but I don't think it outweighs the other issue.
I would say ask the bridesmaids, but since its your wedding I doubt anyone is going to really tell you they don't want to order it yet since they know you like it and want that one.
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"Despite all your best intentions, sometimes, fate wins anyway."
If you really love the color then you should have the girls buy them now! JCrew changes their colors seasonally so more than likely that color won't be available later on. Keep watch on them though, they could get marked down...although it's a lot harder to track down sizes once they go on sale..if you do find the sizes the girls can always get an adjustment or buy and return.
My sister is getting married a few weeks and we bought our JCrew bridesmaids dresses last summer...she is very happy we did, because they didn't have the color she wanted this year....buy now to be safe.
HeatherLynn has a good point about changing sizes over the course of a year, but factoring in the cost of the dress plus any tailoring charges equals out to the cost of a more expensive dress anyhow--do you get what I am saying? I love the dress and think the girls will be happy that you are choosing a "normal" dress rather than a traditional bridesmaid dress that they will never be able to wear again. Also, sweatergirl is right about JCrew changing their colors, so if you love this color, buy now! They don't *usually* change styles so if you think you could settle for a different color (next spring they will probably come out with a different blue), then wait.
i'll check with the bridesmaids and see how they feel about it -- so far they all like the dress, including my brother who's being the man of honor (instead of maid of honor). of course, he doesn't have to wear it. ;)
not helping here but I LOVE that color and I think it was very nice of you to offer two styles to the bridesmaids.
maybe you should ask your bridesmaids what they think? some may be working on losing weight.. maybe none of them are though. If people are expecting to gain/lose maybe they should size up/down accordingly. also often see jcrew coupons for like $20 off of $100 so that may help out.
I would get them if you think you'll still love them next year.
I don't know if its even an issue for your bridesmaids, but is there a chance any of them might get pregnant? If so, might want to think of a backup plan.
My wedding is in March and I'll order the dresses for my bridesmaids in the fall so they'll have plenty of time to come in and allow the girls to get them altered if they need it.
Thanks, XtinaStyles! I love the color too. :) I kind of want the strapless one for myself!
So far all the bridesmaids except one have gotten back and told me they really like the dress and that the price is a big plus, which I am really happy about.
As far as weight loss or gain and pregnancy go: One of them (my fiance's older sister) just had a baby so she's in the process of losing weight, and two of the others are thinking of trying to get pregnant next summer. The wedding is June 28, so if the other two do get pregnant that summer it should still be okay since they'd be in the early stage. J. Crew said they design the dresses to be okay for the first few months of pregnancy, too.
I used J. Crew bridesmaid dresses and the girls were happy. It was actually the sophia style I think? They turned out lovely and no one needed alterations. I love the style you picked, because it allows everyone to wear a bra if they want to!
If you are confident that no one will be very pregnant next summer, I think it's definitely a go to order them early. You'll have checked one thing off your list, the girls will have time to get alterations if necessary, and you won't worry about the color getting sold out.
I'm actually considering ordering that dress in black!