After picking your own dress, choosing what your bridesmaids are going to wear is one of the biggest and potentially most challenging decisions you’ll make towards your big day, so we’re here to provide some help.

One of the main reasons choosing a bridesmaid dress usually becomes difficult is because the ladies in your bridal party are likely to be all different shapes and sizes, so finding one style and colour of dress that suits everyone can feel impossible but it doesn’t have to.

If you feel like you’re going around in circles and getting nowhere trying to pick a bridesmaid dress to please everyone, here are some top tips on how to pick bridesmaid dresses that will please everyone!

 

Establish Your Bridesmaids’ Preferences at the Beginning

 

Although as the bride you get the final say, to keep the peace within your bridal party you may want to establish any preferences your bridesmaids have right at the beginning, so you can keep them in mind throughout the shopping process.

Ask if anyone has any definite ‘no go styles’ or any ideas for styles they’ve seen they think could work with the wedding theme. By having this conversation with your maids, everyone feels involved and looked after, making everyone more open-minded and positive going forward.

 

Same Colour, Different Dresses

 

If you’ve tried to get all your maids to agree on one dress and have had no luck, it might be time to explore different bridesmaid dress styles and put each maid in differently shaped gowns all of the same colour.

Allowing your bridesmaids to wear dresses of different styles but in the same colour means you’ll get the uniformity in your bridal party you want but everyone will feel comfortable in the dress they’re wearing as they’ll have a gown that is designed to suit their body shape.

Our large selection of Mori Lee bridesmaid dresses are available in a vast range of colours meaning you can find a number of different gowns that can all be ordered in the same colour, allowing both you and your bridesmaids to be happy with the final result.

 

Same Dresses, Different Colours

 

Alternatively, if it’s the colour that’s causing you issues, try putting everyone in the same dress but in different colours.

For example, if you want all your bridesmaids in blue but your maids can’t agree on one shade they’re all happy to wear, trying on the same dress in different shades provides an opportunity for your maids to coordinate and all have a colour they’re happy with.

They’ll all be tied together by wearing the same dress and picking colours that compliment each other means your bridal party will still look united, just in varying shades of your chosen colour.

 

Don’t Forget the Power of Alterations

 

If you’ve chosen one dress in one colour and you’ve got one or two bridesmaids unhappy with the fit, don’t underestimate the power of a seamstress to make a few simple tweaks to a dress that can make all the difference.

A big issue with bridesmaid dresses is the sleeves or no sleeves debate. If you’ve picked a dress that is strapless or has thin spaghetti style straps, some of your bridesmaids just might not feel comfortable with this but a seamstress can quite easily add some kind of sleeve or shoulder covering to the dress, meaning they can wear the same dress but with a slight alteration that makes it more suited to them.

Although some dresses will require alterations to create straps, many of the Mori Lee bridesmaid dresses are available with matching shawls which are ideal for draping over the shoulders and covering the upper arms if that’s something one of your bridesmaids is conscious of.

 

A Style with a Cinched Waist is Always a Good Starting Point

 

If you’re really keen to find one gown that flatters the figures of all your bridesmaids, a style with a cinched in waist is always a good starting point, no matter what sizes and shapes are in your bridal party.

An hourglass figure is always seen as ‘the most desirable shape’ and a dress with a synched in waist will do that as it creates a centre point for the body and balances the top and bottom, so a bridesmaid dress with a definite waistline is a good thing to focus on when choosing a dress to please your maids.

 

Start Classic and Work Your Way Up to Bolder Gowns

 

A top shopping tip for getting your maids to try on a variety of dresses, both classic and a bit bolder is to start with the simpler dresses and work your way up to trying on slightly more ‘niche’ dresses as if you force your bridesmaids into something a bit ‘out there’ right at the beginning and they don’t like it, they’re going to lose trust in your choices and be more reluctant to try on your other options.

Start off with something more simple that you know everyone will be fine with and then if there are a couple of gowns that are potentially more risky choices with a couple of your maids, get them to try them on a little later on in the fitting once they’re into the swing of it.

Always remember, your maids are your nearest and dearest female friends and family, so they should want to help you and make you happy, so don’t hold back getting them to try things on, they should want to cooperate with you!

Bridesmaid dress shopping should be fun and hopefully, with the help of these bridesmaid dress shopping tips, you can enjoy the experience without a moment of stress!

We have a vast selection of bridesmaid dresses available at Maria Modes, so book an appointment to visit us with your bridesmaids and we can show you our selection of sample dresses in store and get all your maids fitted in a style that suits everyone before ordering the exact gowns for your day.

Call 01625 502502 or email info@mmreadytowear.com to book a fitting with us.