Bridesmaids' Dresses Mayhem

Okay, I am a bit of a taskmaster but is it too much to ask to have the bridesmaids wear the dress I have my heart set on? I think not. So with a little persistence and teamwork, the bridesmaid dress debacle was resolved. What debacle you ask....? Keep readin....

After securing my own dress back in September, I immediately started looking for dresses for my bridesmaids. It didn't take long for me to learn that my taste is a bit more expensive than I thought when the dress that I fell in love with turned out to be $560. Yikes! What's a bride to do? Of all the bridesmaid dresses I looked at, the one I finally like costs way too much. So it was on to plan B...find someone to make the dresses.

Getting a reasonable seamstress was a lot easier than I thought it would be. My maid of honor, Brie, had the hook up with the same lady who did her prom dress some years back and she agreed to make the dresses for less than $150. Great! However, there was still the issue of finding the fabric needed for less than $50 so the total cost of the dress wouldn't end up being over $200. This is where things get tricky...

The seamstress informed me that each bridesmaid would need 2 yards of satin, 7 yards of chiffon and one yard of beaded trim to make the dress. Of course, the first beaded trim that I really really liked was too much, $128/yd too much to be exact. Ultimately I found some beaded trim at a decent price, so that left the satin and chiffon. Piece of cake, right? WRONG!

My sister and I scoured two fabric warehouses and finally found a bolt of satin that was not exactly the color I wanted but would work because it was only for the lining. The chiffon on the other hand seemed to be mission impossible. No matter where I looked, I could not find the chiffon I needed. Either it was the wrong color or cost way too much. Finally, I decided to order some samples online and thought I'd found he one I wanted until the fabric arrived...

It was so the wrong clor. ARRRRGH! Apparently, the 3 x 3 in. sample they sent was flame resistant but the 50 yd roll I ordered was non-flame resistant, so it altered the color drastically. The fabric company then informed me that for only another $200 dollars on top of the $300 I had already spent, I could get he 50 yd roll sprayed with the flame resistant treatment to adjust he color and it may or may not return out to be the same color as the sample. What?!

While I was on the verge of breakdown, me and my mother-in-law to be went to Jo-Ann fabrics to find some zippers for the dresses when behold, the fabric of my dreams that had previously cost too much was on sale. YAY I thought, until I learned that the store only had 5 yards of it and the warehouse had discontinued it so it could no longer be ordered. Wow... the fabric gods must have it in for me I thought. But I'm no quitter...

The next day I called every Jo-Ann fabrics in the state of Michigan...no really, I did. Between 6 stores I was able to locate the 45 yards needed to make the dresses. So, me, two bridesmaids, my mom, Thomas's mom and my wedding planner each went to a different store (Novi, Brighton, Madison Heights, Roseville, Allen Park, & Waterford) and picked up whatever the store had left. WOO-HOO! YAY FOR TEAM!!!

So although it was a terrific struggle, I will have the most fantastical bridesmaid dresses ever for under 200 bucks. Praise the Lord!

P.S. - The company that sent me the 50 yd of the wrong color is giving me a full refund and letting me send the fabric back. Ain't God good?