In the spirit of full disclosure, melaniewinters.com is a compensated affiliate, meaning we may make a small commission when you click on/purchase something from one of the links in this post.
Okay, so maybe just six. But with these six shades I was able to get gorgeous wedding style with zero bridesmaid drama. To be fair though, I'm a pretty laid back person and it should come as no surprise that my bridesmaids were equally chill thus making wedding planning a breeze. I understand that unfortunately, that's not the case for all so here is why YOU should go with a unique dress for each bridesmaid and how to pull it off.
Your job is to be a beautiful bride, get down that aisle and marry the love of your life, NOT to make people's lives a living hell. Put the bridezilla back in its cage and come back to reality. Think about your day from the perspective of your family and friends and make sure that you are doing everything in your power to make it a happy and joyous occasion for all. If you don't want everyone to have a great time then you might as well elope.
You are going to be spending a significant amount of your day with your closest friends, your bridesmaids. You are the average of the people you spend the most time with, so don't you want those people to be happy? The most simple thing you can do to boost these ladies' attitudes is to get them in a dress that they love and that actually fits them. Bonus? It actually makes less work for you.
By letting each bridesmaid pick a beautiful non-bridesmaidsy dress (think more evening gown/gala style) you will actually get a much more glamorous and timeless look. Anyone who's been a bridesmaid knows that weddings get expensive. When you let girls pick their own dresses, they can shop around within their own budget and wait out for great deals. In addition to them loving their look and finding a dress that won't break their budget, this route allows dress picks to happen remotely - a big plus when you have ladies all over the country.
But wait, "I don't trust some of my bridesmaids to pick out a dress" you may say? Pinterest is going to be your best friend. Set up a board, share with your gals and pin dresses you love within your color scheme (mine was gold to blush). Pin (and have them pin) a variety of dresses for their body types and at a few different price points. Keep an eye out for sales and let them know when some are taking place.
As girls are deciding on dresses copy a picture of it into a google slide (you can share this with them and have them do it themselves even) and add them side by side to check that you are getting the cohesive style you're going for. Once you're confident their pick will work, give the go ahead to purchase and your work is done. They take care of the purchase, alterations and you just trust that they'll be ready and confident to rock it on the big day!