You’re getting married. You’ve chosen your bridesmaids. Let the dress shopping commence.
Far too often we take a one size fits all approach to choosing bridesmaid dresses. Our girls are unique, so why would we style them in the same gown and expect them to feel their most confident selves? The solution: switch it up with our dreamy collection of bridesmaid dresses and our fool-proof guide to mixing styles. Think plush satins, pattern clashes, and sultry necklines. Because everyone deserves to shower the one they love while looking great and feeling beautiful.
Mixing Long and Short Bridesmaid Dresses
The initial go-to when mixing bridesmaid dresses is to play with lengths. It’s a crowd-pleaser and one of our favorite ways to add versatility to your ‘I do’ crew. Our recommendation is to keep it balanced, one friend in a mini and another in a midi can look a little off-centered in a tribe of 5 other long dresses. Although, if you do want to single out your Maid of Honor, a standalone length can be a cute way to show their well-earned title. Our opinion? Try to keep an even distribution of mini, mini, and maxi bridesmaid dresses for wedding photo harmony.
Vary Bridesmaid Dress Necklines
Varying necklines is a super simple way to add subtle personalization while keeping it synchronized. Whether your girls are smaller or larger-busted may play a part in what style of dress they feel most comfortable in. For this technique, agree on a color and keep the fabric aligned. Then, ask them what neckline they usually steer to. Is it a cowl neck bridesmaid dress that shows off the décolletage and exposes the chest? Or maybe they prefer a modest halter high neckline that fits snugly around the neck and shows off a little of the back. Whatever it is, show them you care and take their opinions on board.
Switch Up Bridesmaid Dress Color Hues
If you’d like to stick to a color theme but have a little flexibility, switching up color hues is a simple way to achieve a put-together bridal party. Just pay particular attention to tones. In our opinion, mixing warm and cool tones, even of the same color, can impact consistency and leave the overall look a little ill-matched. In our images above, the cool lilac and purple tones marry up perfectly together (excuse the pun). If we swapped out one of the above with a rich, red-based purple, the collective would lack a sense of togetherness and you’d lose the appealing aesthetic.
Play with Bridesmaid Dress Patterns
This one’s a little left field, but in exactly the same way a pattern clash or contrasting cushion can bring together the interior of an entire room, experimenting with prints can help your wedding party pop. It’s a skill, however, so before you hit ‘pay’ on those 7 statement dresses, follow these simple steps and, we promise, you can’t go wrong.
1. Choose a maximum of three color variations and stick to them.
2. If you’re playing with patterns, keep the texture simple. The likes of silky satin or soft cotton would do perfectly.
3. Less is more here, so keep patterns to no more than two dresses. With the others, pick out the colors that appear and do a classic plain look. See above for our take on this seriously cute ensemble.
Black Bridesmaid Dresses
If all else fails, a black bridesmaid dress will hide a multitude of style sins. It’s not for everyone, but the brides who aren’t afraid of a dramatic ‘I do’ look will likely find harmony with an all-black ensemble. Buying multiple dresses in different color hues can be difficult, one blue is not the same as another. But there’s forgiveness with a black bridesmaid dress. Plus, unless the bride goes alternative, it’ll make her stand out even more.
