choose your own

k, so, rachel here as always.

i've picked my maids and matt and i have picked our colors. i've been working on an "invitation" for my maids to be a part of my party to send to each of them. i'm pretty sure they all already know they're being invited, but i need to make it official.

when it comes to dresses, i've got one who hates to show her arms, even though there's nothing wrong with them. one who worries about baby body, even though she doesn't have one. one who thinks she weighs too much even though she weighs less than most americans. seriously, if we're not all candidates for body dysmorphic, i'm not sure who is.

so, i'm letting them all pick their own knee-length cocktail dresses. my only criteria, minus "knee-length cocktail dress" is that the color be in the wedding palette. basically, my rule is: if you can find it in the feather of a (nonalbino) peacock, and it's not black or tan, you can wear it. with tan shoes. tan HEELS to be exact. tan = warm caramel from the wedding colors.

i'd love it if the dress could have some type of 20's flare, like fringe or drop waist or lace. but i'm not real picky. i made a handy wedding color guide for each of them:

i found these really thin wooden tags at hobby lobby. you'll also need painter's tape, paint, brushes, a ruler and a pen.

i painted them each on both sides in eloquent ivory in two coats. once they were dry, i marked them off with painters tape so i could highlight my two main colors while featuring my three accent colors.

once that dries, paint each square in wedding colors. one coat did it. the main colors get the largest squares.

the wooden tags were kinda splintery. and instead of digging out matt's sandpaper, i used an emory board i found in my purse. that shit worked.

i learned on "next hgtv design star" that you should always paint taped-off areas with your base paint first, in case the paint bleeds under the tape. i didn't notice bleeding, though.

once they're dry, remove the tape and label what the maids will be looking at: wedding (dress) colors and shoes.

and (hopefully) there you have it: the best damn bridesmaid dress guide on earth. i guess we'll see ;)

xoxo,
the bride