In the past few months, we’ve talked about your wedding gown, what your groom should wear, and some fun ideas for the guys, but now let’s talk about the ladies who will be standing next to you, your bridesmaids. With so many options, where does one start? We’ve got it all laid out for you, right here!
{The Problem}
Ever seen the movie “27 Dresses”? Classic case of a girl that has been a bridesmaid twenty-seven times and has a closet full of horrible gowns that will NEVER see the light of day again. Cute little movie, but we certainly don’t want your bridesmaids to have to endure such a thing. (We were actually going to add a picture of what we mean, but once we started looking at those awful bridesmaids dresses, we just couldn’t do that to you!)
Back in the day (we think sometime in those fashion-forward 80s…), the idea was that “the bridesmaids shouldn’t upstage the bride”, which left a whole lot of very unhappy bridesmaids in very ugly dresses that they would never ever wear again. This is ridiculous- there is no way that you, the gorgeous bride, can be upstaged by your closest friends. After all, they will be all over your wedding pictures, so your bridesmaids (and groomsmen) should reflect your wedding style, and why not make sure they’re comfortable while you’re at it? What voluptuous lady wants to be in a dress that is hugging all the wrong places? Or a petite girl that gets swallowed up by a thousand ruffles? Enough said, now let’s discuss some ideas.
{The Options}
Of course, you can always have your bridesmaids wear the same dress, if you know that they’ll all be comfortable in it. You may consider a long versus cocktail length dress based on how formal or non-formal the overall wedding will be.
You can also find similar dresses in the exact same fabric, but each is cut to suit the individual bridesmaid. This makes sure that each of your ladies is comfortable, and most importantly happy. There are several designers that got the hint and are making different style dresses out of the same fabric to make them look unique yet matching.
One good place to check out is JCrew.
Another similar option we love is this amazing “convertible” dress. Same dress just worn a bunch of different ways. With the versatility that your bridesmaids can get from this one dress, you KNOW that they’ll be excited to wear it again.
If you select the same dress, maybe think about personalizing the shoes, while keeping them in the same color scheme.
Or you can do the opposite: have your bridesmaids wear the same color dress (everyone’s got their favorite LBD!) and have them wear matching shoes (which could also be a great idea for your bridesmaids gifts).
As you can see, your bridesmaids don’t all have to wear the same dress. In fact, they can even be completely different dresses, as long as they fit in with the style of your wedding and color palette .
At her wedding, our friend, photographer Meg Perotti, had her bridesmaids select amazing vintage dresses in the same color scheme, but they fit each girl’s individual style. Check out her post to see how each of her bridesmaids were styled.
Meg’s not the only bride that had fun with mix-matched dresses. Molly Sims gotta love her, and her gorgeous maids, donned floor length dresses. Each dress within Sim’s color palette, yet personalized to fit each girl’s style and comfort. Having the bridesmaid’s bouquets the same also helped to pull this look together.
The three most important things to keep in mind when deciding what your bridesmaids should wear: your wedding style, comfort, style and body type of each of your bridesmaids. Have fun and see you next time!
{images via Pinterest, 1 BP, Pinterest, Wedding Bee, Bride Finds, Advantage Bridal,
Stacy McCain Event Planning 
