18
Jan
Tips memilih Mix & Match pakaian untuk Bridesmaids-mu,
- No one hue. Unless you opt for something like white, gold or black, don’t ask all your girls to pick up a dress in a single designated colour. Chances are if you ask for five green dresses, one will stand out as the wrong hue. Many brands offer lots of styles in the same tone, so opt for one of them, and let your girls make their choice.
- Don’t delegate it all. You might be tempted to give your girls a free reign, but your bridesmaids will appreciate some direction. Make a Pinterest board of colours and textures you like, or show them the rest of your wedding inspiration, so they have an idea of the look and feel you’re going for. “A black dress” can be anything from an office staple to a gothic gown, so pointers are always helpful.
Dresses by Badgley Mischka, Photo by Marissa Moss via Style Me Pretty
- Hook them up. Mix and match can be really handy if you’re not all available for a group shopping trip. Say you have six bridesmaids spread across the country so you’ve asked your girls to get dresses in either blush, mauve or taupe. So far, so easy! Just be sure to put them in touch with one another, to make sure your hues are even spread across the bunch.
- Sparkle or lace. Don’t be afraid to introduce patterns, sequins, ruffle or lace for a really fashion forward take on the trend.
- A shade away. If you’re going for an ombre look, or choosing colours from a similar spectrum, try to ensure the dresses are a full shade apart, as dresses that are almost the same colour but not quite, might look odd in the pictures.
Photo by Jose Villa, Dresses by PPS Couture via Bridal Musings
- Select some swatches. Make things easy for yourself and opt to get your dresses from a readily mix and matchable collection (like Dessy, Donna Morgan, Amsale, Twobirds, or Jenny Yoo). They might already have examples of dresses that go well together, but order swatches if you’re unsure.
- Toss out the rule book. There are so many articles on rules for constructing a palette of mix and match dresses, like sticking to a maximum of three colours, avoiding more than two differences in a dress, and keeping the same hemlines. But the truth is, there are no rules.
What do you expect from your bridesmaids? Do you want them
to just show up to support you on your wedding day, or do you want
them to be there with you throughout all the decision making
and to-dos, like addressing wedding invitations and filling up
welcome bags for out-of-town guests? Either way, let your bridesmaids
know what you expect of them, so you don't end up frustrated with
a friend who doesn't understand (or didn't know) what you wanted
them to do in the first place.
The only thing worse than a coworker who thinks she's invited to your
wedding is a friend who assumes she's going to be a bridesmaid. Let it be
known whom you've chosen so neither you nor your bridesmaids feel
awkward about it around non-bridal-party members. Don’t be afraid of
hurting someone's feelings -- as cliche as it sounds, any true friend will
understand whatever decision you make.
Try not to make hasty assumptions. Don't write off some friends simply
because you think they don't have enough money to afford that Vera Wang
bridesmaid dress you have your eye on. While it’s important to recognize
your friends’ financial situations, they want you to be happy on your
wedding day (just like you would of them), so don't be shy about opening
up the conversation and letting them know what you’re envisioning (and
then you can come to a money compromise that works for both of you!).
As you're allocating responsibilities, be mindful of their personal
lives -- your friend who's trying to make partner at her law firm
or who's dealing with a new baby may not have time to assist you
with every little task. At the same time, you don't want to cause
tension within the wedding party if some girls feel the others aren't
pulling their weight. Try to keep a good balance, and remind
yourself that there are others who can help out: You've got your
parents, other family members and your fiance. Plenty of people
are willing to pitch in, so take advantage of it as you need to.
If you know one of them would be uncomfortable in the dress you
envision, come up with a compromise. Not sure one dress will work
for all your girls? Make some guidelines (say, a color and length you like)
and then let them choose the exact style. Trust us—even with different
necklines or sashes, they'll still look fantastic. Remember: You want each
and every one of your bridesmaids to feel beautiful (and comfortable!),
so your efforts in the dress department are well worth it.
Yes, you want your bridal party to be your go-to pals when you need
something (even if it’s just to vent). But that doesn't mean you should
be cracking the whip nonstop. Whenever you're asking one of your friends
if she’d be willing to help you with something -- whether it's attending your
gown fitting or tying 100 miniature bows around 100 favor boxes -- stop
and think: Would I do this for her? It's a good reality check to keep your
requests reasonable.
They have to shell out for quite a bit over the course of the wedding: dresses,
hair, the shower, wedding gifts, the bachelorette party and travel expenses,
to name a few. These add up and can put a pinch on even the most financially
flush of bridesmaids. Take this into consideration and offer to help when you can.
For example, let them know they shouldn't feel pressured to give you an extravagant
shower present, or if you're having more than one shower, tell them you don't
expect multiple gifts.
Try to come up with a game plan beforehand of who needs to do what
on the wedding day. Then make a second mental list of who else can
and has offered to help -- aunts, cousins, ushers and so on. When little
things do come up (which they will), you'll be able to rely on that latter
team to help you take care of details as needed rather than overextending
your bridesmaids.
Obvious, right? Sometimes when you're caught up in wedding related
drama, it can be hard to remember there's a world outside your wedding.
When you meet up with one of your bridesmaids, make a point to talk
about things not related to the wedding. Whether it's the project
she's working on at work or the blind date she went on last weekend,
she'll appreciate the opportunity to tell you all about it, the same way
she always has. Similarly, when you're really upset -- whether about
the wedding or anything else -- you'll know she'll be there for you, right
now and long after you’ve said, "I do.”
This time "locking lips" has nothing to do with kissing and everything to do with watching your words. Hand each of the girls a plastic ring as they arrive and inform them that if they want to keep it, they will have to refrain from using the chosen words. "Wedding" or "bride" are popular choices, especially on a night like this!
Time to see who is quick on their feet and who has weddings on the brain. Create a stack of cards with wedding categories on them likeflowers, dress, gift, party, veil, décor, music, etc. and have them facedown. Now while in a circle, let the first player hold the stack and draw the top card. She has 5 seconds to come up with a word that fits in the category and then pass the deck to her right. If she can't handle that, she has to leave the circle. Afterwards, the next player pulls the top card and answers that category, and so on.
You probably never thought of this term literally, but it is an idea for a great game. Fill a big bowl or bucket with ice water and drop in some grabbable items like big rings or wedding-related figurines. Now each guest has a chance to dip her feet in and pull out the items as quickly as possible. Time the ladies and see who can handle cold feet best—we hope it's the bride!
Challenge your best girls to a bridal version of horseshoes ("Single Ladies" as background music is optional). Set up some decorated bottles (wine bottles look nice) and start throwing some large rings,