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Hey there! Welcome back to Emily Plans a Wedding! We’ve already discussed what my dress might look like, so now it’s time to turn to the ladies who will be standing next to me.

Before we talk about what everyone will be wearing, though, I thought you might like to meet the ladies themselves!

I am very lucky to have two wonderful sisters — one older, one younger — so they were obvious bridesmaid choices. My family is very close, and I couldn’t imagine not including them in my bridal party. Here we are at Kate’s wedding last summer:

Photo by Jenna Cole (see more from Kate’s wedding here, here, here, here + here!)

We like to laugh :) Also, we’ve heard everything from we all look nothing alike, to Kate and I look alike, to Kim and I look alike, to Kate and Kim look alike, so feel free to weigh in in the comments!

I am also very lucky to be gaining not just a husband but two more wonderful sisters next September. John’s older sisters, Natalie and Marget, were also easy choices for me. Yep, our families are full of girls, with not a brother in sight between the two! Here we are, with Marget’s fiance, Seth, a few summers ago:

Personal photo

When it comes to bridesmaid fashion, I suppose I’m pretty traditional. I’m 90% sure that my ladies will all be wearing the same dress, and that that dress will be floor-length. I don’t have any grand illusions that it will necessarily be a dress they’ll wear again (after all, even if they like it, how many opportunities do most of us have to wear evening gowns??), but I want to make sure they’re comfortable, pleased with how they look in the dress, and okay with the price.

Here’s some of the inspiration I’ve been collecting:

Credits, from top to bottom: Photo by A Bryan Photo via Caroline Brewer Styling; Jenny Yoo dress photo by Charlotte Jenks Lewis via Style Me Pretty; navy bridesmaid dress photo by A Bryan Photo; David’s Bridal dress photo by Tanja Lippert via Style Me Pretty; J.Crew dress photo by Steve Steinhardt via Style Me Pretty; J.Crew dress photo by Brita Photography via Style Me Pretty; J.Crew “Alisanne”; White House, Black Market dress photo by Katie Neal; custom Azadeh Couture dress photo by Meg Smith via Style Me Pretty

Oh, and in case you’re wondering after viewing the above, no, I have not decided what color dress they’ll be wearing. The current contenders are black, navy blue, deep navy plum, and gray.

With the above inspiration in mind, I set out to find a few budget-conscious possibilities that fit my desired look. It took some time, but I waded through the abundance of options to find a few I think are both stylish AND reasonably priced. (The Jenny Yoo and J.Crew numbers are more than we’d like to spend, but they were too pretty to exclude!) Side note: Why are so many bridesmaid collections horrifically styled?? Please disregard some of the more dramatic poses below :)

Sources, from left to right and top to bottom: J.Crew Arabelle long dress in graphite silk chiffon ($365), J.Crew Gabby dress in spiced wine cotton taffeta ($225), David’s Bridal chiffon and charmeuse dress in marine ($119), David’s Bridal one-shoulder jersey dress in black ($149), Eden Bridals 7324 in chiffon (unknown), Eden Bridals 7339 in chiffon (unknown), WToo Style 183 in crinkle chiffon ($202), Watters Style 9531 ($198), Bill Levkoff Stye 380 (unknown), Jenny Yoo “Rowan” in crinkle chiffon ($400), Jenny Yoo “Hannah” in crinkle chiffon ($337.50), Jenny Yoo “Margaux” in crinkle chiffon ($355.50)

So tell me: What do you think? Which is your favorite of the options I’ve rounded up? Have a dress I need to check out? Leave a comment below! I’d also love to hear where your bridesmaid dresses are coming from, and what you think is a reasonable price to ask your ‘maids to spend!

P.S. In case you missed a post…
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
I go dress shopping
We choose a photographer

emily Written with love by Emily
26 Comments
  1. avatar Kelsey reply

    Amsale has lots of beautiful long dresses at under $300. You also get a discount if you have 7 or more maids!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Kelsey! Thank you so much for the tip! I love a lot of Amsale’s designs, but I guess I assumed they would be too expensive because of the price point of her bridal gowns. Alas, I only have four bridesmaids, but I’ll still check them out!

  2. avatar Tiffany Lee reply

    Oh I love that Eden 7324! It makes me want to change my wedding colors. So gorgeous. Great colection! I am going for the same kind of look. I love that you mentioned it might not be something they would wear again. I agree, and I want to make it so they don’t hate me with the price too. We decided to get some good use out of our old bridesmaid and prom dresses by wearing them for my bachelorette party next year. Should be fun!

  3. avatar *holly | MagnoliaPair reply

    My sister’s wedding is in March, and we had a hard time choosing between some of those gorgeous options above. She decided on an Amsale that is very similar style…j’adore! The long flowy dresses are just beautiful to me. Can’t wait to see which you decide upon.

  4. avatar Melissa Schollaert reply

    Love the feel of these Emily! I had a recent wedding that had similar dresses – by Amsale: http://www.stylemepretty.com/2011/10/04/atlanta-wedding-by-melissa-schollaert-photography/

  5. avatar Kate {domestikatedlife} reply

    A friend of mine picked the J.Crew tafetta dresses and I LOVED wearing the bow monde style in the color you’ve shown above — they looked good on everyone!

    You can see them here:
    http://bringtolightphotography.com/blog/2011/07/mike-marisa-cape-cod-wedding-photographer/

  6. avatar Mary reply

    I keep trying to forget about the fact that I have to pick dresses out. I have girls of all different heights/ sizes so it feels daunting.

    P.s. I think it would be funny to come up with captions for the more ridiculously posed pictures.

  7. avatar shelby reply

    The Watter’s gown is one of my personal favorites! It’s so flattering on any shape & it’s so whimsical and perfect! Your bridesmaids would look perfect next to you in it! I also have a minor crush on the Margaux, but who wouldn’t?

  8. avatar emily hansel reply

    I love the look of the all chiffon ones, especially the Jenny Yoos. It seems like a great choice for September and the summer/fall transition. And if someone did particulary love their dress, a lot of those styles seem like they could be shortened…
    The posing is ridiculous, but at least they are styled well. I had the hardest time choosing a bridesmaids dress from Vera Wang for a wedding once because the models all had messed up hair and dark circles under their eyes. That does not help visualization!

  9. avatar Stephanie reply

    Hey Emily! I am currently planning my 2012 wedding here in Chapel Hill and came across a beautiful floor length chiffon gown at Bridal Mart in Burlington! It took some digging but we are going with Pretty Maids Style BM39 in Royal. It is more than affordable and is gorgeous on! My second option was the Jenny Yoo “Margaux”. Happy Planning!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Stephanie! I am actually headed to Bridal Mart with my Mom, mostly to look at Watters bridal gowns, but also because they have several of these bridesmaid lines! I’ll keep an eye out for Pretty Maids!

  10. avatar Sarah reply

    Don’t make me choose! I find long bridesmaid dresses to be so beautiful…they almost lend an added sense of whimsy to the day. And I am a sucker for anything gray with a sweetheart neckline…so flattering on so many body types! Also, I don’t know the cost, but have heard great things about Belsoie…

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Sarah! I’ve heard good things about Belsoie, too, and I think they fit into the general price point we’re looking at!

  11. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    The Eden bridals one is beautiful for a more formal look. I love the Watters for a more laid back look. There is a definite relaxed look to the chiffon numbers.

    My advice? Take the girls with you and let them try on most of the styles and see which one looks most flattering on all of them! I took all my girls to the bella bridesmaid and we decided on Lula Kate. I did let them pick out their own top of the silhouette but we decided on one skirt style. We all went to brunch after and had mimosas. It was SO much fun!

    • avatar Emily reply

      That sounds like SO much fun, Madelynne! I might be able to get everyone together around Christmas…

  12. avatar Katie reply

    Emily, FYI, the dress that you call “unknown” with the bow in the back is J.Crew’s cotton taffeta Alisanne. In fact, two of my bridesmaids will be wearing that in navy for my June wedding :) and it’s a good price! http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/dresses/solid/PRDOVR~38586/38586.jsp

  13. avatar Kathryn reply

    I was in a wedding last December and we wore the one strap one from Davids bridal. It looked great on everyone (her bridesmaids were ALL shapes and sizes). It was by far the most comfortable and affordable Bridesmaid dress I have ever worn and held up better than the more expensive ones I have bought that had boning come out during the wedding! To make it look a little less David’s Bridal she had us cut the “tail” that hang down off of the back of the dress when we got it altered. Here is a link to a picture. GOOD LUCK!
    http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150129005378745&set=a.10150129002778745.316757.728738744&type=3&theater

  14. avatar Alysha reply

    I agree with the comment above that a sweetheart neckline is flattering for basically any body type. Your sisters and soon to be sisters-in-law are all gorgeous, so I think they’ll probably look good in anything. I think price point all depends on where you’re coming from. My bridesmaids were all still paying for university, or paying off university loans. We scored gorgeous dresses from RW&co. for $8, nice for them (and me!) but not quite what you’re looking for! Blessings on your planning!

  15. avatar Kate reply

    Emily,
    I agree with Sarah- Belsoie is a great line. I just recently married and used style L2064 in black for my bridesmaids. It was absolutely stunning on every single one of my girls, and I had all different shapes and sizes. They all have very different personalities and styles, and every one of them loved the dress (phew!). I did the dress in tiffany chiffon but you can change the fabric to your liking. It’s under $250, but since it sounds like you’re going with a more neutral/classic color your bridesmaids could shorten it and wear it to other events. I worked in a bridal shop and have seen the dress done in all the colors you mentioned except grey, and it’s beautiful.

    Here’s the link for the dress-http://www.jasminebridal.com/ugC_Product_Detail.asp?hidP_kind=Bridesmaids&hidP_style=BELSOIE&hidj_line_order=3&hidP_Style_ID=L2064

  16. avatar Amanda reply

    Two thoughts:

    1) I have heard that grey dresses can really show sweat and/or spilled drinks! If you have any sweaty maids, they might suffer with a grey dress, especially silk chiffon. Just what I’ve heard…!!

    2) You mentioned JCrew dresses are too expensive… My BMs are wearing the navy silk taffeta dresses (any style they choose), and several of them bought their dress for super cheap while JCrew was having a sale! One BM got hers for $79!! Three others got theirs for $179!! So, JCrew can be inexpensive if you watch the sales online. Just a tip!

    GOOD LUCK!! Love your taste!

  17. avatar Emily Plans a Wedding: Bouquet Inspiration « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] The main characters Where we’re getting married I go dress shopping We choose a photographer I ponder bridesmaid style Mini food! The music We’re renting a tent! Melissa Schollaert and Brooke Images are fabulous […]

  18. avatar Sponsored Post: Little Borrowed Dress + a Giveaway – Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] dress shopping is generally not the easiest part of wedding dress shopping. In fact, I’ve written previously about how challenging the search was for my own wedding! I love hearing about anything that makes […]

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Oh my stars, what a wonderful week here in the office! Thank y’all so so so much for the amazing feedback on our latest issue and for encouraging us through the years. I just don’t have words big enough to say thank you to you, dear readers, for helping us grow like wild honeysuckle! We’re all feeling so grateful as we finish this exciting week!

If you are new around these parts, welcome! We’re so glad to have you and hope you’ll sit a spell with us. If you just picked up your first copy of Southern Weddings on newsstands this week or got one of our many pre-orders via the hilarious and hard-workin’ SWPS, you may know there is a little biscuit in my oven. I’ve reached the nine-months mark, so Baby Grace is set to arrive any day now! The current view from my desk…

I’m about to set off into maternity leave land, so I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you! As a tiny office, all of your warm words and encouragement really do mean the world to us. We truly love y’all and love dreaming up new fun things to inspire your big day plans! There are so many exciting things in the works while I’m on maternity leave. Emily, Whitney, Marissa, Nicole and Sierra have all sorts of Southern surprises in store!

Photo above by my dear friend, Nancy Ray. It’s been a blessed nine months, y’all! And this week, feeling so much love from you all about our office baby, V4, has been the cherry on top! The wonderful SW ladies will fill you in when Grace arrives and you can always stay posted on my personal blog, daily tumblr and twitter. Thank you to the moon and back!

lara Written with love by Lara Casey
9 Comments
  1. avatar Desiree reply

    Oh, Lara. from my end – thank you! It is a true pleasure to be a fan of Southern Weddings (print and online), a fan of your staff & all your beloved vendors, and a fan of you! My dear, you make it pretty darn easy to love ya right back!

    I wish you a happy and healthy delivery – I will be praying for you, your hubby, and baby Grace the whole way through. Enjoy your leave and enjoy your newest joy in life!
    1 Samuel 1:27

    May God pour out a blessing that you just cannot contain! :)
    xoxo,
    Desiree

    • avatar Lara reply

      What wonderful words, Desiree!! We love you so much! Thank you thank you! Lots ot love to you!

  2. avatar Laura Leslie reply

    Yah! What a sweet treat to end with after the wonderful and exciting week you ladies had.

  3. avatar Madelynne Miller reply

    Your blog brings me absolute joy every week, both Lara Casey’s blog and Southern Weddings. I think my new dream job is to work with you all. You just can’t even begin to realize how much positive energy, happiness, and inspiration y’all spread to all us ladies out here! Keep up the good work!

    • avatar Lara reply

      Thank you so much, Madelynne! We love what we do and genuinely love working together. Thank you for the encouragement!!

  4. avatar Amber J reply

    Where oh where did you get your “Let her sleep” print? I must have one!

    • avatar Lara reply

      Hi Amber!! I designed it myself and printed it on my home printer. But, I’ve seen lots of pretty prints like this on places like Etsy. Happy decorating!

  5. avatar Video Update from the Southern Weddings Office! « Southern Weddings Magazine reply

    […] me. I’m savoring my last day in the office with the wonderful SW ladies before I head out on maternity leave. Seriously, y’all, I’m so sad thinking about not seeing Emily, Whitney, Marissa, Sierra […]

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Hiya! Welcome back to my wedding planning posts :) Today, I would LOVE to introduce you to our photographer — can you tell I’m excited??

Let me begin by saying that I know everyone has different priorities when it comes to planning a wedding, and I know that photography is not at the top of everyone’s list — but it definitely was for us. There are a few reasons for this — most importantly, that the photos are what we will cherish long after almost everything else has been eaten, sold, thrown out, packed up, or forgotten (kind of sad, but true). But the photos? The really good ones? Those will bring us back to that day years and years in the future.

Oh yes, and wedding photography is also my job. I stare at it all day long. Unsurprisingly, I have both strong opinions about it and high standards for it.

With that being said, there were a few things we were looking for in our photographer. They were, in no particular order:

1. Someone who shoots film.
2. Someone who has a great personality.
3. Someone who effortlessly directs their subjects and has a knack for natural posing.

I love SO many photographers, and there wasn’t just one that I HAD to have (there are certainly many who fit the above criteria). I would have been ecstatic to work with a number of photographers, and before I introduce you to our final pick, I wanted to spend a minute on these others, in the hopes that one of them might be right for one of you.

I adore Joey + Jessica. I really, really do. Having worked with them through Southern Weddings, I know that they are so fun and easy going. Plus, I love the ease with which they direct their subjects (probably from all of their commercial experience).

I haven’t met Jonathan Canlas in person, but I would really like to — he seems like such a fun person to be around, and I know his enthusiasm would be infectious on a wedding day. Plus, he turns out some of the most amazing family and large-group portraits I’ve ever seen.

I adore Lisa Lefkowitz’s work. I think her color images have the most beautiful quality to them, and everything she produces reflects such a high level of taste and a classic aesthetic. She also seems like she would be a warm, calming process on the day of a wedding.

Believe me, I could go on, and on, and on, but I think I’ll leave it at that for today!

Now, John and I actually made our choice a few weeks ago, and a few days after that, I asked y’all to guess on Twitter who we chose. The only hint I gave was that our photographer was a female. I had the best time looking through all of your guesses! In no particular order, you guessed: Jasmine Star, Kate Headley, Rae Leytham, Jen Huang, Nancy Ray, Elizabeth Messina, Meredith Perdue, Melissa Schollaert, Jenna Cole, Amy Rae, Katie Stoops, Meg Perotti, Kellie Kano, and Millie Holloman. What a WONDERFUL group of ladies and photographers!

In the end, though, no one guessed our choice. I am so pleased and excited to say that none other than Tanja Lippert will be photographing our wedding!! I have loved Tanja’s work for a loooooong time — ever since I saw this wedding in 2008, in fact. From what I’ve seen, she does an amazing job effortlessly posing single subjects and large groups. She also seems like she’ll be a blast to be around on our wedding day — just check out this video for evidence :) She has a strong commercial background, which gives her a matchless editorial eye. She has a huge heart, which is evident in how much love and emotion comes through in her images. And, of course, she shoots film, which gives her work the most beautiful color and quality.

But enough words from me! I’ll let Tanja’s images do the talking:

Elegant, fun, emotional, light-hearted, editorial, candid, classic, joyful — her photographs really run the gamut, don’t they?

Seeing all of those images together makes me even more excited, but you know what the best part about hiring Tanja has been? She is SO EXCITED about shooting our wedding. And while I know she just loves her job in general, and gets excited about every wedding she shoots, I think it also helps that she knows that I am SO EXCITED she’ll be shooting our wedding. It’s been my experience that vendors can tell when you love what they do and are thrilled to get to work with them — and those seem to be the conditions under which they produce their finest work. Something to keep in mind when interacting with the people who will be a part of your big day!

So tell me: What do you think? Do you love Tanja as much as I do? :) Who will be photographing your wedding?

P.S. In case you missed a post:
The main characters
Where we’re getting married
Something for the bride to wear

emily Written with love by Emily
25 Comments
  1. avatar Calle reply

    Emily! When I first read your three top qualities you wanted in a photographer I immediately thought Tanja Lippert!! She is my all time favorite as well!! I look at her blog daily hoping she has posted new photos!! I cant wait to see the magical pictures she takes on you day! When the day comes for me to get married she will be my photographer as well! I may have a Tanja Lippert savings account!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Calle! I’m so glad you are an uber Tanja fan as well!! Also, your Tanja Lippert savings account cracks me up… I may have not named mine so explicitly, but one of the reasons I started saving for my wedding EARLY was because I knew I was going to want an amazing photographer!!

  2. avatar Meredith Perdue reply

    I love Tanja’s work! There’s a very good chance I might have discovered her through Peach & Pearl, actually! I’m so happy that you found someone who makes you giddy with excitement!

  3. avatar Laura reply

    GREAT choice! I was introduced to Tanja’s work through her guest appearance on [Framed] Show, and she seems to be a person who is every bit as amazing as the work she produces!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Thank you so much, Laura! We had actually already decided to go with Tanja before I saw her episode of [Framed], but I got even more excited after I watched it. It was so cool to see, in a true wedding situation, how she interacts with her couples!

  4. avatar Brittany R reply

    Yay! Booking a great photographer was high on my list–in importance and things to do first. We are SO so excited to have booked the fabulous Nancy Ray as of yesterday! My head is swimming with ideas, and I know she will do a wonderful job. Congrats on choosing your photog!

    • avatar Emily reply

      How exciting, Brittany!! Nancy is one of my bestest friends in NC, and I know you will love working with her!

  5. avatar Courtney K reply

    Her work is beautiful! What a perfect choice. You two will treasure her work for years to come! Enjoy all of the planning!!

  6. avatar Andrew reply

    Hi Emily! Congrats! I saw Tanja facebook about this and i came over to see your post. So happy you chose tanja! She’s a good friend and i know she will do an amazing job for you! Do you remember this post from 2008? You guys featured Tanja and me way back when; this was the first time i worked with Tanja!
    http://iloveswmag.com/page/3/?s=vintage+cowboy+bride+part+i

    congrats again!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Andrew! Those posts were actually before my time at SW, but I loved going back and revisiting them! :) Thanks so much for chiming in!

  7. avatar Maria Hibbs reply

    She would be my choice as well :)

  8. avatar Emily Anderson reply

    SUCH a good choice!! She shot our wedding in 2009 (http://tanjalippertphotography.blogspot.com/2009/03/emily-and-patricks-wedding-walnut-creek.html) and did a PERFECT job! We treasure our photos so much. She and Tia are hilarious and really help you relax and look your best. So excited for you guys!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Emily! SO glad to hear you loved working with Tanja! And I couldn’t help but check out your wedding — so beautiful!!

  9. avatar Carly reply

    I’ve attending two of Tanja & Tia’s workshops and they are amazing. Congratulations, brilliant choice!

  10. avatar Ashley reply

    Best choice ever! It feels like tanja is a part of the family…she shot my wedding in June and mY brother’s wedding in may 2010. I just wish I had more siblings getting married. We also booked Tia for makeup and Luke goodman for video. The three together are fantastic! Oooh I can’t wait to see your photos!

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  13. avatar Victoria reply

    Do you know where I can go to find other film photographers? I love the ones you’ve posted, but I’d always love to see more!

    • avatar Emily reply

      Hi Victoria! I would be happy to help you out! You can find a number of amazing film photographers in our Blue Ribbon Vendor section, including Elisa B (VA), Katie Stoops (VA), and KT Merry (FL). I’m going to shoot you an email to see where you’re located to tailor my suggestions a bit more!

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    […] the benefits of taking portraits before the ceremony so we can get the most out of our time with Tanja! I’m sure I’ll write about this more in a future post, but tell me: Are you and your […]

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    […] in from California for my big day, let me explain. Tia just so happens to be best buddies with our amazing photographer, Tanja Lippert, and the two work together all the time. Tia started out in the industry as a […]

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post.  And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads.  We love hearing your kind thoughts!

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