One of my best friends is getting married this July (eek!) and she’s throwing a black and white affair. We all know most brides really do think the dresses they pick out you can just shorten and wear again. And we all know how unrealistic that expectation usually is. But this time, I really do think we’ll be able to wear them again – no shortening or altering, just wear it again. She wants her bridesmaids to all wear strapless black dresses with sweetheart necklines. Who doesn’t need another little black dress in their closet?

Now this may sounds simple – strapless black dresses are everywhere. It’s harder than you’d think; here are some of the options we’ve come across:

J. Crew is such an easy spot to find bridesmaids dresses though you can’t try them on until you order them unless you live in NYC and can visit their bridal store.

This Ann Taylor dress is nice but a bit expensive for the brand.

This is obviously amazing but is $330 on a bridesmaids’ dress too much?

Since she’s not getting married until the summer, we’ve got plenty of time to find the perfect dress. How do you narrow down the bridesmaids’ dress options?

lovin the daisies

If you’re not completely sold on the tangerine gowns, why not split your brides half in orange and half in peach? That line up would really show off the complimentary shades of your wedding palette. To keep the wedding party looking cohesive just choose the same dress for all your bridesmaids, like these J. Crew designs. Shops that specialize in bridesmaids dresses make it easy for you to mix and match colors while keeping the style consistent.

i'm a big fan of strapless

And obviously, you can always just go with peach bridesmaids dresses. Just be careful not to put the color in too many of your large wedding decor pieces or you’ll have trouble making your ladies stand out in your wedding photos.

It’s never too early to begin planning a spring/summer 2011 wedding (these picks are likely too late for our 2010 summer wedding brides). I love bright colored weddings and think the ultimate spring wedding colors would be bright yellow and lavender. These two colors would allow you to work with a variety of shades because light yellow and dark purple accents would look good too. So this week I will plan a lavender and yellow spring wedding with a garden tea reception. I just love the idea of having an outdoor wedding in a blooming garden. And making it a tea party let’s you add a few whimsical touches, even if you only serve iced teas.

bright yellow short bridesmaids' dresses

These bright yellow bridesmaids’ dresses are so cute and they pop so well next to the bride’s crisp white dress.

yellow and lavender bouquets

Just substitute theses flowers into their hands and this would play nicely into my garden wedding. These dresses are from J. Crew, which is likely why I was drawn to them in the first place.

One of the first steps of planning a wedding is choosing your bridal party. Now I’m sure most brides-to-be have already decided who their bridesmaids will be way before the proposal (and maybe even before you started dating your husband-to-be) and most of the woman you will ask will be anticipating the question. But why not slow things down and make it a special moment? Plus, I love any excuse whatsoever to make and mail greeting cards. They’re just so cute. And who doesn’t like having a pretty piece of stationery to hang on the fridge?

grown-up excuse for paper doll cutouts

These do-it-yourself bridesmaids’ invitation cards are adorable. Plus, it’s such a great time to have a particularly girly moment. These step-by-step directions on Once Wed are great. And if you don’t know which dresses you’ll pick and where to order them from, just fill in the card with an invite to brunch or dress shop with all your ladies together.