the ginger bride: to match or not to match

07-09-2011

Although the traditional choice is to pick one dress for all of your bridesmaids, I’m a big fan of weddings with maids in non-matching dresses. I think that when styled properly, it gives a modern and chic look that’s visually appealing and that photographs fabulously. There are a few ways that you can go about this. If you want a guaranteed cohesive look, you can pick out a color and fabric from a designer (J. Crew and Jenny Yoo are great for this) and then have your ladies choose their favorite style. Or, you can pick a dress design that you love and let your bridesmaids choose from a few colors that you like together. Another option is to do what I’m doing, and decide on a color or palette and give your maids the power to pick out whatever dress they please.

This may scare many brides and is not for everyone, but I have a very stylish troop of pals who understand the look that I’m going for (coral dresses with a nude shoe). To help convey my vision, I went to my local hardware store and picked out swatches of two shades of coral that I could send to each of them to take with them shopping. I also created a Pinterest board full of coral dresses and nude/blush shoes, so that we can all share dresses that we find and like. I’m excited to see the dresses that they each choose. I feel like this has made the process more enjoyable for all, since my BM’s (not a cute abbreviation) get to choose a dress within their budget, reflecting their individual style, and that is maybe even a look they might want to wear again. Dare to dream.

Here are a few examples of mismatched bridesmaids that look awesome:

I adore the look of these bridesmaids! This was actually the photo that inspired me to have my pals be in different dresses.

(Image via The Sweet Occasion)

Pretty maids in different yellow dresses.

(Image via Jill Thomas Photography)

Stunning! This bride is a stylist for Mad Men, so of course her ladies look amazing. They are all wearing vintage dresses in sherbet hues. You can see more of the wedding in the new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings!

(Image via Martha Stewart Wedding)