Bridesmaid-dresses-bridesmaids

“Someday I hope to celebrate the most important day of their life in the worst dress I’ve ever worn.”

Bridesmaid

The Size Zero Myth:

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My friend is getting married, that’s great. But wait a minute I get to be the bridesmaid. What will she make me wear?

Bridesmaid dresses are awful. I know I’m going to look hideous.

The Wise Hero Reality:

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Why are so many bridesmaids dresses so bad and why do brides insist on making the women who they should theoretically care about the most, spend so much money to look so awful? And yes, if it’s your wedding, you can do what you want, but there’s a way to do this without being a Bridezilla.

Bridesmaid dresses aren’t usually the most fashionable pieces of clothing on the planet. But what if the bride knowingly went out of her way to choose the most unflattering dresses for her bridesmaids to wear on her wedding day?

Bridesmaid dresses are not always a disaster, but there might be a few reasons why this happens in certain cases.

Let me list down the hideous bridesmaid dresses we have witnessed in a few of our favourite TV shows & movies.

1. Nightmare Pink Bubble Gum dress from F.R.I.E.N.D.S:

Many times the bride purposely picks ugly dresses for her maids because she doesn’t want to be upstaged by anyone, especially bridesmaids.

Rachel was the bridesmaid (maid of honour) for her friend Mindy, who was getting married to Rachel’s ex. So she made Rachel wear this Pink Bubble Gum bridesmaid dress. Did Mindy really think it was flattering or was it because she was jealous of Rachel? That is left to your anticipation.

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2.  Ugly Yellow Feather dress from 2 Broke Girls:2-broke-girls-Max-Caroline-Bridesmaid-Sophie-Wedding

Bridesmaid dresses are mostly picked by the brides themselves and trust me everyone does not have a great dressing sense. So if the bride has a weird sense of style, the bridesmaid would wind up wearing a dress which might be an eyesore for everyone else.

In 2 Broke Girls, bride Sophie picks an ugly yellow feather dress for her bridesmaids.  If you happen to follow the series, you would already know that her colour preferences were bold, so when she chose this really ugly yellow dress for Caroline & Max, it did not come as a shock.

3. Crazy Luminous dress from Modern Family:

Many brides out there want something over the top on their special day. They want the world to remember how different their wedding was. Sadly, sometimes due to lack of good judgement, this might go on the wrong side. Yes, the wedding might be something that everyone will be surprised to see. Well is it a good surprise though?

Modern-Family-bridesmaid-dresses

Modern-Family-bridesmaid-dresses-lillyOn this particular wedding of a friend of Cameron and Mitchell from Modern Family, the bride had worn a luminous dress and so the bridesmaids and the flower girl Lilly was also made to wear the same. We just need one word to describe this wedding theme ‘hideous’.

4. Hideous Puffy dress from Desperate Housewives:

It can also happen that the bride has a good taste, but the wedding theme colour & style which she picks look good on paper but does not really look good on her bridesmaids.

Renne from Desperate Housewives was really a fashion icon, but when it came for her to select her bridesmaid dress, she picked this unbearable violet puffy dress. It looks more of a prom dress. No one can take Lynette serious in this dress.

lynette-bridesmaid-Renne -wedding-desperate-housewives

Though I wanted to keep this segment related to only TV series, there are few modern-day movies, which have also hyped the concept of bridesmaid dresses so much that I could not just ignore them.

5. 27 Bridesmaid dresses from the movie 27 Dresses:

10-27_dresses-bridesmaid-dresses-Katherine-HeiglOne movie that pops into my head when I think about bridesmaid dresses is “27 dresses”. Katherine Heigl knows bad bridesmaid dresses better than anyone else. She stars as Jane, the always-the-bridesmaid-never-the-bride character, in the film. From ball gowns with bows and lace to black punk dresses with fishnet, she’s worn it all. But I must say, not all of them were that bad as it sounds. Definitely, most of them were hideous, but she did get to wear few good ones too.

 

6. Monstrous Poofy Rainbow dress from the movie Confession of a Shopaholic:

rebecca-bridesmaid-confession-of-a shopoholicRebecca Bloomwood, a spunky city girl with a shopping addiction attends her best friend’s wedding, in probably the ugliest bridesmaid gown of all time.

It’s a poofy, hot pink tea-length mess with bright red, lime green and bright blue tulle sticking out which makes her look like a clown. It also has a furry dalmatian print shrug and a hideous bow at the back as well. As if that wasn’t enough, it has a matching short pink veil and long white gloves.

When she tries it on, she’s actually in the famous NY bridal store, Kleinfeld’s, and she seems to fall in love with it (precisely screams). Maybe her best friend, Suze, secretly hated her.

7. Repulsive Fancy French gown from the movie Bridesmaids:

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For the promotional photos, we see the girls picked sassy neon pink mini bridesmaid dresses.

Talk about bridesmaids dresses and we definitely cannot skip the movie ‘Bridesmaid’. This movie is all about the various emotional phases a bridesmaid has to face, planning the wedding of her dear friend.

There is a sequence in the movie where all the ladies visit an elite store for shopping for their perfect bridesmaid dresses. The disagreement in the selection of that one piece of garment which everyone loves is portrayed here.

BRIDESMAIDS

bridesmaids-movie-bridesmaid-dressesFor the most popular movie about being a bridesmaid, we would think Lillian (Maya Rudolph), would have shown a little more consideration for her best friends, but instead she listens to the snotty society girl and picks a hideous, bright purple fancy (fictional) French gown with too many layers that cost a broke Kristen Wiig and her fellow maids a whopping $800!  It isn’t even flattering on any the five pretty ladies.

Not every bride is like this, of course – most of us want our favourite females on the planet to feel comfortable, confident, and attractive at our weddings.

Why selecting Bridesmaid dress is so difficult:

I am sure most of you must have seen one of the highest rated shows on TLC named “Say yes to the dress“. If you have seen the show, you will know it seems as if it is harder to commit to the dress than the fiancé.

The women are often depicted as relying on their entourages to help them make decisions. It seems to be a difficult quest to find a bridal gown at a fixed price point that the bride as well as her opinionated friends and family love.

3927474If selecting one bridal gown is so difficult then imagine how much commotion will be created when a bride needs to pick similar dresses for her many bridesmaids to their liking in a limited price point, which goes with the wedding theme.

Even TLC found this concept interesting to start a different show altogether dedicated to just picking dresses for the bridesmaids. The show was named, ‘Say Yes to the Dress BRIDESMAIDS ‘.

There are several practical reasons why bridesmaids end up wearing something which is a complete disaster and unflattering:

  • It could be challenging to find a suitable dress that looks good on more than one bridesmaid. Putting the same dress on different body shapes and skin tones is often not flattering.
  • Brides typically spend over a thousand dollars on their dresses. But the bridesmaids dresses are under a certain price point, so the budget restriction would obviously be a downfall.
  • Bridesmaid dress needs to be coordinated with the theme and colour scheme of the wedding. So it might not be the best looking attire as the wedding theme colour might not go with the skin tones of bridesmaid.

When did Bridesmaid Dresses become such a big deal?

Pipa-Middleton-Bridesmaid-Kate-weddingBridesmaid dresses are in hype from the time Pipa Middleton was spotted in an extremely beautiful body-hugging ‘Alexander McQueen’ bridesmaid dress.

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The Duchess of Cambridge’s 2011 wedding made headlines around the globe, while her sister Pippa almost stole the show. It was Kate’s big day, but the younger Middleton sister made heads turn.

It got so famous that it was all over the net. There were many stores and online sites as well which were selling similar dresses.

Why picking the right Bridesmaid Dress so important:

We choose the best wedding dress for ourselves on our big day, but when it comes to being a bridesmaid, the choice of dress is made by the bride which might not just go with our taste. But the reality is we get to be bride just once in a lifetime (if the marriage lasts) but we get to be bridesmaid several times if we are lucky enough (or say unlucky) to have many close gal-pals.

No girl would want to look, not her best in any wedding she attends as she might meet someone special. Also, she gets to keep the dress and would like to reuse it as well, which is not possible if she doesn’t love the dress.

Brides: Here are few incredible ideas from a few of our favourite TV shows for helping you select the perfect bridesmaid dress for those special ladies…

Bridesmaid: Stick to the ideas if you want to look flawless on your friends special day as weddings are perfect places to meet your special someone…

1. Park Wedding from How I met your mother:

Well, if it is a small wedding and you are thehow-i-met-your-mother-robin-bridesmaid-lilly-marshall-wedding only bridesmaid/maid of honour, you are in luck as you have the freedom to choose any dress that looks amazing on you and of course match the theme as well.

When Lilly and Marshall decide to renew their vows in the presence of their close friends, bridesmaid Robin wears this beautiful perfect lilac colour, square neck dress with a structured bow at the back for romantic outdoor park wedding and she looks radiant in it.

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Tips:

Square Neckline:

  • DO wear square neckline if you have firm neck and great skin. It suits younger women since it shows off the collarbone area and décolletage, without revealing too much.
  • DO wear square neckline if you want to give the illusion of elongated neck. It is good for fat and short necks as it elongates the frame.
  • DO wear square neckline if you are a Pear-shaped women as it is best suited for them. It gives the shoulders a broader look and balances out the wide hips.
  • DO wear fitted square neckline top if you are skinny, petite or small-chested girl as to bring the illusion of curves to the bust-line.
  • DON’T wear square neckline if you have a large head in comparison to your upper body.

2. Intimate Home wedding from Grey’s Anatomy:

Owen & Cristina decide to have a low-key ceremony, which Grey's-Anatomy-Bridesmaid-Grey-Cristina-Owen-Weddingtakes place in Meredith’s living room in front of the fireplace. The famously non-conformist doc thinks wearing white is “sexist and vaguely racist”. Cristina wears a red dress, to represent blood. Only Cristina can get away with wearing a red dress down the aisle!

Mer herself serves as the maid of honour and definitely looks so beautiful in this subtle colour straight across strapless neckline, long fitted dress, accessorized with a heavy neck-piece.

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Tips:

Straight Across Strapless Neckline:

  • DO wear straight across strapless necklines if you have a long neck, well toned arms, good shoulders & medium bust.
  • DON’T wear straight across strapless necklines if you have square, broad shoulders, short neck and full arms.
  • DON’T wear strapless if you have a full bust as it might not be able to give proper support throughout the day.
  • DON’T wear  strapless if you are small chested women as this will not accentuate the curves, but make your bust look smaller.

3. Luxury Hotel wedding from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.-Hotel

It is not necessary that similar dresses look bad altogether. If you have not many bridesmaids, similar dresses might actually be easier to find which flatters all of them.

Phoebe and Rachel wear long layered floral scoop neckline (U shaped) dress for Monica & Chandler’s wedding and both look radiant.

rachel-phoebe-bridesmaid-monica-wedding-friends

Tips:

Scoop Neckline:

  • DO wear scoop neckline if you have a long face or narrow shoulders as it gives the illusions of longer and wider look.
  • DO wear scoop neckline if you have a wide round full face, this curvy neckline will suit you.
  • DO choose the width of scoop depending body type. It may vary.
    • A wide or large scooped neckline on a dress tends to flatter women with narrow shoulders, smaller chests or women with athletic body types since it makes the shoulders appear wider and also create curves giving an illusion of large bust.
    • For bustier ladies or those with broad shoulders, a smaller scoop will disguise their large bust area.
    • A low scooped neckline works best for short or thick neck as it displays the collarbone beautifully and gives the illusion of a longer neck and is flattering to those carrying extra fat under the chin.
  • DO wear scoop neckline if you are pear shaped as the neck draws the attention towards the upper body and this look flattering on you.
  • DO wear scoop neckline if you are hourglass shaped as it also creates a balanced look between upper and lower body part.
  • DON’T wear scoop neckline if you are flat chested.

4) Traditional Church wedding from SATC:

Bridesmaid dresses can be in varying patterns, but all adhering to the main theme of the wedding. The colour can be similar or hues of the same shade. This way each of them can select the style of dress which suits them the best.

At Charlotte’s wedding, bridesmaids Carrie, Miranda and Samantha wear medium length dresses in hues of the same shade, but in different styles and they all look fabulous.

Miranda wears boat (bateau) neckline dress, Carrie is seen wearing a straight across strapless dress, and Samantha is seen to wear a scoop (U shaped) neckline dress.

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Tips:

Bateau (Boat) Neckline:

  • DO wear bateau neckline if you have a long face as it cuts the length of the facial structure.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you have a thin neck, narrow shoulder and smaller head because the style can make both look wider.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you are pear shaped since it offsets the wide hips by softly following the curve of the collarbone and tends to make shoulders visually wider.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you have an hourglass figure.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you have a rectangle body shape as it balances up the shoulders.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you are small chested as it enhances the chest area gives the illusion of larger breasts.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if you have bulky arms as it covers the arms elegantly.
  • DO wear bateau neckline if it is a conservative church wedding.
  • DON’T wear bateau neckline if you have broad shoulders because it can make your shoulders appear even broader.
  • DON’T wear bateau neckline if you have short, thick neck or double chin, as it will only call attention to these areas.
  • DON’T wear bateau neckline if you have square-shaped facial structures or wide jaws.
  • DON’T wear bateau neckline if you are apple shaped as it will make your naturally broad shoulders appear wider and throw off your balance.

5. Couture garden wedding from Gossip Girls:

Serena wears a stunning yellow ruffled Ralph Lauren dress from the spring 2008 collection on her mother’s wedding and looks stunning. Ruffle has been back in trend, it’s not just to wear till the age of 12 anymore. It always adds a sense of charm and drama for a summer party.

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The wedding takes place in a couture garden, hence the floral dress with ruffle collar goes perfectly with the theme. She looks young and vibrant just like her character in the show. I can’t really think of any other wedding where this would be more appropriate for the daughter of the bride who serves as maid of honor.

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Tips:

Ruffles:

  • DO make ruffles the focal point of your outfit, and make sure it’s dramatic and structured.
  • DO pair ruffles with sleek basics like simple pencil skirt or cigarette trousers.
  • DO wear ruffles on your top half if you are pear-shaped.  It will add curves and balance out your figure. The frills will give the illusion of a bigger bust.
  • DON’T avoid ruffles if you have a big bust. It is in fashion now and you can make it work. Wear ruffles down from the center of a dress with a V-neckline. This easy styling trick draws the eye down and visually streamlines your shape.
  • DON’T use ruffle as a collar (which looks like turtle neck) if you have a short neck as it would give you “floating head” effect. Hence, give room between the top of the ruffle/turtle neck and your chin to avoid that.

6. Barnyard wedding from Grey’s Anatomy:

I guess the maximum number of weddings I have seen in any series is Grey’s anatomy. And each wedding showcases a different theme and couture. But one of the best locations has been featured at April and Matthew’s wedding which takes place in a beautifully serene barnyard location.

At April’s wedding with Matthew, we see bridesmaids Meredith, Cristina and Arizona as beautiful bridesmaids in a light peach colour flowy halter neck dress. And I must say the ladies look lovely.

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Tips:

Halter Neckline:

  • DO wear halter neckline if you are flat chested women as it is a flattering style for you. It creates a bustier image for small chested women.
  • DON’T wear halter neckline if you have large breasts as it will over emphasize bust area.
  • DON’T go for dresses that have a halter neckline if you have a double chin, as it only draws attention to double chin, which you definitely do not want.
  • DON’T wear halter neckline if you have a short neck as this neck style will make it appear shorter.
  • DON’T wear halter neckline if you have bulky arms, as it creates the impression of greater volume, making you look wider than you actually are.

7. Extravagant Church wedding from Grey’s Anatomy

Izzie-Bridesmaid-Cristina-Burke-Wedding-Grey's Anatomy.jpg
Izzie wears a dress which has a sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps which accentuates her cleavage and flatters her curves…

Bridesmaids Meredith, Izzie and Callie wore same colour different style chocolate coloured long gowns at Christina and Burke’s wedding.

I love how the dresses are customized to suit each bridesmaid body type.

Callie-Meredith-Izzie-Bridesmaid-Cristina-Burke-Wedding-Grey's Anatomy
Callie is seen to wear a small scoop neckline as she is bustier and broad. Whereas Grey wears a halter neck dress which suits her perfectly and shows off her toned arms, her perfect collarbone and shoulder and the three bridesmaids look priceless.

Meredith-Izzie-Callie-Bridesmaid-Cristina-Burke-wedding

Tips:

Sweetheart Neckline:

  • DO wear sweetheart neckline if you are well endowed and want to accentuate the bosom since it draws attention to that part of the body, without the need to display vast amounts of cleavage. 
  • DO wear a sweetheart neckline if your body type is petite as it will flatter your curves.
  • DO wear sweetheart neckline if you have an angular face as it balances out with the contours of the sweetheart.
  • DO wear sweetheart neckline if you have a short chin and neck as to visually elongate the face & neck and provides proportional balance to the overall silhouette.
  • DO wear sweetheart neckline if you want to show off your neck piece.
  • DON’T wear sweetheart neck if the centre of your neck isn’t pleasing to the eye as it exposes the central panel of neck.
  • DON’T be intimidated to try on dresses with ruffles in a sweetheart neckline, they look spectacular.

8. Romantic Church wedding dress from Grey’s Anatomy:

Grey's-Anatomy-Meredith-bridesmaid-izzie-wedding-It was such a touching moment when Alex and Izzie got married. Izzie spent all of her time in the hospital planning Meredith-Derek wedding, but when she started to take a turn for the worse, Derek and Meredith decided to give Izzie and Alex their ceremony.

Bridesmaids Meredith and Christina wear the ruched bodice crinkle chiffon dresses which were designed by Amsale. They were worn in lavender and feature an empire waist, hand-tucked bodice, and spaghetti straps.

The dress has a pretty romantic sweetheart neckline with ruching on the bodice, forming a natural heart shape and giving a sweet and innocent look.

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Tips:

Ruched Dress:

  • DO wear dress with ruching in the front if you have belly fat.
  • DO wear ruched dress when you feel that you are too bloated
  • DO wear ruched dress if you are lean and tall as it suits you the best.
  • DO wear rushed dress paired with high heels to give the look even more length.
  • DO wear dress with ruching near the chest or along the waist if you are short and petite woman and want to look curvy.
  • DON’T wear dress with too much ruching details if you are petite as it will swallow you up whole.

9. Royal Church Wedding from Gossip Girls

It is not uncommon nowadays for the maid of honour to wear a different dress than the rest of the other bridesmaids.

The gowns featured in the royal wedding of Blair Waldorf to Prince Louis of Monaco have sparked huge interest.

Blush pink, knee length, one shoulder asymmetric neckline Vera Wang from Vera’s David’s Bridal line of dresses teamed with black sashes, sheer black tights and black heels, worn by the Upper East Side socialite’s bridesmaids have already gone on sale at David’s Bridal.

Blair’s best friend and maid of honour, Serena van der Woodsen steals the show in a slinky, one shoulder, full-length gown with a corseted bodice and ruffle skirt. This is Vera Wang’s Farrah gown, from the spring/summer 2011 collection.

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Tips:

Asymmetrical Neckline:

  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if you want to look dramatic and daring.
  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if you have nice collarbone and long neck.
  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if your bust area is average to small as this neckline adds an illusion of more volume to the bust area.
  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if you have a long neck and nice collarbone since it accentuates the collarbone, and disguise a thin, long neck.
  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if you have narrow shoulders and thin arms since it can give wider effect around that area.
  • DO wear an asymmetrical neckline if your face is oval or heart-shaped as your face will look more elegant in a one-shoulder.
  • DO choose one-shoulder outfits with ruffles or accents to add fullness and draw the attention towards the neck.
  • DON’T wear asymmetrical neckline if you have a broad or square shoulders as it draws attention to the shoulders.
  • DON’T wear if you are well endowed in the bust area since it makes you appear bulky.

10. Snowstorm Street wedding from F.R.I.E.N.D.S:

Two-tone gowns are also in nowadays. It also looks much more eye-catching than the usual same tone gowns in general worn at weddings.

Phoebe is the go-to hippie of the group we came to love over the ten seasons of Friends, but we were stunned at the glamorous choices she picked for her girlfriends to wear for her wedding to Mike.

We can see gorgeous Phoebe in two-piece top and skirt wedding gown, hence the coordinated bridesmaid dress are also top and skirt. The gorgeous Michael Kors two-tone gowns with sleeveless gold-accented antique lace tops with crew (round) neckline, with different full skirts in muted amber and blue tied with satin ribbons around their waists.

The wedding was held in the middle of a freak snowstorm. Which is why the bridesmaids have their winter coats on.  Even the soft blue and white coats look beautiful on the two-toned dresses complemented by bright wildflowers and falling snowflakes, which is why these dresses look so romantic.

We wish we could find better photos of these stunning gowns.

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Tips:

Crew Neckline:

  • DO wear crew neckline if you are average to small busted as it gives the illusion of larger breasts.
  • DO wear crew neckline if you have a long face as it cuts the length of the facial structure.
  • DO wear crew neckline if you have a long neck as it decreases the amount of exposed skin between the chin and chest making the neckline look shorter and thicker.
  • DON’T be disheartened if you have a short neck, this style can still be flattering as long as you choose a dress with deeper scoop.
  • DON’T wear crew neckline if you have a large bust, round face or double chin as it can emphasize those areas and make them look wider.

Two-Tone Dresses:

  • DO choose two tone gowns if you have more than one colour palette for the wedding theme as it is very, very pretty and it’s super flattering on a huge variety of figures.

11. Extravagant Church wedding from 2 Broke Girls:

Who says a bridesmaid cannot look sexy. Full-length gowns are not mandatory nowadays. If your bridesmaids have a sexy figure to pull off figure hugging short dresses, why not let the ladies feel sexy.

These beautiful pink colour Lucee’ Cocktail Dress by Herve Leger looks gorgeous on Caroline and Max. Of course with the bride being Sophie, such bright colours are definitely the theme of marriage. Lucky that the girls get out of wearing those hideous yellow gowns Sophie wants them to wear initially.

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Tips:

Short Dresses:

  • DO wear short dresses if you want to reuse it as they are easier to wear again.
  • DO wear short dresses in a summer wedding outdoors, as you will appreciate nice breeze on your bare legs.
  • DO wear amazing shoes and make a footwear statement since your shoes be visible.
  • DO wear short dresses if there’s a large difference in the height of all the bridesmaids as short dresses may be more flattering.
  • DON’T wear full length dress if you are petite. Elongate your figure with a midi length dress and block heels.

12. Long Island Farhampton Church wedding from How I Met Your Mother:

HIMYMWe always knew Robin to be the not so girly girl, she’s the one who liked football and chicken wings like men do. Hence we were not surprised when she had her only female best friend Lilly and her colleague Patrice (whom she practically hated) as her bridesmaids at her wedding with Barney. Lilly (also the maid of honour) and Patrice wear neon pink short dresses (quite similar to the one from the promotion of the movie-Bridesmaid).

I love the fact that how both the bridesmaid have dressed exactly for their body type. Both the dresses are made out of a different fabric. Lilly is petite hence the shiny fabric looks perfect on her, whereas Patrice is apple shaped and hence matt look suits her better. We also see Lilly’s dress has ruffles on the top, but Patrice doesn’t as she is heavy on top.

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Tips:

Apple Shaped:

  • DON’T wear shiny, overly clingy fabrics that lack a generous amount of stretch, these would include: satin, spandex, chiffon and rayon.
  • DO wear fabrics that have substance, lots of room, and skim your curves.
  • DO wear matte jersey as it is one of the best fabrics, while cotton, wool blends and viscose also works wonders for this body type.

Pear Shaped:

  • DO wear Matte jersey, cotton, polyester-blends and viscose.
  • DON’T wear fabrics that are overly heavy like leather, wool, and chunky knits that add bulk. If you do choose to wear these fabrics, keep them on the upper part of your body only because they make the lower half appear larger.

Hourglass Shaped:

  • DO wear Spandex, matte jersey, leather and cotton to have your hourglass curves on full display.
  • DON’T wear overly heavy fabrics and bulky wool as you might get lost in mounds of fabric.

Rectangle shaped:

  • DO wear stretchy fabrics like matte jersey, spandex, and cotton, as well as clingy ones like satin and silk. These skim the body and outline the curves.
  • DO wear tight fabrics to create the illusion of a waistline and curvy hips, rear and thighs, the tighter the fabric the better, because it tricks the eye.

13. Elegant Church wedding from Grey’s Anatomy:

Yet another wedding in Grey’s Anatomy. This one was of Amelia and Owen were Meredith and Maggie were bridesmaids. Both look lovely in this lavender gowns.  Maggie is seen wearing a dress which has a sweetheart bust and an extension to create the illusion of bateau neckline whereas Mer is seen to wear Cowl Neckline dress.

GREY'S-ANATOMY-MEREDITH-MAGGIE-WEDDING-OWEN-AMELIA-WEDDING

Grey-Anatomy-Amelia-Owen-Wedding-MEREDITH-MAGGIE-BRIDESMAID

Tips:

Illusion Fabric:

  • DO add illusion fabric if you want to wear sexy necklines like sweetheart, but do not want to over-expose. Especially during a church wedding. You can extend the neckline or add arms to the gown using the fabric. Extension fabrics can be lace, net, silk, chiffon, tulle or other translucent fabrics.

14. Wedding Bells in Church from Grey’s Anatomy:

Grey's-Anatomy-Bailey-wedding-Meredith-Callie-Arizona-BridesmaidThe bridesmaids, Meredith, Callie and Arizona were seen in shades of red in the episode where Bailey got married to Ben from Grey’s Anatomy.

Meredith is looking absolutely gorgeous in red. This is one of my favourite bridesmaids dress from the many weddings we had to encounter in Grey’s Anatomy. Seems like she is going to walk the red carpet.

Grey's-Anatomy-Bailey-wedding-Meredith-Bridesmaid

Tips:

Different Shades of colour:

  • DO let your bridesmaid pick their own styles if you want to increase their chances of being able to wear the outfit again, you can stick with one colour (or color family) and let everyone dictate their own style, especially if they have different body types, or very different personal styles, and you want to honour that.

15. Fabulous Public Library  wedding from Sex and the City:

Gone are the days of everyone wearing the same dress. Nowadays bridesmaids rock dresses by mixing different fabrics, style and colours that make it way more interesting and fun. This trend allows you to highlight each individual woman’s style and ensure she’s wearing a dress that makes her feel great.

Bridesmaid Charlotte, Samantha & Miranda wear mixed colour/style dresses for Carrie’s wedding. But the interesting thing is all the gowns have ruffles on them, which gives them the real drama and they really look like over the top bridesmaids. Even the bouquets they carry are different. And without any doubt, they look fabulous.

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Tips:

Mixed Style Dresses:

  • DO keep the length of the dresses same if they are of different colours.
  • DO choose colours which look coordinated and go together.
  • DON’T do everything different, keep certain things common in the gowns to keep them coordinated and related to the wedding.

16) Extravagant Connecticut Gar wedding from SATC:

It is not always necessary to be traditional. Especially if it’s a gay wedding, which is not at all traditional, you are allowed to be a little out of the box too.

On gay wedding of her bestie Stanford, Carrie wore a tux and to add an extra punch to her attire as ‘Best Man’ she wore this amazing black Avant-Garde topper.

I really got carried away by her innovative look.

SATC-CARRIE-BRADSHAW-BEST MAN-STANDORD-GAY-WEDDING

Tips:

  • Just be yourself and go out of the box. Am sure you don’t need anymore tips.

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Bride-At the end of the day, having an unhappy bridesmaid helps no one. If a friend is giving you flack about her dress, try to work with her as much as possible. Is the fit bothering her? Does the dress cost too much? Troubleshooting the problem before the big day will make everyone happier.

Bridesmaid- It’s your dear friend’s wedding, be vocal. Give your opinions. Make sure you as well as your bride friend is happy with the pick.  And don’t forget to do a celebratory dance when you succeed in getting the perfect dress.