The days of everyone wearing the same dress are long gone; mismatched bridesmaid dresses or gowns are the new way to make your girls stand out on your big day. Today’s brides are mixing it up, creating truly unique ensembles featuring gorgeous gowns of different styles and colors. This way, each dress can highlight each individual girl and make them feel great.
Mismatched bridesmaid dresses can also fit in with any wedding style—from ballroom to bohemian. That’s another reason why they became so popular quickly and have stayed that way throughout the year.
While mismatched bridesmaid dresses may give off that effortless look to your guests, mixing different style presents a new set of challenges. If not done right, you can end up with a disjointed-looking wedding party rather than a cohesive one. The wedding organizer Dream Wedding put together these tips for making sure that your ensembles look great in your wedding photography.
Know How to Mismatch Your Bridesmaid Gowns
The first step is deciding which mismatched route you want to go. Do you want to keep the same color, the same style, or just forgo both? Here's a quick breakdown of each way to do it.
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Same Dress Color but Different Styles
For those who believe that everyone should be in the same color, but acknowledge that diversity is good. By committing to the same hue yet allowing for variations in design, you're acknowledging a golden rule that all bridesmaids can appreciate—not every dress is flattering for every person. In fact, let your girls pick their own style if they want. They will appreciate the freedom and be more comfortable than if you were to decide everything.
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Same Dress Style but Different Colors
Maybe you’ve found a dress that you simply love, and really want the same silhouette for all (but make sure it’s flattering for everyone). Fret not, you can simply embrace the difference by opting for different colors. Ask for fabric swatches before you determine your scheme, and avoid having more than three variations in color (unless you’re aiming for the rainbow vibe). Keep this golden rule in mind for a uniformed silhouette in complimenting colors that will impress your guests.
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Different Dress Styles and Colors
If you're going to commit to using different bridesmaid dresses, you might as well go all out and incorporate both different designs and colors into your bridal party ensemble. For real stunning looks, play with different tones and hues, or use the palette of your wedding inspiration while shopping. Just be sure that you have the time to see them together once all the dresses are selected. You want to make sure that everything is cohesive.
5 Tips for Stunning Mismatched Bridesmaid Dress Looks
Now that you have the basic plan for your bridesmaid dresses, here are 5 expert tips from Mrs. Ivy of Dream Wedding on how to pull off stunning mismatched looks for your bridal party.
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Avoid Varying Too Many Features
When you change much more than the basics (color or style), you run the risk of a confused-looking bridal party. A useful rule of thumb is to only switch up one or two things about each dress and keep the rest the same. You may opt for different necklines and colors (in a pre-decided color palette) but in the same fabric. Or, choose different online dress fabric (lace, cotton, chiffon, brocade, etc.) and necklines, but in the same color.
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Ask for Samples, Not Just Swatches
Bridesmaids in different colored dresses are very popular right now. But it can be challenging to create a color scheme that looks good together since you’re limited to the colors from your designer. Moreover, the small swatches on a card often look different from the actual bridesmaid gown. The easiest way to know if the colors will match is to check out the full-size samples in daylight and switch out different options until you are happy with your selection.
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Pay Attention to the Hemlines
Aside from colors, varying the length of bridesmaid dresses are also a great way to mismatch. Whether you choose all floor-length gowns, a uniform to-the-knee hem, or varying lengths based on the maid, make sure you stick to a hemline or pick a balanced option. Otherwise, your wedding photos will look awkward if everyone is wearing long gown except one.
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Tie the Look with Identical Accessories
Whether you’re alternating colors, styles, silhouettes, or all of the above, it's important to have something that ties all the looks together for a cohesive look. Perhaps a gemstone belt or floral hairpiece can do the trick. As a bonus, you can give these as gifts for your girls, too! If you're alternating dress colors, you can represent each color in the bridesmaid bouquet for stunning photos. And don't forget the flowers! When you have both different cuts and color in your maids' dresses, an easy way to tie it all together is with matching flower bouquets.
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Consider Sticking with One Designer
When you let your girls the freedom to shop for their own gown, this can lead to confusion at the ordering department, and chaos when you have six different shades of teal that look awful in your wedding shots. Sticking to one designer’s collection will save you a lot of trouble when you need to alter your dresses. Plus, you tend to have a more cohesive style if your bridesmaid gowns are made by the same designer.
Where to Find Your Designer Bridesmaid Gowns
In Singapore, Dream Wedding offers a lot of varieties in their brides and bridesmaids gown that you can buy or rent from. They have several award-winning in-house designers, each with their own styles. When it comes to bridal gown rental, the rate range starts from the low rate of S$99. On the other hand, you can also get a designer piece and gift them to your girls. Either way, you should contact Dream Wedding to book your appointment first and save a lot of hassle going your way when it comes to choosing your wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses.
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