Intentional Mismatching

emeejeeayen

What are the keys to making mismatched bridesmaid dresses look great? (In your opinions, obv.)

I like dusty pastels with light fabrics, so I was playing around with just different shades of light grey. Maybe the same flower bouquet (white with light peach accents?) to tie it all together. 

I think I would also want them all to be different, or I'd vote for all the same. (IE, I think it would look weird if 3 girls had dress #1, 1 girl had dress #2, and 1 girl had dress #3.) 

It's not grey, but this is one of my favorite examples of the trend: http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/191754896604311213_L1wa0cQm_f.jpg

Elle1036

I like the mismatched thing, but I do it needs to be more unified than the link you posted.  That, to me, just looks, like a random collection.

I would be more specific with either the color or the dress style/fabric.  That's just my opinion, though.

emeejeeayen

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_intentional-mismatching?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:1a035778-d11b-42e1-a4db-4439cdd0eb13Post:33a89698-4761-4c52-b0d0-f095cbf65c84">Re: Intentional Mismatching</a>:
[QUOTE]I like the mismatched thing, but I do it needs to be more unified than the link you posted.  That, to me, just looks, like a random collection. I would be more specific with either the color or the dress style/fabric.  That's just my opinion, though.
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

<div>Oh, I would never actually do it that broadly. It would be impossible for all the girls to find dresses that just <em>happen</em> to look good together given such wide parameters. But I do like the look of the final product in that photo.</div><div>
</div><div>I think I would do light grey, chiffon fabric, and all short or all long depending on which the majority preferred.</div>

avolker1

I plan on doing somewhat mismatched because I don't like the idea of having each girl in the same exact dress.  I'm sticking to a fabric (chiffon), length (short), and designer/brand (to be determined) and then doing different shades of purple and letting them choose the style of the dress within those parameters.  Depending on the color options, I'll see how many different shades to go with.  I think the key is using the same fabric and if you can, the same designer or brand to make it a unified look.

I've seen examples of people taking all different approaches to the mismatched look though, so there are various ways you can go about it.  Some do all the same color but different styles, some do coordinating colors within a color scheme, some let the girls have complete freedom. So it mostly depends on the look you're going for and how much freedom you want to give your bridesmaids.  I personally love the mismatched look.

Elle1036

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_intentional-mismatching?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:1a035778-d11b-42e1-a4db-4439cdd0eb13Post:2030e59c-bed2-4d2d-9b8f-02c7db8aa1e5">Re: Intentional Mismatching</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Intentional Mismatching : Oh, I would never actually do it that broadly. It would be impossible for all the girls to find dresses that just happen  to look good together given such wide parameters. But I do like the look of the final product in that photo. I think I would do light grey, chiffon fabric, and all short or all long depending on which the majority preferred.
Posted by emeejeeayen[/QUOTE]

I gave everyone a color (champagne) and length (short) and that was all I did.  Since I didn't specify a designer or fabric, there was a mix of shades and styles.  They still looked like a bridal party, though.  This isn't the best picture because I haven't gotten the disc from the photog yet, but you get the idea:


<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/12/4/ac61b1a8-b9f7-48dc-b444-b16dedd52a11.large.png" title="Click to view a larger photo" class="PhotoLink"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/12/4/ac61b1a8-b9f7-48dc-b444-b16dedd52a11.medium.png" alt="" /></a>

emeejeeayen

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_intentional-mismatching?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:1a035778-d11b-42e1-a4db-4439cdd0eb13Post:08b6c178-dd91-4efe-b31a-3ca7edaefc62">Re: Intentional Mismatching</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Intentional Mismatching : I gave everyone a color (champagne) and length (short) and that was all I did.  Since I didn't specify a designer or fabric, there was a mix of shades and styles.  They still looked like a bridal party, though.  This isn't the best picture because I haven't gotten the disc from the photog yet, but you get the idea:  
Posted by Elle1036[/QUOTE]

<div>Love that! </div>