Dressing my girls

On most wedding pictures, you see a bride in white and an army of bridesmaid in identical dresses. This might not be our case.

You see, given our budget I know I can not buy bridesmaid dresses for my bridesmaid. That means that on top of having to come here they will have to pay for their outfit.
I do not wish them to have a dress that they will hate and will not be able to wear again.
I want my bridesmaid to feel comfortable and happy that day and after.
So even if the wedding etiquette seems to say: don't let them choose their dress, you will regret it, you want everyone to match. Well I decided that it was not the most important thing for me.
Not to mention that one of my bridesmaid is in France and will only come 15 days before the wedding, there is therefore no way for her to try things in advance and get them fitted.
So I decide not to follow traditions and to let my bridesmaids pick their dresses. Unconventional and a bit risky, but also most likely to let them have something worth it for their money.

I did have one little rule that came from my color inspiration, and that was a chocolate dress. Call it brown or expresso, any shade and shape would work for me.
Now because my cousin decide to buy something in the US, I went on a search to find affordable dresses that she could be interested in. J.Crew; Wtoo, Nordstrom, David's Bridal. I looked and looked and looked. Nothing overly exciting even though there were a few finds that could work out.

Then I came across a post about Victoria's Secret having bridesmaid dress. Not one to pass an option I went and looked into it.
I came across a very affordable dress at $95 on sale, with a chocolate color option, but best of all, it could be worn 7 different ways.
I decided right away to email my find to my matron of honor to see her reaction.

The next time I checked my email, I had two from her, the first started with "Oh my goodness!!! That is awesome. I will wear that if everyone else wants to. I'll even wear it if I'm the only one!"
The second was telling me that she ordered two, one for her and one of my godsister/bridesmaid.
So now I have to see what my cousin/maid of honor thinks. If she likes it I would end up with bridesmaids wearing the same dress after all.
I do look forward to see pictures of them wearing it to see if it's a go or not.

Here is the dress


Are you selecting the dress for your bridesmaids or are you leaving them options?