Wedding party choosing their own outfits

Often times I've seen brides at least choose some swatch of color for their party to find something close to it. For mine i allowed them to choose their own dress as long as it was in the spectrum of pink I wanted. I'm currently moh for my bff and she did the same.

The only thing that could go “wrong” is you could have very clashing colors. Like, what if everyone wears a pastel color and then one person wears bright red? Or, what if everyone coincidentally ends up wearing blue, and then one person wears pink?


It’s a nice idea but I’d at least give them a general theme... like “any pastel color” or “any shade of blue, purple, or green” etc

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I agree here! Give them a pallet to choose from and request they don't choose anything with too bold of a pattern. You might not want everyone wearing solids and one deciding to wear a neon color block dress.

I would be worried that the different colors and looks would be very distracting to guests and would take attention away from the bride and groom. I would give your bridal party some type of direction even if you say I want everyone in dark colors or bright colors or pastels. Too many differences is very overwhelming and simply won't look good. I think I would at least try to keep one side consistent.

I agree with PP's. Plus, as a bridesmaid, I would want some sort of direction! If the bride just told me to wear anything I would be super lost and it would probably end up being even more stressful than being told what to wear!

I gave my girls 15 dresses to choose from. This way I could keep the vibe but give them some freedom. They are all wearing mauve velvet like this photo. (got the photo from etsy)

I think the biggest issue is if you leave it almost too vague! I am a bridesmaid in an upcoming wedding, and the only requirement of the bride was that the dresses be floor length and a particular color. We all went shopping and myself and MOH selected dresses in the same/similar fabric, floor length and of course correct color. Other bridesmaid picked a dress in a totally different fabric, and it’s actually a high/low dress so it’s short in the front. I personally think it’s a bit awkward and all over the place, but bride is happy so I am happy! My advice aside from of course a color specification would be to have a fabric requirement (even the same store color will look slightly different if the fabrics are so drastically different) and you could definitely specify length if you want it to be a little more uniform across the board. You can still give different options in fabric, but I would advise against say allowing one in chiffon, lace, or tulle, and another in satin!