When I first got engaged and asked my favorite ladies to be my bridesmaids, the first question they asked was, “Are we going to have to wear bright-colored 80′s dresses?”
If someone was to try and describe my sense of style, the words “understated,” “neutrals,” and “romantic” would most definitely not be used. I love bright, vibrant colors. I like polka dots and bold stripes. Glitter is my best friend.
And I see no reason for my wedding to be any different!
BUT, I have to remind myself that my bridesmaids are not dolls that I get to play with and dress however I like. If they were, they would totally be wearing colored tights or colored petticoats, because I think those things are awesome. They would look exactly like this:
Image via John and Jen Photography
Aaaaaah! Isn’t it amazing? I want every single dress in that picture!
But as much as I love this look, I’m not going to have my bridesmaids wear dresses like these. Why not? Maybe I’m weird (okay, I know I am, but that’s beside the point), but when I’m with my bridesmaids at my wedding, I will be looking at my four best friends in the whole world. And I want them to look like themselves, not some weird version of themselves that’s kind of like me. So even if these dresses would fit perfectly with my personality and my wedding “theme,” I feel like I wouldn’t recognize my bridesmaids if they wore dresses like this.
Anyone have any similar situations with their bridesmaids? Do you think I should have them wear my style of dresses anyway??
Haha, I think your common sense is telling you to do the right thing. 
I have actually said to people that my bridesmaids are not dolls I get to dress up. Great minds! I’m sure whatever you pick will be gorgeous.
I’m love those dresses too! That would be such fun but I agree that it might be too much to look at up on the alter. Can’t wait to see what you choose.
i chose long dresses because i liked it, but definitely tried to pick something sort of neutral when it came to style. im sure you’ll pick something that is a nice middle ground!
I too love love love bright color. I get annoyed when people have bland boring registries. However I am going for white, navy and pewter for my wedding colors, which is so not typically my style. Again I think putting people in bright orange my favorite (which clearly would not look good on everyone) or sticking to my usual color vomit trend wouldn’t be very nice. So neutral it shall be and oddly I am very okay and happy about it. Oh and I only went with long dresses b/c it winter and I thought they may appreciate having their legs cover and not having to worry about the winter pastiness.
But I do love the look of those dresses!
I love these dresses, but I totally understand not wanting to force your style on your girls if it wouldn’t fit their personalities. I’m excited to see what you choose for your bridesmaids!
I actually quite love a bright colored dress with a bright petticoat…though not all of these colors at once. I’d pick one and rock it out!
I felt really weird dressing up other people so I let my ladies choose their own outfits. If you’re willing to compromise all together, though, I think everyone can be happy!
I made my bridesmaid wear bright orange! Lol but they did have a say in the dress style/designer/etc. I think a couple of them weren’t too excited to wear an orange dress, but they all ended up loving them!
@dcgirl655: Yeah! Way to be smart! 
@DEBeachGirl: I think those colors sound beautiful for a winter wedding. If I was getting married in winter, I think I would focus on silver glitter… I can’t contain myself
@Mrs. Castle: You’re brave! I had to go find pics of your bridesmaids to see. It is a pretty intense orange, but it looks great against the green of your venue. Also, I have to say that I LOVE your bouquet. That’s probably the most beautiful orange I’ve ever seen.
I like the bright colored dresses but I wouldn’t put my BMs in that because my OCD needs some kind of matchiness.
So I LOVE those bright dresses (my ‘maids are all wearing mismatched brightly colored dresses) and think my girls would love them too, but I can totally understand that if your girls wouldn’t like them it wouldn’t make sense to have them wear them. Can’t wait to see what you did choose!!
I feel like you could still pick one or two great bright colors…that way it’d be cohesive but still you too!
Mrs. Blue Whale, College Park, MD Age and Occupation: 27, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Graduate Student Engagement Date: March 10, 2012 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Southern Tree Plantation in Blairsville, GA About Me: I love bright colors, glitter, sugar, cheese, tiny animals, talking in silly accents, dancing, and all things music. I love to plan things, but when it comes time to execute the plans, I tend to panic. My friends tell me that I remind them of a mix between a cartoon character and a Disney Princess. Mr. Blue Whale and I are Southerners at heart, but we’ve been transplanted to the East Coast for school. We both love barbecues, star-gazing, bonfires, music, making up nonsense words, and generally being silly. Our wedding will be a fun-filled destination wedding in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It will most certainly feature bright colors, '80s music, and glitter.
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