Ok, so a key question for every bride planning their wedding is what the their bridesmaids will wear. Do you choose the same dress style for all? What about similar dress styles but different colours? How about something completely different for each attendant?

There are so many things to consider. We’ve all heard the cliche horror stories where friendships are ruined over choice of dress, hopefully it happens more in the movies than in real life.

Some tips to make the journey a pleasant one include:

• Be consultative and consider the feelings of others. The bride has the final say.
• Be considerate and consider the budget. Everyone has different circumstances, bridesmaids typically pay for their own dress.
• Choose colours and style that work with your wedding theme.
• Consider if dress uniformity is important to you. As body types and size can vary dramatically, a style and colour that may suit one bridesmaid could be inappropriate for another. Dresses can be different styles to suit each figure but share the fabric type to bring it all together.
• Consider your choice of wedding and reception venue. The venues you choose for your reception can point to the style of dress that may be best.
• Consider the season and temperatures. For winter weddings, a wrap or shawl will be much appreciated when the sun goes down.
• Accessorise! Think about your accessories before a final decison.
• Order fabrics at the same time to ensure the material comes form the same production run. Variations do occur in manufacture so to keep consistency, order your fabric at the same time so all dresses can be made from the same fabric run.
• Get started early so you have plenty of time. Everyone is busy these days so get organised early to give you time to work with everyone’s schedule.

As you can see in these photos, it all comes together in the end! Alex chose bold colours different materials and different dress styles for her bridesmaids, by her own admission, she is totally obsessed with colour. Caitlin’s bridesmaids wore the same dress and looked fabulous. Serena chose a vibrant pink for her bridesmaids that was stunning on location. Choosing the same dress for each bridesmaid is what most brides decide. Kristen, Sara and Katrice did this. Gria chose different colours for each of her bridesmaids.

So whatever you choose, do it consultatively. The wedding day will arrive and everyone will look fabulous, make the time to enjoy the journey with your girlfriends along the way!