Bridal party style has come a heck of a long way. Once upon a time, bridesmaids were expected to wear the same dress in the same color, as was dictated by tradition. Now, with the mismatched bridesmaids dresses look no longer just a trend, brides and their best ladies have a lot more options. Each individual ‘maid gets a chance to express her unique style–and brides are relieved of the often-challenging task of finding a dress everyone can agree on.
That said, having more options can present its own set of challenges–despite how easy Pinterest makes it look. The idea is to choose dresses that are distinct from each other–but not so different that they look totally disconnected. If you’re looking to mix it up with your own bridal party but need help curating a cohesive group of mismatched bridesmaid dresses, read on. We’ve put together a list of tips to ensure you and your ladies nail the look.
1. Decide how mismatched you want to go.
You can vary the color of your bridesmaid dresses, the style, or both. Wanna make it easy? Try a convertible bridesmaid dress in a single color, then let each lady wear it in her own unique way.
2. Keep at least one element consistent.
As long as all of the mismatched bridesmaid dresses share at least one common feature–like the neckline, silhouette, hemline, color, or fabric–they’ll have a link to each other and won’t look disjointed.
3. Consider keeping hemlines floor length.
Midi-length or knee-length will actually hit at different heights according to how tall each bridesmaid is. If you opt for all floor-length dresses, you’re guaranteed all hemlines will all hit at the same place (the floor) and the gowns will look consistent when standing side by side.
4. Opt for a limited color palette or tonal shades of the same color.
Narrowing down the color scheme helps tremendously when styling bridesmaids in mismatched dresses. If they’re all wearing soft neutrals or varying shades of blue, there’s less of a risk of looking disconnected. When in doubt, keep the color palette more limited for a more cohesive effect (this is especially true with smaller bridal parties).
5. Start with a print and work outwards.
If you want to incorporate a pattern into your assortment, pick that dress first, and use its color palette as a guide. Example: Start with a beautiful floral bridesmaid dress, maybe for your maid of honor, then choose solid bridesmaid dresses in each color from that print.
6. Pull your mismatched dresses together with accessories and beauty.
Jewelry, shoes, hair accessories, and even hairstyles or makeup can help tie your mismatched bridesmaids’ looks together. Maybe each of your ladies has the same half-up hairstyle, red lip, nail polish color and/or drop earrings; these uniform extras will put the “match” in mismatched.
7. Keep bouquets the same.
Think of the bridesmaid bouquets as another consistent accessory: Just be sure to choose a color or scheme that complements every dress. Consider solid bouquets to anchor multicolor dresses (like floral prints)–and multicolor bouquets to amp up solid dresses.
8. Think outside of just dresses.
When we talk about bridesmaid looks, dresses are usually what comes to mind–but they’re certainly not required wedding wear. Try going beyond the standard gown and incorporate a bridesmaid jumpsuit into the mix. It’s a fun, modern way to add interest and variety–and it’s unexpectedly elegant.
Show us your gorgeous mismatched bridesmaid dresses on Insta @lulusweddings using #lovelulus! Then, shop the story below and all of our newest Bridesmaid Dresses!
This post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated with new content.
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