Tips on bridesmaid dress shopping when some can't be present?

I have busy bridesmaids too and my MOH is in Seattle (I'm in atlanta) so it was difficult. I decided to let my ladies pick their own dress as long as they all got them from the same place, same color and all long. But I wanted them to be comfortable. Especially considering no two women have the same body type. My 5 ladies range from 5'1 to 6'2 and a size 8 to size 22. Funny enough, they all chose the same dress eventually. We've called it the sisterhood of the traveling dress because it fits them all so beautifully. Just an idea. I also made three appointments on one day to accommodate my four local ladies lol

I took my MOH first, we tried on a bunch of dresses and did a text chat with the other girls. Yay/Nay type thing. Then did the same with the other girls. Our original plan was short dresses, we then realized by the 3rd girl that a short dress would not fit her body style so we circled back to around with the other girls until we found a material/style that was complementary to all. Each time we used the text and picture chat until we found the right style for them all. Each girl only needed 2 times to go. It took more of my time than theirs but we made a day of it and I got to spend time with each of them. We did David's Bridal for the dresses because there was one nearby for everyone. It worked out well.

Thank you ladies!

I had my BMs pick their own dresses for multiple reasons, but the fact that they all live in different places also made it much easier. I went with the two who live closest to me because they wanted me to come and give my opinion on their dresses, but I would’ve been fine with them going on their own and just sending me pictures like the others did.
They got their dresses from David’s because it was the easiest way for them to all have the same color and be able to go to their own local stores.

First, check everyone's budget privately.

Then, take someone (like MOH) to try on dresses etc and pick one you like. Ask everyone what they think. If someone objects, then try someone else.

Alternatively:

Find a colour/length/material/designer you like and ask your BM's to find something that works for them and have dresses in different styles.

My bridal party lives all over. They'll be ordering off azazie.com, any style just has to be the same color and length. In a few months, I'll create a showroom and they all will order within the same 24 hours so that the dresses get made with the same batch of dye

Pick a vendor within their budgets, e.g David's Bridal or Azazie, choose a color, length and fabric and tell them to pick their own style. If they have never worn a strapless, empire waist chiffon gown for example, they can go to any local store, try one on to see if they like the style, then order from your chosen vendor.

My BM and I decided on a dress through group text.

I picked a color, fabric, and length from David’s Bridal and let each of my BMs pick whatever dress they wanted as long as it fit those criteria. We live in 4 different states, so there was no way I was going to get everyone together to go shopping. One benefit of David’s is that, because they’re such a big chain, you can be confident that all the dresses will be the same color, even if they’re bought at different stores and in different dye batches (I’ve heard of that being an issue with some other companies - that everyone has to order in the same batch to make sure the colors will be the same... I didn’t want to put the pressure of ordering by a certain time to be on my BMs.)

2 of my BMs will likely not make it, I feel you. Is it that you're concerned about finding a dress she likes, or a style that looks good on her? If so, if any of your other BMs have similar body types to hers then take pictures of them in the dress so she can see what it looks like in real life, or if you find a dress everyone else agrees on then send her the designer and style info so she can maybe find it somewhere and try it on for herself.

I took my MOH first and had her try on a bunch I liked and narrowed it down to two. Then I took three other bridesmaids all different sizes and had them try both on and I picked from there and all the girls tried on and ordered when they had time to

The women in our WP were really spread out so we never all went shopping together, but my case was a little different because i was asking them to just pick a dress of any style in a shade of grey rather than everyone in the same dress. i just asked them to send me a photo of the dress they liked before buying it. but i've also been in weddings where a few people go shopping together and then tell the others what to order.

I know another bride who took her party shopping at a nearby davids bridal, and then the one girl that couldn't a few days after where she lived at (the bride drove up for the BM) I think its a good solution and would make it more 1-on-1.

Good lord. If you want to make it easy for them, stop trying to arrange group shopping trips. Shop online and send each other ideas via email, or go with just your MOH to look and then let everyone know what you found. These days, ordering online is easiest for most wedding parties.

I sent mine maybe 3 pictures of dresses I liked and said vote. Once they voted, I said here's the winner - go order the dress in blue at your local shop that carries that line. Kept it convenient for them to order and be fitted locally, kept it easy for me because I really wanted a certain "look" and gave them 3 options to choose from. Then I said buy whatever shoes and jewelry you want. They were fine with everything and it all worked out.

Have the girls present take pictures of the dresses then send it out to the one who can't be there if its a dress your considering. I did that when i had multiple girls not be able to attend. They wanted to see what was all being tried on. For the dresses that we did like, i asked the other girls to go to a local bridal shop that carried the designer and dress and try it out and see how they liked them. We are all in three different counties so its not difficult to meet up, but maybe all at once. Which is no biggie as long as they have a local store near them, which there are plenty because we haven't chosen a particular designer yet. I choose to avoid online. So it was easier this way for my group.