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The next phase was the Age of Mismatched Dresses.
Image via Cap Classique / Photography by Anjuli Paschall of Photorange Photography
People could choose one that fit their own body, style, and pocketbook. The cherry on top was this way, I wouldn’t be responsible for picking.
Image via Green Wedding Shoes / Photography by Love Me Do Photography
I was sold, but unfortunately the people who are the larger financial contributors to this affair were not. My argument that no one would be sitting there thinking “Gee, what are those three girls doing up there? They don’t match and therefore cannot be bridesmaids” was not strong enough.
Image via Aisle Candy / Photography by Jill Thomas
But it has been my experience that when your fingers get slammed in the door of one dream, you still have fingers. It’s like the Grey’s Anatomy lady switching from McSteamy to McDreamy. You have to ask yourself, is it really that big of a deal? No.
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Hive, please give me your opinions on the mismatched look!
I had 3 very different body styles (including my MOH who was 5 weeks post partum) so the whole mismatched was a definite for me. I kept the look cohesive my keeping the color the same, as well as having all short dresses versus some short and some long, even though the actual dress was different. It worked out great and they all looking like they “belonged.”
I am going the way of the mismatched look. Thinking back to how much I spent on bridemaids dresses when I was in weddings and how I have NEVER looked at them again, convinced me this was the best choice. Also, a few of my BM are on a tight budget and I didn’t want to impose an expensive dress they too would also NEVER look at. However, there are 2 rules…it must be black and it must be floor length.
We’re doing mismatched, though they’re all by the same designer so the same color, fabric, and length. But like @clane616 said, everybody has a different body type and different tastes. It’s a shame the mismatched look still ruffles so many feathers!
I personally don’t care for the mismatched colors. Due to circumstances beyond our control, my MOH’s dress did not come in and therefore she will be “mismatched” from the other. We were fortunate enough to have found a color that won’t be very conspicuous. I always vote to choose different styles if you like, but keep the color scheme exact. 
I personally love mis-match bridesmaids, but I wasn’t comfortable going all the way mis-matched for my wedding… I would have loved to, but my BMs styles are so drastically different, and the amount of money they would have spent if left to their own devices was drastically different, as well… I just saw it going horribly wrong.
Example: BM X might pick something crazy different, that wouldn’t fit the feel of the wedding at all. BM Y is worried about money, so she finds the cheapest dress she can find, even if it’s not formal enough for a wedding. Then BM Z, who cares about things like this, messages you EVERY DAY trying to pick the perfect dress.
YEAH… no.
I did a semi-mis-match… they were told the designer, color, fabric, and length. From there, they got to pick the design.
I love the mismatched look - and that’s what we’re doing! It wasn’t as much the different body shapes issue for my girls as it was different tastes and price points. I wanted them all to like what they’re wearing and choose what they’re comfortable spending. The look will be cohesive because they’re all wearing navy floor-length gowns, but they have a nice variety of styles.
We did the full mismatched look, like the second and third pictures. It turned out really well, but with 5 bridesmaids, most of whom didn’t like shopping, in 5 cities across the country, it was definitely a little stressful. The dresses ended up looking great together, but I didn’t know what they would look like until the morning of the wedding.
I agree with the other ladies on color mismatching. I’ve looked at weddings where the dresses were mismatched and hardly noticed because the colors and lengths were so close. We are doing this for our wedding mainly because of budget concerns. I’m in a wedding this next month and will have to shell out $200+ for the dress and alterations. I don’t want to do that to my girls.
Woooahhh, your parents are that controlling?? I mean I get things like guest list decisions when other people are paying but that seems completely ridiculous to me that they would be involved in a decision like this.
I love the look, especially for our venue, which is more casually elegant. Also, price point differences were an issue, as well as style and both girls that are my co-maid/matron of honor not being near to me. I do not know how well the dresses will match, but I’m really not concerned.
Are you paying for the girls’ dresses? If not, I think a good compromise on the mismatched look would be what Miss Ladyfingers mentioned, and let the girls pick a style from one designer, so the fabric and color will match. I’ve seen that at weddings, and it’s more unified than if there are different shades and different styles.
Good luck!
It’s not that I love the “mismatched” look, and in fact in my regular choice for color, red, it probably would have looked weird because there are too many different shades of red that would clash together. But, I do love that fact that all my friends can pick dresses they like, that flatter them and it will be something they can wear again…who doesn’t need a great little black dress?!?
When I was a bridesmaid last year I ended up spending $400 to buy and alter a dress that I don’t even really like. It was after that I swore to never do that to my ladies. I know matching bridesmaid dresses are still the norm, but I am keeping them cohesive by having them wear the same necklace (I’m making them) and the same color red shoes.
It ended up working out great for me, my maid and matron of honor both chose similar strapless dresses and my other 4 bridesmaids all have completely different bodies and styles and all chose something that I love.
I’m going 100% mismatched with my ‘maids! That last picture is perfection in my eyes!
I think the mismatch look can be adorable, and definitely has the perk of working well for different body shapes. I considered it but was wavering back and forth, and I was in the same boat as you in that the Mama Dalmatian was not on board, and my parents are the major financial contributors.
I just tried to be considerate of my girls shapes and pick a universally flattering cut. I think there are tons of great options for bridesmaids out there, mismatched or not!
I was going to do mismatched, but I have 8 bridesmaids and 4 of them picked the same dress. I thought it would look weird if 4 were in the same and 4 were different so we decided to do the same across the board.
i love it! I’m not having a huge bridal party but my MOH and Jr. Bridesmaid are wearing two totally different dresses in the same color tone. I’m crossing my fingers that it looks somewhat cohesive on the big day!
I gave my girls a color swatch, told them to text/email me their findings then GO. Both came up with beautiful dresses that I hope they will enjoy wearing… (and if they don’t it is their own fault!) I agree with most of the ladies here that have been in weddings, shelled out money that I didn’t have at the time for a dress that I didn’t like that I wore once! I wasn’t going to do that to my BM’s.
I love the mismatched look. I told my girls black. That’s it. Some of them needed more direction, but I didn’t care about the length. We are adding either a ribbon, sash, or flower to eash dress and they will all have the same jewlery. I think it’s going to look great. And the best part is that all but two already had a black dress. One bought hers for $10. One to go and waaay under budget!
I think it is cute in photos - but just a passing trend. I was in a wedding last year that was mismatched - we all had the same fabric, color and designer, but different dresses. She tied it all together with the same black sash, which I thought helped make it a little more formal.
Those pictures are adorable though - and would be tempting to most!
I think given 1. uninvolved BMs, 2, Distances between them all and 3, what is going to be a laid back affair anyway, I am 99.97% sure I am doing the unmatched look.
What are the ideas for getting and distributing color swatches?
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Mrs. Raccoon, Indianapolis Age and Occupation: 22, Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate Student Engagement Date: Christmas 2010 Wedding Date: January 2012 Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas Winery About Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
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