Dressing your Bride Tribe: Bridesmaids Dresses 101

Finding your perfect dress is one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning, but your dress isn’t the only one that needs choosing! To pick the perfect bridesmaids dresses for your wedding, you’ll want to have a clear vision of your wedding look and feel. Are you thinking stylish and chic? Boho glam? Understated elegance? Selecting the right wedding colors and having venue and season appropriate dresses adds to the atmosphere of your wedding and will make your wedding party look and feel special on your big day. On average, wedding parties usually spend $150-350 per bridesmaids dress depending on the designer, fabrication, and styling of the dress. In the end, remember that it's your party, and the right dresses are the ones that you, the bride, feel best about. So if you need a bit of help putting that vision together, here are some considerations to keep in mind while choosing your bridesmaids dresses!

Find Your Bridesmaid Dress Style

Before you start shopping for dresses, it’s a good idea to collect some design inspiration. Start by scouring the internet and social media for inspiration that speaks to you. Looking through Instagram hashtags for inspiration can also be super helpful - #BridesmaidDress has over 1.6 million posts! Create a vision board (either physical or on Pinterest) and collect pictures of color schemes and dress styles that you love. Include a photo of your wedding dress in your vision board along with floral and other design elements that inspire you  in order to build a complete picture of your wedding style.

Venue and Season

Your wedding venue and time of year that you’re getting married often play a big role in selecting the best bridesmaids dresses and colors. If you’re having your wedding on a beach in the middle of summer, softer, more playful colors in light and flowy fabrics could be a great choice. For a rustic, late fall wedding, richer shades of burgundy, deep orange, and golds with lace and miss-matched styles would play up the casual yet elegant vibe. If you’re having a formal affair, navy, black, and mauve floor-length gowns in decadent fabrics like velvet, sequins, or stretch satin will give your wedding the black-tie feel you love. Coordinating your wedding colors with the venue and season is an easy way to create a cohesive look.

Do Bridesmaid Dresses Have to Match (Each Other)?

While many brides still prefer to have their bridesmaids all wear matching dresses, the mix-and-match look and letting each bridesmaid select their own dress from your color palette can add a fun,  laid back, eclectic feel to your wedding. It’s great to be able to see your bridesmaids’ personalities shine through in their dresses, plus, your girls will be super excited to wear dresses they selected. With bridesmaid dress styles ranging from boho chic, to vintage, to modern glam, there are plenty of different styles to select from. Remember to think about your own personal style as well. While your bridesmaids' dresses don’t need to mimic your dress, you want to make sure your wedding party still looks and feels cohesive.

Consider Different Body Shapes

If you select the same style dress for all your bridesmaids, be sure to think about people’s body shapes and comfort level. While you can’t always make everyone perfectly happy, it’s important to be considerate about your bridal party’s preferences especially in terms of modesty and body positivity. Your girls will have more fun and be more excited if they feel comfortable in their dresses.

Pattern, Prints, & Textures

Playing around with prints, patterns, and fabrics for your bridesmaids dresses can be a fun way to add a lot of personality to your wedding! Floral dresses can bring a light-hearted ethereal vibe, while lace can add a boho chic feeling. If you want to ramp up the “glam” effect, consider sequins, velvet, and stretch satin for a more decadent red carpet look.  Using unique fabrics will add a different element to your bridal party and will help make your wedding uniquely “you”.

Necklines, Sleeves, and Accents

If you like the look of mis-matched dresses but still want everyone in the same color, consider selecting slightly different dress styles for each girl based on their own style preferences.  Changing up the neckline, sleeves, or cut of the dress is an easy way to create a unique look for each bridesmaid and allows them to select dresses that fit their body types best. When doing this, it’s best to order all your dresses in the same fabric from a single designer as color shades can vary between fabrics and colors are not universal amongst designers.  

Multiple Colors or Shades

Dressing your bridal party in different shades of the same color is an easy way to keep everyone cohesive while spicing it up. You can also decide to dress your Maid of Honor in a different color than the rest of the bridal party.  If you are opting for multiple shades, consider keeping them all in the same color family and possibly limiting other dress variables like fabric choice and length.  The mis-match look is fun, but you still want everyone to look like they are part of the same wedding party.

Planning Your Bridesmaid Shopping Trip

Now that you’ve done some research and have some ideas, it’s time for your appointment! Here are some thoughts and reminders when it comes to your bridesmaid dress appointment.

Set a Schedule

Your first priority should be getting your own wedding dress, then after that, you can focus on your bridesmaids dresses. Just like the majority of wedding gowns, most bridesmaids dresses are made to order and require several months to be made in the size and colors that you need. Ordering your bridesmaids dresses at least 6-8 months before your wedding is ideal to make sure everything arrives in time and to allow enough time for alterations. The best way to keep yourself on track is to create a personalized wedding planning timeline so nothing gets forgotten or overlooked.

Decide on the Budget

Normally the cost of the bridesmaids dresses fall on your bridal party, but every wedding is different. Most bridesmaids dresses fall in the $150 to $350 price range, and creating a budget with your bridal party is the easiest way to find out what they’re willing to spend. The majority of bridesmaids dresses at Memories are in the $150-$250 range, but if you have members of your bridal party that need to keep costs low, choosing a color and then letting them choose their own dress can be an easy way to stay in everyone’s price range.

Shopping With a Group vs Solo

You can decide how involved your bridal party will be in choosing their dresses. If you prefer the final say, stick to bringing only your Maid of Honor when choosing the dresses. If you’re more interested in letting everyone choose their own styles, round up the group and make an appointment to see the whole party’s look together. The choice is up to you!  

Be sure to check with your salon about group size limits.  Due to Covid restrictions, Memories’ current max group size is 4 people.  You may need to book separate appointments for different members of your party. You can request multiple appointments on our scheduling page.

Select a Shop

Unless you’re going for a super eclectic look (everyone picks their own dress in whatever color family you decide), it’s best to order all your bridesmaids dresses from a single shop.  Ordering your dresses from the same store will help make sure your colors and dress selections remain cohesive and will allow you to have more control over what styles are selected.  It also helps you keep better tabs on where each bridesmaid is in the ordering process.  Even if you have bridesmaids that live in different parts of the country, they can always visit a store near them that carries the designer you like or they can select their styles from the designer’s website and order through your chosen shop.  This also helps cut down on “dye lot variation” where dresses ordered at different times by different stores can differ slightly in color.

Get Your Bridesmaids Professionally Measured

We recommend getting all of your bridesmaids professionally measured, regardless of if you decide to bring them all to the appointment or not. This ensures that they get a dress that will fit properly. Bridesmaids dresses (just like wedding gowns) tend to run very small, and most women will need to order a dress a size or two larger than they typically wear.  Remember, it’s always easier to alter a dress down than to try to make a dress larger.  All bridesmaids should plan on having their dresses altered for the proper fit.  

Schedule your Memories bridesmaids appointment today and let us help you bring your wedding inspiration to life!  Plus, receive $25 off accessories with each Memories bridesmaids dress purchase (hello bridesmaids gifts or killer accessories for you)!*  Visit https://dresslikeyou.com/schedule-appointment/ to schedule your appointment today.

*Must purchase at least 3 bridesmaids dresses per wedding party.  Sale dresses excluded.*