Bridesmaid dress shopping can be stressful as hell, y’all. You’re either tasked with tracking down a very specific dress that looks very similar to every other bridesmaid dress you’ve ever seen, yet for some reason costs $75 more (and is only available at one bridal salon thirty miles away from your house. Because obviously). Or you’re told cheerfully to “just pick anything purple!” and then spend two months sending Pinterest ideas back and forth until you want to throw your phone across the room and never make another decision again. In part, I think it’s so stressful because well-meaning folks like you and me try to force a bridesmaid dress to be all the things for all our best people: Find a dress you love! And will wear again! That you can buy in the same aisle as your groceries! And it only costs $25! In reality, I think most bridesmaids are just looking for a dress that they don’t hate, and they are hoping that it doesn’t become a part-time job picking it out. Or put more simply, they want:

• A dress that is cute. √
• A dress that is relatively affordable. √
• A dress that is easily tried on and acquired. √
• A dress that you like. √

I’ve been dying for someone to come along and perfect the bridesmaid dress shopping experience. And that’s exactly what Brideside (an online bridesmaid boutique and my general bridesmaid BFF) is aiming to do with their newly launched line of mix and match bridesmaid dresses, all under $200. And P.S., if you end up ordering one this month, you’ll get a $10 Sephora gift card as a special thank you. Just like a real BFF.

I should start by saying that I had a chance to test out Brideside while shopping for my sister’s wedding last year, and it was by far one of the best bridesmaid dress shopping experiences I’ve ever had. Their dresses are stunning (I’m talking sequins and florals and a ton of fresh styles that won’t remind you of 2006), you can try them on in the comfort of your home, and they carry all the major bridesmaid dress designers. But the real benefit of Brideside is their style consultant service, which is basically just a fancy name for a real-life person whose sole objective is to make sure you end up with a badass bridesmaid dress. Your style consultant can help you figure out which dresses will be the most flattering, and then coordinate your bridal party to make sure everyone orders their dresses in time. And when I say real person, I mean it. In fact, my Brideside consultant went out of her way to make sure my sample dresses arrived at my sister’s house within a super narrow travel window, so that I could try them on with her and my mom in the room.

Recently Brideside set out to solve a simple problem: traditional bridesmaid dresses. You know the type: long, formal, and classic. A Bridesmaid Dress. And while it’s not hard to find that kind of bridesmaid dress in stores and online, there a few challenges when you’re wrangling a whole wedding party:

• If you have bridesmaids spread across the country, there’s no guaranteeing it’ll be easy for everyone to access the same dresses.
• A lot of traditional bridesmaid dresses are upwards of $250 before alterations, and the more affordable ones usually offer less structure and support.
• If you’re buying online, there’s no way to try anything on without shelling out the full cost.

But this year, Brideside launched a new line of bridesmaid dresses, specifically created to make it so much easier for you and your BFFs to shop.

To create the new line, Brideside took everything they know about what you’re actually looking for in a bridesmaid dress, tweaked the styles to be even more flattering—and in colors you actually want—and they are all priced between $145 and $175. The new line includes full-length gowns as well as cocktail length dresses, in sizes 0 to 28, and they even have (really cute) maternity styles too. And what I really appreciate is that all sizes are priced exactly the same, whether you’re ordering a straight size or plus size dress. Basically, it’s classic bridesmaid dresses, done better, more affordably, and easier to come by. And because it’s a personal pain point, they all look particularly boob-friendly. Check out a few of my favorites:

“Cher” Bridesmaid Dress

“Mary Kate” Bridesmaid Dress

“Samantha” Bridesmaid Dress

“Tina” Bridesmaid Dress

You can try on the new line of Brideside dresses at home, or if you’re looking for the classic bridesmaid dress shopping experience (but better), head into one of their local showrooms for the full squad experience. I have it on good authority that the Chicago and Charlotte locations are an especially good time, and that the champagne basically flows like water there.

So if you’re looking for bridesmaid dresses that will be a whole lot less work, but still look  on your crew, the new line from Brideside is where it’s at. Now go sign up, and meet your style consultant today. Then buy a nice bottle of champagne and wait for the dresses to come to you. Like God intended.

Get a $10 gift card to Sephora when you order a dress from Brideside this month! Consider it their galentine’s day gift to you. 

This post was sponsored by Brideside, the complimentary styling service dedicated making bridesmaid dress shopping a piece of cake. With a selection of hundreds of dresses, in size 00–30, and a team of dedicated style consultants, Brideside hopes to make the dress shopping experience a more positive one for all your wedding party members. Shop online, use their Try At Home program or visit one of their new showrooms. Click here to explore Brideside’s bridesmaid dress collection today.

The post These Are The Bridesmaid Dresses You Were Looking For appeared first on A Practical Wedding: We’re Your Wedding Planner. Wedding Ideas for Brides, Bridesmaids, Grooms, and More.