My advice for dressing your bridesmaids? Follow 2020’s lead and play by your own rules! After all, over the years, the “do/do nots” have shifted significantly where bridesmaid outfit etiquette is concerned. I have even found that my favorite wedding parties to photograph play with color shades, dress lengths, mixed materials, and fit! So be daring, be different, and ease up on the cloning (er, I mean, “dress rigidity”). Your bridesmaids will thank you and so will their new Facebook profiles.

So here you are, considering giving your bridesmaids some freedom in regards to their wedding day ensemble but aren’t sure how to begin issuing guidelines. There are a few decisions that should be made prior to addressing your soon-to-be wedding party:

Decide on the overall look of your wedding day - There’s much to consider before making a decision on wedding party attire. After all, your bridesmaids will be standing by your side to support you, but they will also be serving a dual purpose and posing as pretty accessories that will tie your entire wedding “look” together. So, decide on your own dress, wedding colors, theme/vibe, florals and accessories (if you plan to issue matching necklaces, or earrings, etc) before mulling over what style of dress would suit your bridesmaids.
Sift through Pinterest for bridesmaid dress inspiration! Pinterest is seriously the most handy tool for a bride-to-be. Once you have chosen your wedding colors, search for dress ideas (length, color, fit, texture, mismatched or not). Pin the dresses that stick out to you on a board for the purpose of later evaluating the reasons behind why each one stood out to you. This will help narrow down your vision and allow you to share your ideas with your bridesmaids (send them an invite to your board!).
Decide on the level of freedom you are willing to give your bridesmaids regarding their wedding attire. Consider the color(s) you intend for your bridesmaids to wear, then decide whether or not they should look identical or how mismatched you anticipate them being (same color in different dress styles? several color shades/dress styles? various lengths? Who selects their dresses (you or each individual bridesmaid)?). If you are keen on the idea of having your bridesmaids select their own dresses (after all, the idea is that they will want to wear their dress again) but want to still have some control on the look, one idea would be to select 2-4 dresses you like and to send their associated to your bridesmaids. This allows your bridesmaids some freedom in deciding which dress fit/color looks best on them, and also gives them some flexibility regarding their budget. This can relieve a lot of pressure from both parties.