You’re engaged, and the wedding planning is now in full swing. One of the biggest decisions you must make as a bride is what your bridesmaids will wear on your big day. While some brides prefer to choose a single dress for all bridesmaids, you’re considering letting your bridesmaids select their own dresses. This can be a great option, giving your bridesmaids more freedom and ensuring everyone feels comfortable and confident.
However, there are some pitfalls to watch out for. As a thoughtful bride wanting the best for your friends, you’ll want to set some basic guidelines to avoid chaos while giving them flexibility. With simple dos and don’ts, you can have the best of both worlds: bridesmaids who feel valued and a cohesive wedding party look you’ll love. Letting your bridesmaids choose their dresses can be an ideal solution; you need the right approach. Get ready to dive into the pros and cons!
Giving Your Bridesmaids Freedom: The Pros
Giving your bridesmaids the freedom to choose their dresses is great! It will make your friends happy and ensure everyone feels comfortable and confident on your big day.
More Style Options
By allowing your bridesmaids to pick their own dresses, they’ll have a lot more styles to choose from. Whether they prefer long or short, fitted or flowy, there’s something for everyone. They can find a dress that flatters their body type and fits their style. With so many options, you’re sure to end up with a cohesive yet eclectic look for your bridal party.
Reduced Stress
Planning a wedding is stressful enough without having to coordinate bridesmaid dresses. Giving your friends free rein means less hassle for you. You won’t have to search through hundreds of dresses to find the perfect one, arrange fittings, or deal with any issues. Your bridesmaids will appreciate you trusting them with this task, and the reduced pressure will help you focus on other wedding details.
Cost Effective
When bridesmaids buy their own dresses, it often saves them money. They can set their own budget and look for sales and deals. As long as you give them some basic guidelines for formality and wedding colours, they’ll find something in their price range. You may need to chip in for alterations to ensure a good fit, but this approach is budget-friendly overall.
Letting your bridesmaids choose their dresses is a win-win. They get to pick out something they genuinely like while you get to cross one more thing off your wedding to-do list. With gorgeous and happy bridesmaids by your side, you’ll walk down the aisle confident you made the right choice!
Potential Downsides to Consider
While giving your bridesmaids free reign over their dresses seems like a fun, easygoing idea, there are a few potential downsides to consider.
First, mismatched styles and colours could end up looking mismatched in your photos. If each bridesmaid chooses a dress in a different colour or cut, your wedding party may appear disorganized and messy. To avoid this, provide some basic guidelines for length, fabric, and colour to keep things cohesive.
Second, some bridesmaids may feel uncomfortable with too much choice and uncertainty. Only some people want the pressure of finding a dress that suits them while meeting their vision. Give your bridesmaids a few pre-selected options, so they have some direction.
Finally, leaving it completely open-ended could lead to hurt feelings or resentment if some bridesmaids end up unhappy with others’ choices. Be clear in communicating your expectations to avoid confusion and ensure everyone feels included in the decision-making process.
While granting your bridesmaids autonomy over their dresses seems ideal in theory, in reality, some constraints and guidance will help ensure harmony within your wedding party and a polished look in your photos. With open communication and a few ground rules, you can give your bridesmaids freedom of choice without the potential downsides. Letting them select from a few pre-approved options is a great compromise that allows them input in a constructive way.
Set Clear Expectations Upfront About the Wedding Vision
Letting your bridesmaids choose their dresses is all about setting clear expectations upfront so everyone is on the same page about your wedding vision. This will ensure harmony and avoid hurt feelings down the road.
Communicate Your Wedding Theme and Colors
Tell your bridesmaids the theme, colours, and formality of your wedding so they can choose dresses that complement your vision. Provide swatches, photos, or a colour palette to give them guidance. For a garden wedding, the theme might be bohemian chic, and colours could be dusty rose and sage green. For a ballroom wedding, the theme might be classic glamour with colours of gold and navy.
Set Guidelines
While giving them flexibility, set some basic guidelines about appropriate styles, lengths and necklines. The knee-length, halter neck, or chiffon fabric in the wedding colours. Or floor-length, sweetheart neckline, lace or satin in the wedding colours. The more guidance, the more cohesive the look will be.
Consider Offering to Help Pay
If you want a specific designer or fabric but are letting them choose the style, offer to pay for a portion of the dress cost. Your bridesmaids will appreciate the gesture. You could pay for the fabric or contribute a fixed amount towards the total cost of the dress.
Have Them Send Photos for Approval
Request your bridesmaids send photos of the dresses they’re considering before purchasing. This allows you to ensure the style and colour work well together and fit with your wedding theme. You can then provide feedback or approval to avoid surprises on your wedding day!
Giving your bridesmaids flexibility in choosing their dresses is thoughtful, but success depends on providing enough guidance about your wedding vision. With open communication and the willingness to compromise, you can have a cohesive wedding party look that reflects your bridesmaids’ style. Your wedding photos will be that much more vibrant with a group of girls who feel comfortable, confident and carefree in dresses they’ve chosen for themselves.
Recommend Styles, Colors and Stores to Guide Your Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids, this is your time to shine! As a bride, allowing your girls to choose their dresses is fun to show you trust their style. That said, providing some guidance will help ensure cohesion while still allowing for personal flair.
Recommend stores with a range of styles
Suggest stores like Azalea, BCBGeneration or Tadashi Shoji that offer cocktail and formal dresses in a variety of cuts, colours and price points. That way, each girl can choose what flatters her figure and budget. Just be sure to give them colour swatches or specify a particular palette to keep things coordinated.
Suggest flattering and versatile styles
Recommend styles like knee-length lace dresses, chiffon high-low hemlines or silk wrap dresses that come in a range of colours. These options are feminine, photogenic and can be dressed up or down with accessories. Strapless, one-shoulder, or flutter sleeve styles are also figure-flattering and elegant.
Provide guidelines on appropriate lengths and cuts
Gently steer your bridesmaids away from anything too short, tight or plunging. Suggest hemlines that hit around the knee or lower and necklines that don’t show too much cleavage. A-line, fit and flare or skater-style cuts that nip in at the waist but flow over the hips and thighs tend to look superb on most body types.
By providing style suggestions, colour guidance and store recommendations, you’ll give your girls a helpful starting point to find a dress they feel amazing in. And allowing them to put their own spin on things by choosing necklines, sleeve styles or unique details they love will help ensure a cohesive yet eclectic look across your bridal party. Most importantly, choosing their own dresses will make your bridesmaids feel special and help create cherished memories of this fun bonding experience you share together. Let the dress shopping begin, ladies!
FAQs From Brides: Answering Your Most Common Concerns
You’ve decided to let your bridesmaids choose their dresses—yay for flexibility! But now you have some questions. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered.
Q1: Will their dress choices clash?
There’s a chance different styles or colours could clash, but with some guidance, you can avoid this. Provide general guidelines like colour swatches, length, fabric type, or level of formality. Or ask each bridesmaid to send a photo of their pick for approval before purchasing. Compromise is key!
Q2: What if someone chooses something I hate?
Be upfront about styles or colours you really don’t want. But also keep an open mind—a dress you don’t love on the hanger could look stunning on your bridesmaid. If you still don’t like a pick, have an honest but kind conversation suggesting other options. Focus on how the dress makes them feel beautiful and confident. Their happiness is what really matters!
Q3: Will they resent not having more direction?
Some bridesmaids may prefer more guidance. Reassure them you trust their judgment but are happy to provide feedback. Share inspirational photos, offer to go shopping together, or suggest browsing websites like Azazie or JJ’s House with lots of styles. Let them know you appreciate their input and value them feeling comfortable and stylish.
Q4: How can I ensure cohesion?
Suggest a shared element like a wrap, sash, or jewellery for cohesion without conformity. You could also provide fabric swatches or colour palettes to pull different dresses together or ask everyone to choose dresses with a similar neckline or length. Little details tie unique looks into a cohesive whole.
Letting your bridesmaids choose their dresses is a thoughtful gesture that allows their personalities to shine. With open communication and flexibility, you’ll end up with a look you and your bridesmaids will love! Focus on what really matters—celebrating together. The little details will fall into place.
Conclusion
You can go right by letting your bridesmaids choose their own dresses. It’s a win-win situation that allows them to feel comfortable and stylish while taking some stress off you. Focus on giving them a colour scheme and length guideline, then let them run with it. Your friends will appreciate the freedom and flexibility. Most importantly, years from now, when you look through your wedding photos, you’ll see a group of happy, radiant women surrounding you – not a group of uncomfortable clones. Let your bridesmaids’ unique personalities shine through, and your wedding will be even more memorable and meaningful. Take a chance – you won’t regret it!
Searching for the perfect dress for your bridesmaids? Look no further than 50Gram Wedding. Our curated collection offers a variety of styles and colors to suit every bridal party. Contact us now and let’s find the ideal bridesmaid dresses that will complement your wedding vision flawlessly.
FAQ
Letting your bridesmaids pick their dresses gives them more style options, reduces stress for you as the bride, and can be cost-effective for your bridesmaids. It allows them to choose comfortable and confident dresses, resulting in a cohesive yet eclectic look for your bridal party.
Some potential downsides include mismatched styles and colours in your wedding photos, some bridesmaids feeling uncomfortable with too many choices, and the possibility of hurt feelings or resentment if some bridesmaids end up unhappy with others’ choices. Providing some guidelines and direction can help avoid these issues.
To ensure cohesion, communicate your wedding theme and colours, set some basic guidelines for dress length, fabric, and colour, and consider offering a few pre-selected dress options for your bridesmaids to choose from. Requesting photos of their dress choices for approval before purchasing can also help maintain cohesion.
Yes, it’s essential to provide some guidance to your bridesmaids to ensure they stay within the overall vision of your wedding. You can recommend stores with a variety of styles, suggest flattering and versatile dress styles, and give guidelines on appropriate lengths and cuts.
If bridesmaids have concerns about choosing their dresses, reassure them that you trust their judgment and are happy to provide feedback. Offer to go shopping together or suggest websites with a wide range of styles to browse. Let them know you value their input and want them to feel comfortable and stylish on your big day.
