In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a trend of having your bridesmaids wear different dresses during your big day. And we have to admit that it’s a pretty refreshing trend to see, since not one dress style or color can truly fit everybody’s body types or preferences. To ensure you won’t have a dress theme fiasco, we’ve come up with these simple ways to keep your gal pals beautifully coordinated. We recommend being specific with your bridesmaids on a number of parameters so that you don’t run into any miscommunication later on.
Color Palette: Give your bridesmaids samples of the color palettes you would like them to wear. This doesn’t necessarily have to be just one color. For instance, you could do pink, beige, or gray.
Fabric Types: Not all fabrics are created equal, for example a jersey dress looks entirely different from a neoprene one. Give your bridesmaids some boundaries when it comes to their fabric choices so that everyone’s dresses will fall the same way. Another option is to actually be the one to choose and purchase yards of your preferred fabric, and give it to them to cut anyway they see fit.
Long or short: It might sound extremely basic, but it’s important to let your bridesmaids know whether this is important to you, and what lengths you’d like them to have.
Preferred designers: You might also want to point them in the direction of a few designers you feel would best capture the look you’re going for. Since these girls are your best friends, it’s almost certain that you already share your favorite designers with each other. If they’re paying for their own dresses, it’s always tasteful to make sure they can afford the designers you suggest.
Don’t be afraid of prints: I recently went to a wedding where the bride only had three requests: long, floral, and send me your designs for approval. And you know what? It worked beautifully. It’s important to remember that one of the good things to come out of mismatched dresses is that this is a dress your bridesmaids genuinely like and be able to wear comfortably.
Always get the bride’s approval before committing: To avoid unnecessary surprises, always make sure that your bridesmaids ask for your advice and approval before they start on anything with their dresses. I knew a bridesmaid who had her dress made in the color palette the bride requested before first consulting the bride with the design. Let’s just say it didn’t end too well when the bride said her dress wasn’t the look she was going for and she now had to pay for two dresses. Ouch.
Text by: Cat Juan Ledesma