Bonding with your girls throughout the wedding process can be harrowing at times, utterly glorious at others. The main area of stress that just about every person in the bridal party {we’re talking the ladies here!} centers around, is ‘THE DRESS’. The bridesmaids dress has found a naughty way, over time, to become just as stressful as the wedding dress. Between differing opinions, different body types and different personalities picking just one dress and repeating it on several different ladies can be quite the process. Until recently, that is simply how it went, one dress fits all, each girl a repeated version of the one before her, most often in hair, jewelry and down to the shoes as well. While there is a time and a place for ‘The Mimic Look’, I am also super pleased that the times are changing from the old guard and moving toward inspired injections for the bridal party attire. Everything from only having a maid of honor, to 2 different dresses within a group, to the same dress worn a possible 15 different ways to out right mix and matching the dresses within your entire group of bridesmaids. No matter how you cut it, we’re moving away for a standardized look for each and every girl!
I wanted to explore a gorgeous mix matched look for today’s WIWW and I stumbled upon a delicious wedding in sweet neutrals on Love and Lavender shot by Jason and Anna Photography . Their full wedding is a wonderfully vintage rustic fete and I highly suggest you check it out! What appealed to me however, was how gorgeous the styling was on the ladies {bride included of course!!}
Creating a mix match look that works cohesively and gorgeously can be quite the feat and in the wrong hands, a high potential for a train wreck. There are a few key things to pay attention to when working to combine different looks, which these lovely ladies showcase beautifully!
Color: No matter what your color is, make sure it plays well with the group. When you have the option, putting the dresses together, side by side, before making anything final {you know, like the day of the wedding!} you have the opportunity to see just how well the differing hues jive together. If your sticking within a one color range, for the most part it will be an easy process, with that said, its always better to have a look at the full picture before hand, as some colors simply just dont want to work. When your giving your ladies a range of colors to choose from, the more diverse that range, the more you really should be hands on to ensure the perfect color harmony. The beauty to the color harmony like the girls above is that they all not only fall into that same creamy dreamy soft neutral come blush tonal range, they all share the same intensity. If one of the girls had had a much more bold and vibrant beige dressed for example, it would have thrown the whole ecstatic off. If you’re looking for your girls to have different intensity dresses, that is totally fine, just make sure its not one girl, otherwise she’ll look like HD while everyone else is old school rabbit ear TV’s!
Length & Style: The rules here are there are no real rules, perhaps more like ground rules if you will, buzzwords that help the bridesmaids to achieve the look that you’re hoping for. In the case above, I am assuming it was something like summer cocktail with a vintage touch. Combined with the knowledge that they needed a neutral toned dress, the girls had a much more clear idea of what they were looking for and were able to shop for dresses that looked great for each of them and more importantly, each felt comfortable wearing. They knew the bride wanted something short, could be tight or a bit more free flowing with elements of vintage that fit the wedding and they were off. There used to be a train of thought in the old wedding mentality that the bridesmaids dresses either had to match or be completely different from, the wedding dress. Peopled used to get so caught up about the worry of the bridesmaids taking away from the bride….. Yeah. Let’s be real here ladies, the bride is the bride, no one else, your guests are there to see you, end of story. Nowadays I firmly believe that the bridal party look is being more crafted around the look of the wedding as a whole and I love that! Doing so provides a complete picture one that the girls above show so well. I love the juxtaposition of the bride’s wonderfully long full mermaid skirted gown against the ladies varying versions of their fresh cocktail length dresses. Its a real eye pleaser, non?!
Material Things: The material that a dress is made of can be a tricky area to match, for the most part, the cohesion, when the other areas are met {color, style & length} should easily fall into place, but its certainly worth paying attention to. As much as I hate to say it, there are certain fabrics that simply dont play nice and have the potential to stick out like a sore thumb. A big part of why the ladies above are such a mix match winner for me is the mix of fabrics from lace to classic cotton, there is a lovely harmony about them as a whole and you best believe that fabric is a big factor in that!
I personally am really happy to see differing bridesmaid dresses becoming a thing. I love the individually to it, I love the cohesion in the mix and most importantly, I feel there is a joy that radiates out from the ladies just a wee bit more in a dress they love, they can certainly wear again and most importantly, that they feel like they look amazing in and are comfortable. If you’re wanting to go the mix match route view the dresses as a group, be it in photos or in person and be clear and articulate to your ladies what you’re really looking for. Give your gals just enough guidelines, don’t go overboard, and watch the mix match beauty take shape!
