In this day and age, no one wants to waste money – so why buy bridesmaid dresses for five girls that will never exit their wardrobes after your big day?
We’ve got some top tips from bridalwear experts that means your bridesmaid dresses will be put to good use after your wedding day…
Bridal party brigade
When you’re looking for bridesmaid dresses, take all your bridesmaids along. Brides often opt to allow the bridesmaids to pick their own style from a selection, but keep slight restrictions of colour, length or fabrication to keep some uniformity. Telling the girls to choose a style that they feel most comfortable in means that they are more likely to jump at the next chance to wear it again.
Colour choice
Choose a colour that is more of a neutral one, or a colour that is on-trend for the season. Popular choices at the moment are soft pinks, nudes, navy and black. Check out style 2906 from The Dessy Group in the perfect neutral colour, palomino – there’s no doubt your girls would love to wear these again.
Play it plain
Plain dresses can easily be dressed up for the wedding and after the wedding, but in different ways. How about adding a sash, brooch or a bling necklace? Simple accessories will make the dress wearable on so many occasions, and it won’t even look like you’ve worn it before!
Keep it cool
Don’t pick something that is outdated, or will go out-of-date quickly. Go for something timeless, or a trend you know will stick around for time to come because that way, the dress is much easier to wear again. The maxi just never seems to go out of trend, no matter what season, and we’re loving the look of Ebony Rose’s Dara dress. Team with a fab pair of shoes and some glitzy accessories for a formal do, or just pop on a pair of sandals for a holiday look. You might even want one yourself for your honeymoon!
Mismatched bridesmaids
If you find your bridesmaids just won’t agree on one dress, consider different styles for each of them. It’s important to bear in mind that not all colours suit all skin-tones, so be flexible. And hey, mismatched bridesmaids is a top trend set for 2015 anyway…
Show off those legs
Short dresses can be seen as more practical when thinking about re-using bridesmaid dresses; whether a formal occasion like another wedding where you’re not the bridesmaid, or a more casual one like a Saturday night out. But long, chiffon dresses do make great evening wear provided there is little to bling! Dresses like Cora and Freya from Romantica of Devon would be the perfect choice – the plain and timeless colours mean that they are suited to more occasions.
Hitch up the hem
Even if a dress is full length, it can be hemmed up to become a dress you could wear for a dinner, party, or another wedding to give a slightly different style.
Addition and subtraction
It’s not only the hem you can alter – think about how feasible it is to add or take away shoulder straps, beading, belts and so on. These can totally transform a dress, but keep the same fabulous fit and shape that suits your bridesmaids so well. This simple, but super stunning and flattering dress from Dessy would make for a fab Christmas party dress with a few glitzy beads added.
Bridesmaid dress shopping can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare with your girls not agreeing, or being grumpy about what you’ve chosen, but we know the ways to keep them happy to make wedding shopping a breeze!
