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Bridesmaid Dresses 2024 Trends and Tips
Bridesmaid dresses are worn by members of the wedding party. Since they’re a bit of a wedding party uniform, these dresses usually match or are very similar in silhouette, color, or both.
Choosing bridesmaid dresses can be an exciting part of planning your wedding day, but it can easily get overwhelming. The bigger your wedding party is, the more daunting it may seem, but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some things to consider to help you get started.
Bridesmaid Dress Colors
When it comes to the overall vibe of your bridesmaid dresses, color is going to be the most important aspect. In addition to the actual colors, you’ll want to think about color coordination, which we cover in the next section.
Red Bridesmaid Dresses
Bright red is the color of luck and vitality in a lot of cultures; it’s also almost universally a color of love. This is perfect if you want your bridesmaids and wedding party to stand out from the rest of your guests, but you can go with a darker red if you want a bit more cohesion among everyone present.
In addition, shades of red can beautifully complement heavily neutral-toned, pink, or apricot wedding palettes.
Orange Bridesmaid Dresses
The color orange is associated with energy, positivity, and sunrises, which are the perfect vibes to bring into this exciting chapter of your life. Orange bridesmaid dresses bring a fun, playful twist to a formal wedding ceremony, making them particularly suitable for summer weddings that take place in the daytime or dusk.
While orange is a bit more of an offbeat choice, it’s a color that offers a lot of versatility when it comes to complementing your bridesmaids’ undertones.
Green Bridesmaid Dresses
Green is one of the most popular color choices for bridesmaid dresses because of its versatility. Bridesmaids dresses in green suit any time of year and are complementary to just about any undertones in your party’s hair and skin.
In addition, there are so many different shades to go with, which makes it complementary to so many different wedding color stories; green bridesmaid dresses work particularly well with palettes that have lots of neutral, pink, purple, or blue elements.
Purple Bridesmaid Dresses
Dark purple bridesmaid dresses bring a sense of regality to your wedding party, as deep purple is strongly tied to luxury and royalty. This makes deep purple a perfect bridesmaid dress color choice for ceremonies in the evening, especially in the cooler months. Light purple adds a hint of playfulness, making it great for a springtime wedding.
Purple bridesmaid dresses pair beautifully with wedding palettes that are heavily neutral, metallic, blue, or green.
Black Bridesmaid Dresses
Black bridesmaid dresses are timeless, elegant, and sophisticated—just like the ubiquitous little black dress. As an added bonus, black dresses are universally flattering and can go with just about any wedding color story. There’s a reason why they’re the most popular fashion neutral!
When considering black dresses, you may want to think about how you want your pictures to look. Black bridesmaid dresses will stand out from a summer garden or beach scene; if that’s your intention, go for it! However, if you want your bridesmaids to blend with the background a bit more, you may want to think about a lighter neutral.
Things to Think About When Choosing Bridesmaid Dresses
Before digging into bridesmaid dress research, it’s important to think about your ideal wedding vibe. Figuring out these variables will help you narrow down your bridesmaid dress options.
Color Coordination
One popular option is to select a color from your wedding’s palette and have your bridesmaids wear matching dresses in that exact shade. This makes your wedding party look cohesive with the decor.
If you want your bridesmaids to stand out a bit more, you could also choose colors complementary to your wedding palette, or go with a neutral tone, like black. Black is a nearly universally appropriate choice, but navy or taupe can also fit just about any wedding palette. Just be sure not to have your bridesmaids in white if you plan on wearing white yourself (unless you’re aiming for an all-white wedding, which can be beautiful!)
Your maid of honor may be in a separate color dress, but that doesn’t have to be the case. This dress could be a few shades darker or lighter from your bridesmaids or could simply have a totally different silhouette.
Silhouette and Neckline
For the most cohesion, have all your bridesmaids wear the same silhouette dress. However, you’ll want to be sure everyone feels comfortable in the style, so try to avoid plunging necklines or high slits unless you know your party is totally okay with that.
A common option is to choose a color for your bridesmaids to dress in and let them select their own dress silhouettes. This ensures that everyone feels happy and confident in pictures and in front of everyone on your big day.
If you’re having silhouette variation among your bridesmaids’ dresses, you may want to have everyone wear the same length (typically, these dresses are maxi or floor-length). This will make your party look cohesive, even if there are variations in the silhouette or neckline.
Length
Bridesmaid dresses should be the same length, whether you’re going long or short with them. Even if your party is in the same color and neckline, it would be distracting to have one person in a floor-length dress, another in a mini dress, and another in a knee-length gown.
Long dresses are usually preferable for cohesion, but shorter bridesmaid dresses are great for afternoon garden ceremonies. Knee-length or tea-length dresses can be a great opportunity to show off matching shoes or let your bridesmaids’ personalities come out in their shoe choices.
Fabric
Your fabric choice is most likely going to reflect the season in which you’re getting married. Airy fabrics, like chiffons and satins, are great for spring and summer weddings. Heavier fabric, like velvet, is phenomenal for fall or winter weddings.
If your wedding is going to be in a temperature-controlled space, fabric choice doesn’t have to be as much of a variable. It’s still important to select a fabric that complements your wedding’s vibe and that moves in a way that you like.
If you’re thinking about having your wedding outside in the cooler months, you may want to consider matching bridesmaids' shawls or sweaters for a uniform look to ensure people in your party won’t get cold, especially if you’re going with sleeveless dresses.
Your Bridesmaids’ Preferences
Your bridesmaids’ comfort levels and personal preferences when it comes to certain necklines, silhouettes, or dress lengths should be taken into consideration when you’re choosing a uniform look.
It will be really helpful to talk with your party about your ideas for their dresses. Their ideas don’t have to upend yours completely, but there’s a lot of room for compromise if someone in your party feels more comfortable in modest looks.
Remember, you chose these people to be in your wedding party because you care about them - you wouldn’t want them to be uncomfortable.
FAQs About Bridesmaid Dresses
The ins and outs of bridesmaids' dresses, even aside from style choices, can be confusing. Below, we’ll break down some of the most frequently asked questions from people organizing their bridesmaids’ so you can be prepared.
How Far In Advance Should You Pick Bridesmaid Dresses?
If you’re choosing the dresses, either online or from a specific store, you’ll want to have the dress information ready for your bridesmaids about six months before your wedding. This will leave time for alterations and for your bridesmaids to budget accordingly if they’re paying for any portion of the dress.
If you’re not doing the dress shopping but letting your bridesmaids decide on their attire, this will depend on the size of your bridal party and how hands-on you plan on being with their dress choices. You’ll still want to have their dress parameters picked out around six months out from your event so they can plan accordingly.
If you have a large bridal party with a color that isn’t neutral, you may want to have everyone send you images of the dress they’re planning on buying four or five months in advance to ensure that everyone looks cohesive.
If you’re having your bridesmaids don black or navy, or you only have a couple of bridesmaids, you can probably wait until two or three months before the big day.
What’s the Most Crowd-Pleasing Silhouette?
You can’t go wrong with an A-line dress, as A-line silhouettes are great for flattering all body types. Best of all, A-line dresses can come with any neckline or length that you choose, so your bridesmaids can have a uniform look or a touch of personality while still looking cohesive.
How to Measure for Bridesmaid Dresses?
Before placing your dress order, have your bridesmaids measure their bust, waist, hips, and dress length so they can choose the right size for a tailored look that fits them perfectly. You can even incorporate measurement-taking into a pre-wedding event to celebrate your wedding party.
Make sure to have your bridesmaids wear the same or similar shoes to the ones they’re planning on wearing to the wedding. If worse comes to worse, it’s better to have the dress be a little long so it can be hemmed later.
How Different Should the Maid of Honor Dress Be?
At the very least, maid of honor dresses are usually a different color to stand out, but it may be more detailed instead or have a totally different silhouette. It’s your special day, though, so this dress can be as different or similar to your bridesmaids’ dresses as you like!
Are There Dress Alternatives?
If your bridesmaids aren’t typically dress-wearers or you want to go a little offbeat with your wedding aesthetic, rompers and jumpsuits are both great options. Either rompers or jumpsuits can have any neckline that you desire, though there are some key differences between them.
Rompers are one-piece outfits that have shorts on the bottom, though they can also feature bustle-like skirts for some feminine flair. For the most cohesion, you’ll likely want all of your bridesmaids to don rompers, as this look will stick out against traditional bridesmaid dresses. That said, a romper could also be a great choice for your maid of honor.
Jumpsuits are also one-piece outfits that have long pants on the bottom, so they blend in more seamlessly with traditional, long bridesmaid dresses. This is a terrific option to offer to someone who isn’t keen on wearing a dress, but still wants to blend in with the rest of your bridesmaids.
If you have a bridesmaid who feels more comfortable in a suit, you can have them wear a vest or shirt that’s color-matched with the rest of your bridesmaids’ dresses. You may also want to have them incorporate a boutonniere featuring one of your wedding day flowers.
Find Your Perfect Bridesmaid Dresses
Choosing dresses for your bridesmaids can be stressful, but narrowing down your ideal wedding vibe and what makes your party feel the most comfortable goes a long way. Remember that your wedding party is there to help if the choices get too overwhelming. Their insight may be exactly what you need to find your dream dresses!