Communication Station

It took a while, but I have now connected my bridesmaids with one another — so they may all chat it up should they need to. They now all have each others email addresses, phone numbers, etc. I am also in the midst of deciding what kinds of bridesmaid dresses I would like them to wear. I don't have many guidelines thus far, but here is what I have told them so far:

• Knee-length dresses...I don't want any long dresses, it's just too formal, plus I want my bridesmaids to be able to wear these dresses again in the future!!

• The color is going to be a deep cranberry red — or an apple red. This may be the tricky part, since there are so many different shades of red. However since I got my dress at David's Bridal, they do have an apple shade that is just the one I want. And, they have some pretty cute cocktail dresses that don't scream "bridesmaid." (Plus they may be a good bit cheaper than others.) This is the shade I love:

• My 'maids' have the freedom to choose which dress they want! I want them to have fun with this — and to pick one they will truly love. Besides, they know what looks good on them and their specific body type. I want them to accentuate their figures as best they can. If all the dresses were the same, I don't think it would complement them as well. Plus it's more modern to go with different dresses.

• As for the shoes — I think I'm going to go with a metallic shade. Either gold, bronze, silver, etc. to go with the whole Fall theme. This will just give their outfits a nice added boost of color and flair that I think they'll have fun with! I love this J.Crew foot candy!: