A few months later, I hopped on a quick Acela train ride to Philly to the massive URBN headquarters. After a campus tour, Hafsa led me to a room that was a sea of green. Dresses of every silhouette, style, and hue filled the space, ready for me to shop. I felt fabric, considered fit and formality, and saw how different selections would look together as a group. I also made sure to think about what would work for different body types with a mix of body-skimming, A-line, and flowing styles. While I absolutely love shopping online, being able to really see these pieces all together was so helpful to curate everything with cohesion.
Ultimately, I selected 19 different dresses as options for our bridal party with pieces from their BHLDN line, L’Idée, De La Vali, V. Chapman, and more, giving our bridesmaids plenty of choices that could fit their bodies and style. Some pieces felt more classic, others felt sexy, and others were a little more daring. No matter what they chose, though, they would look good as a group.
Photo: Calenrose
Next came the logistics. The Anthropologie team sent me a deck that I could easily pass around to our party to give them options to choose from. They even allowed us to special order exact colors and lengths to fit within our palette and dress code. We gave our maids of honor first choice on their selections, then gave the rest of the group a go at finding dresses they loved. As with any virtual shopping experience, not every first pick fitted just right. A few bridesmaids had to rotate through a few options to find a look that worked with their proportions. A very exciting pregnancy meant swapping for a dress with more stretch. There was even a case of a stolen package that led to an emergency rush order of a new style. Ultimately, however, every bridesmaid ended up with a dress they loved and said they would absolutely wear again.