How to Find The Perfect Bridesmaid Dresses
You may have read my blog post entitled "Top Tips to Find your Perfect Wedding Dress", if not go have a read. So now you're catered for it's probably time to think about your bridesmaids. But fear not, I am here to guide you through this process. Just like my wedding dress shopping blog post this one will cover all my advice and tips to help make bridesmaids dress shopping as easy and stress free as possible.
The images below show a few pictures that myself and my four bridesmaids selected as inspiration for their dresses. The wedding is being held in Scotland in the beginning of September and it might get pretty chilly, hence the cropped cardigans and sweaters. We also had to think about the setting, which is my sister's castle (I know it's crazy) and the colour palette which is sage, rosemary and eucalyptus green. Take a look at my wedding Pinterest board right here. These images lead me on to my first piece of advice...
Gather Inspriration
No matter how many maids you're having at your wedding they all deserve to have their say and share any ideas they may have. Create a group Pinterest board and start collecting together any images that stand out to you. It doesn't matter what they are at this point, if you like it, pin it! As you can see we chose a range of images, some for colour, some for shape, some for texture or fabric and some just because we liked it.
Have a chat with your bridesmaids and make notes about what styles they like, when they're free to shop and show them your dress if you have it. This last one was so useful for me as my dress helped us choose the style of theirs. On our initial shopping trip my bridesmaids were trying on some beautiful heavily embellished dresses, we thought we had nailed it until we looked again at my dress. The gowns they were looking at clashed pretty badly with mine so it was back to the drawing board.
Work Together & Be Sensitive
I'm sure most people would agree that the bride's outfit is one of the most important things a person will wear. Saying that, it is so important to remember that your bridesmaids are important too and their feelings and opinions matter. I've been to so many weddings were the bridesmaids hate what they're wearing, what's the point in that? Surely your nearest and dearest should feel just as confident and beautiful as you on the big day.
Work together to figure out a way where everyone feels as happy as they possibly can. For me this means that my four friends will all have the same neckline and bodice on their dresses but different skirts. One of my friends feels the most confident in a pencil skirt, whilst another loves to swish around in tulle. Luckily for us my very good friend Angela is custom making all the dresses to suit each of my bridesmaids. But whatever route you take please all look after each other and ensure everyone is comfortable.
Plan Multiple Shopping Trips
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Tallulah Dress by Reformation |
The images below show a few pictures that myself and my four bridesmaids selected as inspiration for their dresses. The wedding is being held in Scotland in the beginning of September and it might get pretty chilly, hence the cropped cardigans and sweaters. We also had to think about the setting, which is my sister's castle (I know it's crazy) and the colour palette which is sage, rosemary and eucalyptus green. Take a look at my wedding Pinterest board right here. These images lead me on to my first piece of advice...
Gather Inspriration
No matter how many maids you're having at your wedding they all deserve to have their say and share any ideas they may have. Create a group Pinterest board and start collecting together any images that stand out to you. It doesn't matter what they are at this point, if you like it, pin it! As you can see we chose a range of images, some for colour, some for shape, some for texture or fabric and some just because we liked it.
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| Image via Green Wedding Shoes |
Have a Game Plan
Have a chat with your bridesmaids and make notes about what styles they like, when they're free to shop and show them your dress if you have it. This last one was so useful for me as my dress helped us choose the style of theirs. On our initial shopping trip my bridesmaids were trying on some beautiful heavily embellished dresses, we thought we had nailed it until we looked again at my dress. The gowns they were looking at clashed pretty badly with mine so it was back to the drawing board.
Make a list of the brands you like, and remember to have a budget. Are you paying for the dresses or are they? It's quite rare this days but sometimes the cost of the bridesmaid's dresses are covered by a parent, it's something to consider.
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| image from Jenny Yoo |
Work Together & Be Sensitive
I'm sure most people would agree that the bride's outfit is one of the most important things a person will wear. Saying that, it is so important to remember that your bridesmaids are important too and their feelings and opinions matter. I've been to so many weddings were the bridesmaids hate what they're wearing, what's the point in that? Surely your nearest and dearest should feel just as confident and beautiful as you on the big day.
Work together to figure out a way where everyone feels as happy as they possibly can. For me this means that my four friends will all have the same neckline and bodice on their dresses but different skirts. One of my friends feels the most confident in a pencil skirt, whilst another loves to swish around in tulle. Luckily for us my very good friend Angela is custom making all the dresses to suit each of my bridesmaids. But whatever route you take please all look after each other and ensure everyone is comfortable.
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| Image from Alexandra Grecco |
Trust me, you'll need to. Grab a few bottles of prosecco and have an evening trawling through online stores to begin looking at styles. After that stage you can head into town for fittings or shopping. We had two full days of shopping before deciding on a look that would work for everyone and now it's time to get together again to take measurements and meet with my friend Angela who is making the dresses. I'm guessing that we'll probably have met up around five times by the time the dresses are finished.
Be Flexible
This is the golden rule for all wedding planning actually. Flexibility has been my go to word throughout this whole process and let me tell you it makes this wedding malarky a hell of a lot easier. Be honest, when things don't perfectly match up to your expectations it is totally ok. Being flexible meant that I found my wedding cake in 30 minutes, my dream dress in one afternoon and my florist after a 15 minute chat. It's magic. So what if one of my bridesmaids ends up not like sage green or silk? It's more important to let go. The main thing to remember is that you're marrying someone you're completely obsessed with and you get to be with that person for the rest of your life.
Be Flexible
This is the golden rule for all wedding planning actually. Flexibility has been my go to word throughout this whole process and let me tell you it makes this wedding malarky a hell of a lot easier. Be honest, when things don't perfectly match up to your expectations it is totally ok. Being flexible meant that I found my wedding cake in 30 minutes, my dream dress in one afternoon and my florist after a 15 minute chat. It's magic. So what if one of my bridesmaids ends up not like sage green or silk? It's more important to let go. The main thing to remember is that you're marrying someone you're completely obsessed with and you get to be with that person for the rest of your life.
