...dress indecision...

Back in July my mom, MOH, and I spent a Saturday trying on dresses.  I Fell. In. Love. with one, but wanted to wait to purchase it until we were officially engaged.  My mom bought the most precious little dress which was our biggest success of the day.  It was so perfect for her that we couldn't let her pass it up.  It's a little less conventional MOB, which I love. Found it at Nordstrom's today. See?

The other big success of the day was the settling on this dress from Alfred Angelo for the bridesmaids.  Perfect for an early evening outdoor family picnic, wouldn't you say?

That's what I thought too....at the time.  Now that we've decided to bring the reception inside, I'm having second thoughts.  I know I definitely want something tea-length or shorter.  For an afternoon wedding in May, floor-length is just too much.  And I'm SOLD on this rich fuchsia-y, wine-ish color.  SOLD.  In fact, the color was inspired by this lovely dress from none other than David's Bridal:

I love the detailing of the pleats.  I'm definitely reconsidering this option.  There's a part of me that would like to have a touch more sophistication in the maids' dresses.  Less sundress, more class...or something.  So I went on a mild spree today looking for something that is an economical choice and has the flirty sophistication and unique details I'm looking for.  Here's what I found:

Love, love this from J. crew...but it's something like $225. No deal.

Adore this from Ann Taylor, but once again, a little more expensive than I'd like. And I'm not as sure that the style would flatter all of my girls as much as some of the others. Of course, I liked it in the other color better, but the picture hid all the detail.

I started looking for more affordable options and found this dress at JCPenney. It's cute, but something just isn't as special, you know?

So I guess the search continues. I'm hoping to stay away from the wedding designers in an effort to avoid the markup that automatically comes with anything in the wedding industry...but I think I've exhausted all the ideas I had. At least I've got a solid idea of what I like, right??? Anyone have a great source for bridesmaid's dresses?