As you guys have been with me during the whole 'should I or shouldn't I' journey of bridesmaid dress shopping I figured it was only right that you got to see the final result :).

I can't say it was the easiest thing I've done, finding a dress outside of my usual color palette (taupe is great on my eyes but not much else in my opinion), but I think this Adrianna Papell dress is lovely and pefect for the occasion. I upped the drama with this fabric flower belt from Etsy and feel the overall effect is classy, classic, and definitely appropriate for a summer wedding.

Will I regret the high heels? Maybe. Will I feel beautiful while I'm wearing them? Without a doubt.

So after falling in love with the lace of the Nordstrom dress I decided some further Googling was in order. The color was a little too bridal on me and the price - while not expensive for a bridesmaid dress - could be lower without me complaining, lol.

Thanks to Google's shopping search I happened upon Dillard's, where pretty much every Adrianna Papell dress was significantly cheaper. And in different colors!


Nice right?! The one shoulder was a surprise, because normally I don't like how they look on me. I wouldn't say it's appropriate for the wedding, too dark, but the 'buff' color of the second dress is spot on! (I'll be stalking the grey for later though - $60 or less and it's coming home!)

I went ahead and took some pictures this weekend but I think the color suffered in the shadow - it looks much cooler than the warm brown-y mauve that you see above. Either way I'm happy, so happy, to be done looking and the bride's approval. And what I learned? Never underestimate the internet! Sometimes you'll find the perfect thing without too much work at all :D.

After getting in the last dress from Nordstrom (and comparing it to another from the same brand on Amazon) I have to say I really like Adrianna Papell. Her dresses seem to be pretty true to size while providing a variety of colors, lace shape, and styles to fit almost any occasion.  I would be happy to wear either of these in my friend's wedding but I think my heart is leaning slightly toward Option 2.

Option 1: Adrianna Papell Illusion Bodice Lace Sheath Dress


This is the heavier of the two lace options. Fully lined, the illusion bodice is hardy enough to hide bra straps (I wouldn't trust my support to the dress itself). On my 5'6" frame it falls to just below the knee and has a lovely open back.

My concerns? This is a very formal dress in person and I'm not sure it would fit the feel of this wedding. Plus while I love the look of this lace better the dress in and of itself is heavier and thicker, which makes me think wearing it in June (in DC) might be a pain.

Option 2: Adrianna Papell Women's Sleeveless Lace Dress


This dress is more a boatneck (compared to the tank like style of the first) and a beautiful taupe color. Again fully lined it's lighter overall in comparison to the first and falls to just above my knee (I'm wearing really high heels here so it looks a little shorter than in real life). I could take or leave the scalloped edges but according to quite few of my friends the detail is beautiful.

Here I tried the dress on with a belt because it's something the Matron of Honor and I are discussing and I wanted to get an idea of how it could look. Due to the sheath style both dresses would look great with belts and neither would be overwhelmed if we went with something sparkly. I forgot to take a picture of the back but it's a lovely v-neck, that doesn't drop very low - no risk of bra peekage.

Final Thoughts: As I said ealier, I kind of like the second one more. Both are beautiful - don't get me wrong - but the formality of the first combined with an almost (now that I think about it) bridal like lace makes me think it might be nice for life but not for this event. But hey - my opinion isn't the final say - we'll have to see what the bride thinks!

Huh.

Well, folks, as it sometimes happens Round I was not a success. By any definition. I'm sure on another skin tone or smaller woman these dresses could look fantastic but on me? Not so much. Here's the proof*...


1) Too tight across the chest, the neckline/ruffles are too high
2) Cute in person, but horrible and boxy in photos. Plus the skirt doesn't have enough volume to balance the top half.
3) The best of the bunch but too much is exposed of the top half in this size. I may try sizing up (to a 16) in the future if I really decide to give this a chance.


1) Whoa - wide. This dress was not flattering at all though I guess I don't have to worry about any tummy issues.
2) I felt super broad and 'bleh' in this dress. No.

**Don't worry, I'm going to stop with the hallway pics. Not only is the lighting a b*tch but it's hard to get the right angle.

Now I can hear you, you're saying what about the lace dress right? Well the lace dress came a day later than this order and let me tell you - it's a maybe. It's a big enough maybe that I've ordered a similar dress that's half the price to see exactly how attached I am to it. Wish me luck!

(duh duh duuuuuuh - scary music)

I have the honor this June of being maid of honor for one my oldest and dearest friends. But, as much as I love her, she has handed me a bit of a quandary. Instead of going all bridezilla on me and saying 'BUY THIS DRESS NOW' she's taken the nice route and said 'here's a color palette and some inspiration pics - go!'


I think most people would find this sort of challenge fun. I mean the wedding's in June right? Plenty of time to find a dress right?

WRONG.

I am not a quick shopper! I find, I try, I contemplate - all of this takes time folks! Plus I have no idea what kind of color in this palette is gonna work with me, as I tend to be a saturated jewel tone kinda girl. Thus instead of working (because really, who works around the holidays?) I've been Googling all sorts of places to see what kind of inspiration I can find now for a wedding later. I've done the Modcloth and Anthropologie searches, and may get back to them a little bit later, but for my first buy & try? Nordstrom. Free shipping combined with a lot of what could be the right color dresses along with affordable prices (for a bridesmaid dress anyway) and you've got me making a big honking order (I don't want to do multiple small ones ok? I'd rather go big and just try all the damn things on at once.). And lucky for you I'm going to take you on this journey with me!

This round of dresses:

First Set:

 Second Set:


 I won't be devastated if none of these work, I do have time to keep searching, but isn't it nice to imagine that one of these might be perfect?