Gone are the days of the matchy-matchy bridesmaids. Modern brides are often turning towards unique gowns tailored to fit their individual bridesmaids.

Just like how you need to find your dream wedding dress, your bridesmaids need to find their perfect dress. What suits one might not suit the other, and it’s important to consider how your bridesmaids look and feel on the big day. Going with mismatched bridesmaids dresses shows you care about your bridesmaids and want them to feel as confident as possible.

However, mismatched bridesmaid dresses present a new challenge as you run the risk of your bridal party appearing disjointed if not done right. Here are some tips to pull this trend off.

Same fabric and colour, different styles

One option is to go with dresses in the same fabric and colour but different styles. This way, your bridesmaids still look like your bridesmaids but they get to dress to complement their best assets. Maybe one bridesmaid has beautiful shoulders and wants to show them off but another feels a little insecure about her arms. Playing to each bridesmaid’s strength is the best way to keep everyone happy while still staying on theme.

Importantly, you will have to make sure the fabric and colour is flattering on all your bridesmaids. Take your time to go through fabric swatches and have your bridesmaids on hand to compare the colour with their skintone. We love how the richness of these chocolate brown dresses work so well against the bridesmaids skin.

Another tip is to not have too many different features. These bridesmaids all have different necklines but each dress has a straight cut design.

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Same dress, different colours

If you have a specific vision in mind, another option is to have your bridesmaids wear the same dress but in different colours. The colours you choose will then fit in with the wedding colour scheme. This gives you enough point of difference but still looks cohesive.

You should ideally have no more than three colour variations to avoid the final look being too busy. Make sure that the colours you choose work well with each other, and discuss with your bridesmaids who will wear what colour to make sure that everyone is happy.

Pro tip: swatches can look very different in a full dress. Don’t rely on swatches, compare the colours using full-size sample gowns to make sure there are no surprises come your first fitting.

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Different colours, cuts and fabric

Finally, you could just go all out and have completely different bridesmaids dresses altogether. Each bridesmaid can then decide the cut, colour and length they prefer. This option gives your bridesmaids the most freedom in choosing their look, which can be a good thing and a bad thing.

You should guide your bridesmaids in the direction you want to avoid them going too far out of your vision. A great idea is to create a mood board for your bridesmaids to really understand the look and feel you’re striving for. This way, it makes it easier for your bridesmaids to stay on theme.

To avoid looking disjointed, the dresses should all have a similar style which will generally go with the wedding theme. In the example below, these bridesmaids all have their own unique look but each dress has a distinctly boho style to it. With flowing cuts and lace/embroidery detail on every dress, there is still uniformity in their differences.

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Feature image: Unsplash