Mismatched Bridesmaids; Find Dresses That Suit Each Girl’s Body

August 19, 2016

You’ve asked your best girls to be your bridesmaids — and they said “yes!” Now for the tricky part: dresses. These ladies are your dearest friends, sisters, and sisters-to-be; you chose each for her own special reason, so why put them all in the same exact cookie-cutter dress? Nowadays, it’s on trend to work with your bridesmaids to find dresses that suit each girl’s body type, skin tone, hair cut, signature style, and personality…..Not to mention, this generally makes for a very happy and comfortable bridesmaid!

The Basics of Mixing and Matching

The idea behind mixing and matching up your bridesmaid dresses is that all your girls will coordinate, but not match. In general, you could mismatch in terms of color, style, or length. Changing up one or more of these in each dress not only adds visual interest to your bridal party in photos, but your bridesmaids will be ever-grateful to you for letting them have a say in how they outfit their own body. However, it is definitely imperative to lay down some ground rules. These rules could be as open-ended as “Find a dress with some type of lace on it” or as refined as “Here are two dresses; pick one.”

Though each girl will be dressed differently in some capacity, you’ll still want these ladies to look like they belong together. Make sure each dress has at least one common element for a cohesive overall look. To maintain this togetherness, your bridesmaids might:

• Wear the same fabric

• Wear the same color or color theme (ex: shades of blue for an ombré effect)

• Wear the same dress with different necklines or waistlines

• Coordinate the length of their dresses

• Stick to a certain style (ex: bohemian, 1950s silhouette, etc.)

• Wear accessories to tie them together (ex: shoes, necklaces, etc.)

Making the Trend Your Own

So what do you envision for your bridesmaids? Reach a firm decision before letting your girls know; you don’t want to tell them one thing, then switch directions after they’ve already started shopping. Once they hear what you have in mind, get some feedback — but stand firm as needed. Know when to say “no” and when to be lenient. After all, these are the most important ladies in your life — this should be a fun experience!

If you want things to be a bit more structured, there are some big-name bridal shops all over the country that offer many dress options in the color of your choice. Decide on a color, then have each girl visit her local shop to pick out a dress in that color. This is particularly helpful if your bridesmaids-to-be live in different cities; each can do her own thing on her own time, and unity is still guaranteed. If you’re in Jacksonville and looking for a bridal salon to help with this task, you should definitely visit Bridals & More, located on Beach Blvd. They have a wonderful selection of wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses…..Their staff is amazing also!

If you’re open to a more eclectic look, give your bridesmaids some loose parameters such as color, length, or vibe (more casual day dress vs. elegant eveningwear). A fun way to approach this is to create a group Pinterest board. Each girl can pin potential options and you can all weigh in and see how the dresses look side-by-side. If not a Pinterest board, at least have your girls run their options by you before they finally decide on a dress. And, if you feel strongly about it, make it clear up-front that you have the power to veto. In the end, you have to do what works best for you: your style, comfort level, venue, and your bridesmaids as a whole.

Jacksonville Wedding Coordinator, Cindy Vallely, owner of I Do…Wedding by Cindy featured this wedding on her blog. To see more gorgeous photos from this wedding click photo below.