Congratulations on your wedding, now that you have found your perfect gown to turn you into the most beautiful bride on your wedding day, you need to find your girls their bridesmaid dresses!
1. Begin by browsing. I suggest browsing online or in magazines for ideas of what looks nice first then going to a shop to try them on.
Make sure your bridesmaids are comfortable in their dress else you’ll have unhappy bridesmaids on the big day. Check out our pinterest page for lots of ideas on all areas of your wedding day.
2. Keep your budget in mind. No sense in looking at dresses that are out of your budget. If you really can’t find anything within your budget, consider cutting down on something else to make room for the extra cost of the perfect dresses or consider renting the bridesmaid dresses if the supplier will allow that and if not, there are plenty of websites out there that allow you to choose high-end designer dresses to rent for a fraction of the price (girl meets dress and One Fab Day are 2 of these).
3. Find the Right Fit! - Use this shape guide to help you pick out the right shape dresses for your bridesmaid to maximise their confidence when wearing it and give their figures a boost.
4. Choose the right colour and shades. Pick colours that work well with the colour scheme of the wedding and the season. Certain colours will set off other colours and make them pop so if you want bridesmaid dresses that are different to the colour scheme, make sure it sets off against the others else it will clash.
You could even consider floral prints. Floral prints are hot this season especially with bridesmaid dresses or you could go completely different and put them all in white like Kate Middleton did for a look that’s crisp and chic.
Also, think of colours that work well with your bridesmaids skin tones so as to not make them look washed out.
Stone washed colours, like blush, greige (grey and beige combination) and sand are universally flattering and right on trend right now. Jewel tones complement fair complexions (like emerald and sapphire) and bright, bold colours like cobalt blue and hot pink pop against darker skin.
For an edgier feel, try metallic, sequined or a print (but make sure the dominant colours fit with the entire bridal party)
5. Shop to your personality – if you tend to have strong opinions, its best to shop on your own but bear in mind that this can be difficult when buying bridesmaid dresses as they may not feel comfortable in a dress that you pick out.
If you prefer to have more input then by all means, take the gang with you and get them to pick out their own dresses! Don’t be afraid to mix and match your dresses either, a lot of the time, mismatched bridesmaid dresses look better that matched ones as all the bridesmaids are comfortable wearing it.
6. Stick to a Schedule and take plenty of snacks with you! Trying dresses on can get very tiring very quickly so a quick boost will be much appreciated by your girls. To ensure that the bridesmaid dresses match your gown, buy your gown first.
7. Remind your girls to wear the correct undergarments and shoes when trying on dresses and when getting fitted as this will change the measurements slightly and could even make the dress unflattering.
8. Time to order! – it takes on average, 2-3 months for orders to arrive and 4-6 weeks for alterations so allowing for a 6 month cushion will give you and your friends plenty of time to find order and fit the dresses.
Always buy a size bigger, even if they are planning on losing weight as it is much easier to take a dress in than it is to let it out.
I do not lay any claim to these photographs. They have all been taken from google and pinterest.