Do you make your bridesmaids wear a “uniform?” And no, I don’t mean like a baseball uniform or a military uniform, I mean the exact same uniform look for each bridesmaid. Are they told to wear the same dress, the same accessories, the same hairstyle? Or do you give them a little leeway in the individuality department? Remember ladies, your bridesmaids are your best friends (or are supposed to be). Don’t make them look bad or take away any chance they have of looking a bit like themselves at your wedding. Here are some options to make both you and your bridesmaids happy!
Same Dress Color, Different Styles
{Jamie Delaine / original post on Oh Lovely Day}
If you do want them to all wear the same gown, how about choosing different styles or shades? Or if you want them exactly the same, why not let them to wear whatever shoes they like (If you are afraid this will get out of hand, specify any nude shoe, or any black shoe, or any closed toe shoe in the blue color family, etc). Or let them wear their hair however they want.
Same Dresss Style, Different Shades
{Becky Hill / original post on Oh Lovely Day}
{Melody Davis / original post on Oh Lovely Day}
But my favorite bridesmaid look is to be completely mismatched! Let your girls wear a dress of their choice in the same color family, or in your palette of colors. As long as the dress isn’t completely inappropriate, it will look great, your bridesmaid will appreciate being able to choose (or possible wear something she already has or will actually wear again), and it makes for a really cool look! Plus, everyone is really looking at you, right?
Bridesmaid choice of dress in different shades
{Austin Gros via Green Wedding Shoes}
Bridesmaid choice of dress in different colors
{via People.com}
{Love Me Sailor via 100 Layer Cake}
Personally, I chose a bridesmaid dress by Lela Rose with my bridesmaids that came in 3 different styles (halter, one shoulder, and two straps) and told them to choose whichever style they thought looked best on them. Ironically, they all chose the same one! But they did wear whatever shoe, jewelry, and hair style they wanted. And they looked fab! See 🙂
{Jennifer Roper / my wedding posts seen here}
So, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you like your bridesmaids to be uniform or are you going for a mismatched look? If you want matching dresses, do you let your bridesmaids pick their own accessories and hairstyles? You should! This isn’t a cheerleading squad. But I digress… What do you think?
I completely agree with you! Let your ladies (and dudes) show of their individuality!
I love this idea, and it is exactly what I wanted for my upcoming wedding. I asked the girls to get a blue dress, with no other requirements but they all came back with reasons why they didn’t want to do it (hard to find a dress, what if they were all mismatched, what if I didn’t like it, etc)! I was floored! So now they are all wearing the same dress, but with different shoes, hairstyles, and jewelry. Hoping it turns out as awesome as these looks!
Loving those long bridesmaids dresses!
Oh my goodness, so many amazing inspiration. Love the first pic. Love this post, girlie. If you get a sec, I just posted my new guest post for Lauren Conrad and pictures of my wedding dress. Eeek. Love if you could stop by. xo
http://www.fashboulevard.blogspot.com
My bridesmaids all wore LBD that I bought them as a gift. They each chose their own and they have all worn them again, because they look like babes in them! During planning, many people told me it wouldn’t look good and it wasn’t a good idea. Both myself and my bridesmaids are glad we didn’t listen!
I’m thinking I’d let my girls choose the style in a color I pick (three choices) & it could match their boots. As far as hair, I don’t care.
I had my bridesmaids choose from Bill Levkoff’s long, chiffon dresses (in navy). There were about 10 options, so each got a style they liked and felt best in. I asked them to wear any kind of shoes they want in silver, and they can wear whatever hairstyle they want. I’m giving them earrings, but as for other accessories, it’s up to them.