The Tamesis
A few months later, I took the Acela train for a quick trip to Philadelphia to the massive URBN headquarters. After visiting the campus, Hafsa took me to a room with a sea of green. Dresses of all shapes, styles and shades filled the space, waiting for me to shop. I explored fabrics, considered fit and formality, and learned how different options would look together as a whole. I also make sure to consider what will look good on different body types, combining slim, A-line and flowy styles. While I absolutely love shopping online, being able to actually see the pieces is so helpful in curating everything in a cohesive way.
Ultimately, I selected 19 different dresses for our bridal party, including the BHLDN Collection, L’Idée, De La Vali, V. Chapman, and more, giving our bridesmaids a variety of options to suit their shapes and styles. Some pieces feel more classic, some feel sexy, and some are bolder. Whatever they choose, though, they’re going to look good as a unit.
Photo: Karen Ross
Next is logistics. The Anthropologie team sent me a deck that I could easily pass around to our team to give them options. They even allowed us to special order the exact color and length to match our color palette and dress code. We gave the bridesmaids first choice and then let everyone else try to find dresses they liked. As with any virtual shopping experience, not all top choices will be suitable. Some bridesmaids have to rotate through several options to find a look that works for their proportions. A very exciting pregnancy means changing to a dress with more stretch. There have even been cases where packages have been stolen leading to urgent orders for new styles. However, in the end, each bridesmaid ended up with a dress that they loved and said they would absolutely wear again.
