100 Layer Cake

We’re pretty excited about today’s post. It’s coming to you from our new, fab partner at LaurenConrad.com. She’s got some handy advice on bridesmaid dresses, so we’re going to let her take it from here. Happy Friday!

Hello 100 Layer Cake readers! My name is Alex and I am a fashion and beauty editor for LaurenConrad.com where I have been blogging all about the preparations (and lessons learned) for my upcoming nuptials in our Wedding Bells series. As you can see I’ve joined forces with the lovely ladies of 100 Layer Cake and am excited to share some of  my best industry tips and insights with all of you throughout the coming year. I’ll cover everything from aisle style to hair ideas and even a few makeup tutorial. To kick things off I thought it would be fun to talk about one of my favorite parts of planning: picking the bridesmaid dresses!

Coordinating bridesmaids dresses is tricky. More often than not you are working with a variety of different body types, skin tones, and hair cuts, which really complicates the process of picking the right dress for each attendant. To really throw a wrench into things, mismatched maids dresses have become all the rage as of late making the coordination a tad trickier…and that’s where I come in. If you’re into this on-trend medley of maids’ attire, take note of these 5 tips to create a perfectly coordinated crew of ladies for your big day.

1. Decide what aspect you are going to mismatch. You don’t just have to mix and match colors, you can also have everyone wear the same color but in different styles, or you can play with different materials and textures. If you’re really daring, try mismatching all three!

2. Select a color scheme. If there is a marquee color for your big day, be sure to base the dresses on various tones of that central color or are pick shades that are within the same color family. If you’re not especially savvy with color matching, stop by your local hardware store and grab a fan of paint samples to get inspired.