Diary Of Real Bride| Bridesmaids, Maid to match? Not necessarily!
Written by on June 13, 2015.
Tagged under: Barbaranne, Bridesmaids, DUBAI WEDDING, House Of Moirai, Mismatched brides maids dresses, Pinterest, Real bride
Maid to match? Not necessarily!
Our real bride contributor Barbaranne is back this month with some top tips on dressing your bridal party. After all, not only is she a bride-to-be, she is also one of Dubai’s most sought after bridal gown and bridesmaid dress designers over at House of Moirai. Over to you, B!
There’s so much to think about when you’re planning a wedding, but one of the most important elements (after your own dress of course) is dressing your wedding party. They’re supporting you through one of the most important events in your life by standing next to you on your big day, and whether you choose to have one or five of your closest people, they deserve to look good! Gone are the days when bridesmaids were put in horrendous, floral curtain numbers so that the bride wasn’t outshined. We celebrate each other now and we want our girls and groomsmen looking as good as us, and why not? Fashion has entered wedding party attire in a big way. We’ve banished the frilly numbers of days gone by, and can now match, mismatch, drape and sparkle our favourite people in exquisite numbers that make them feel as special as they are to us. (image below is via Pinterest)
There’s certainly a lot of thought and detail going into the wedding party outfits for our wedding. I have a dedicated Pinterest board for my girls because they’re dotted all over the globe and I want them all to be involved. It’s important that they feel themselves on the day, and their dress must represent who they are and their individual style and shape.
It can be a very difficult task pleasing everybody, but it’s important to gain a happy balance between what you’re wanting for your day and keeping your wedding party happy. We create many bridesmaid dresses and I’ve worked a lot with brides to create the perfect look to suit all of their girls. Here are a few (I hope) helpful tips on how to dress your bridal party successfully.
Create a secret board and invite all of your bridesmaids to join so that you can share with them the type of look you are aiming for. This will allow them to give you honest feedback on styles they may like or dislike, and they can also share with you dresses that are of interest to them. Every so often go through your board and delete any that aren’t working, and eventually you’ll end up with a selection of styles everyone is happy with that fit in with your look.
-Be prepared to compromise
You may have your heart set on a strapless, knee length number for your maids, but maybe there is someone in your wedding party who hates their legs, or doesn’t suit a strapless dress. Would you feel comfortable wearing something that highlighted your least favourite features? Your bridesmaids are on show throughout the day just as much as you and your groom, and for some people that’s a daunting prospect. Being a bridesmaid can be nerve wracking, even for the most confident of people.
-Embrace Mismatched (to make your life easier)!
This is a strong trend now, so much so that it is almost changing into a tradition. The mismatched look is here to stay, and for some brides it can be a slightly scary concept. However, there are ways in which you can make it work without going too wild. For example, you can keep everybody in the same colour but suit the style to each individual maid. You could also choose the same skirt for everybody but differentiate the top, to ensure that the overall look will blend in nicely. (Image below, via: Love my dress)
If you want something completely different, think about mismatching the colour, style, length and even fabrics. Just draw inspiration – again from Pinterest – and make sure that tonally the hues all work together. When mismatching bridesmaid dresses, there is always the danger that your girls will just end up looking like wedding guests, with no distinct look to set them apart. By keeping similar tones, you can avoid this.
-Don’t go cheap
Now I’m obviously going to say this, since online bridesmaid dresses are my biggest competition. They look great in the pictures and the price is budget friendly, as the cost of dressing your girls, particularly if you have over five, can easily get out of control. But. And there is definitely a but. These cheap dresses often aren’t all they appear. I cannot tell you the amount of panicked brides I’ve had call me because their bridesmaid dresses have turned up and they just weren’t as advertised, or the fit was terrible. We then have to alter them to make them work.
I had a bride recently who ordered two of the same dress in the same colour from the same website and when they were delivered they weren’t even the same style, let alone the same colour! Go with a trusted company and remember that you get what you pay for, with a cheap price usually meaning cheap quality. If you’re struggling with the budget, maybe speak to your girls and ask if they wouldn’t mind contributing towards their shoes so that you can spend a little more money on gifting them beautiful dresses. Dresses they’ll want to wear again.
–Relinquish control
This could potentially send a lot of brides into a cold sweat, but if you can manage handing over some of the control in certain areas of your wedding it will ease some of your stress. Set your bridesmaids a budget, provide a colour palette and ask them to find a dress they love and feel comfortable in. I’ve seen this done many times and it can work. You can still veto any styles that you don’t think fit in, but it will help alleviate the tasks on your ever-expanding list.
Go on, try it. It could be liberating!
Tune in next month to read more from Barbaranne’s real bride diaries.
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