The bride-to-be often worries about selecting the correct bridesmaid dresses for all of her chosen bridesmaids, as there is usually more than one person to please, which can be difficult when your bridesmaids are all different shapes and sizes and they all have very different tastes and styles. Here are some of my top tips for selecting bridesmaids dresses to ensure both you and your bridesmaids are happy on the day!
Find YOUR dress first.
If you are the bride, before you even start looking at bridesmaids dresses it helps to have chosen your own wedding gown first and have a clear idea of the theme or colour of your wedding so you can ensure your bridesmaids fit in with the overall style and look of the wedding and complement you and your groom in all the wedding photography. In ancient times the idea of having bridesmaids dressed in similar styles and colours to the bride, was to distract and confuse any evil spirits who attempted to disrupt the wedding – the bridesmaids made it impossible for the spirits to identify the bride! However these days the look of the bridesmaids are to enhance and complement the bride, being either in contrasting dresses (a very popular theme at the moment being bridesmaids in black) or complementing dresses, usually in a softer, lighter hue.
Know Your Bridesmaids
Are there lots of similarities between your bridesmaids or are they all completely different?
Important factors to consider are size, shape, age, style and colouring. Something that would look wonderful on one girl may look unattractive on another, even if the dress is beautiful! Talk to your bridesmaids and ask them if there is anything in particular they would not feel comfortable in and take this into consideration when shopping for dresses.
Ensure you have an idea of colour and length.
On your wedding day you want your bridesmaids to be happy, smiling and having a great time and what they are wearing can have a huge impact on this so you want to make sure they all feel great on the day, however be careful not to give your bridesmaids free rein or they might all want completely different styles!
The best thing to do is establish the colour of the dresses and the length first, and then find a few different styles you like and perhaps consult your bridesmaids as to which ones they prefer. It’s quite popular these days to have different styles for each bridesmaid in the same fabric which can be a win-win option!
Remember when choosing the colour of your dresses to bear in mind the colouring, size and shape of your bridesmaids! The wrong choice could make them look washed out or a size bigger than they actually are and that won’t look nice on your photos or make them feel very good about themselves!
A bridal stylist can help.
A bridal stylist can ensure you make the right decisions for you and all of your bridesmaids and find a style, colour, fabric and length that suits everyone and is well worth the investment.
Having a third party giving you honest, expert advice in a diplomatic and inspiring way can really help get all your bridesmaids on board with your decisions whether it’s a shy friend or a demanding sister!
An independent bridal stylist will ensure honest advice as they are employed by you to make you and your bridesmaids look your best for the big day, so you know you are being given an expert opinion and not just being “sold” to with regards to a particular dress.
Fabric is important!
Don’t forget to think about fabric when you choose your dresses! If you’re having a summer wedding you need a lighter fabric and the opposite for an autumn or winter wedding. Remember too that the choice of fabric teamed with the style and colour can shed or add pounds to your bridesmaids so choose carefully.
Don’t make accessories an after-thought!
Very often, the dresses are seen as the main item and the accessories including the shoes, bag and jewellery, are often an afterthought. As a stylist I know that accessories can make or break any outfit even on your wedding day so allow plenty of time to look for the right accessories.
Luckily the high-street offers so much choice these days that you can find amazing accessories to really add the right finishing touches to your bridesmaids oufits at a really low cost! A good bridal stylist can really help you in terms of time and stress. For instance, I spend so much time in shops, reading fashion magazines, brochures and catalogues and scouring the internet for the latest things in style, that I can source the perfect items for you really quickly.
Again, don’t forget to think about size, shape, colouring and style of your bridesmaids when choosing the accessories! For example the wrong length of necklace or style of shoe could ruin the whole look!
Fittings and Ordering.
Always get professionally measured for your bridesmaids dresses as different manufacturers will use different sizing so you need to ensure the dresses are a flattering fit.
The last fitting when the dresses are ready should be at least 3 – 4 weeks before the wedding to allow for any last minute alterations. Don’t just pick the dresses up a week before the wedding thinking this will allow enough time for changes!
It’s a good idea to order all your bridesmaids dresses together to ensure that they are all cut from the same fabric dye-lot otherwise you could end up with a slightly different colour for each which will really show up on the photos.
www.nicolacupples.com
Tags: bridesmaid
Follow the conversation: RSS 2.0.
remember in zoolander when derek and hansel had a walk-off? i have no idea why but this reminded me of that.
Hi April, I’m not sure why either!
Fashion is a state of mind, we often overlook the fashion industry.