I get it, bridesmaid dresses, in general, suck. Shopping for them isn’t fun when you’re the bride because you are constantly trying to consider all of your bridesmaids’ tastes and body shapes. It’s stressful. You don’t want to put anyone in a dress they hate, but at the same time, it’s your day and all of your bridesmaids agreed to stand up there with you! Here are a few tips I used when I was trying to navigate the tricky waters of bridesmaid dresses.
- Try not to pick a God-awful color. If you have several wedding colors, try not to pick the most obnoxious one for the bridesmaid dresses. No one wants to feel like they look ugly when they’re standing next to the beautiful bride. If you are open to it, maybe consider asking your bridesmaids what color they would feel comfortable wearing out of the colors you’ve selected for your wedding. I’m sure you won’t get everyone to agree on a color, but at least your bridesmaids can feel like they are working with a considerate bride.
- Try to keep in mind everyone’s shape. This is hands-down, the hardest part of picking out a bridesmaid dress for a large group. One way to avoid this is to let everyone pick out their own dress as long as they are the same color/fabric. For you control freaks like myself who are never going to let your bridesmaids pick out their own dresses, consider an umpire waist dress. This style can work on just about everyone, and is very flattering.
- Consider how the the bridesmaid dress will look with yours. I originally wanted my bridesmaids to be in lace dresses with cap sleeves (the church I got married in required all the women to have some sort of sleeve). However, after I picked out my wedding dress that had a lace top and cap sleeves, I rethought my original bridesmaid dress pick. You don’t want to look too matchy-matchy with your bridal party. Instead focus on the general style of your dress. If you select a very trendy and fashion forward wedding dress, consider a trendier bridesmaid dress to complement your dress.
- Remember to style the dresses. Once you’ve selected the bridesmaid dress, consider what accessories you’d be comfortable with your bridesmaids wearing. Pamela and I were both pretty laid-back and didn’t care what jewelry or shoes our bridesmaids wore. If you do care, make sure you let people know in advance, so they have time to get the pieces you want them to wear. Some of the things my bridesmaids asked me were: “Do we have to all wear the same shoes?”- I didn’t care what shoes they wore since they were all in long dresses. “What jewelry, if any, do you want us to wear?” – I didn’t care since all of my bridesmaids had very different taste when it came to jewelry. “Do my nails need to be painted a certain color?” – Again, I didn’t care. People are not going to be focusing on your bridesmaid’s fingers. “How do you want us to do our hair?” – I told them I was happy with any hairstyle that made them comfortable.
- You won’t please everyone; no matter what dress you select, so remember to ultimately pick what you want. After all, this is your wedding. If anyone is particularly peeved about the dress choice, tell them they will have the opportunity to dress you in whatever they want at their wedding =P.