Your  bridesmaid  dresses  need  to  fit  in  with  your  overall  wedding  theme,  however  do  keep  in  mind  that your best friends will be wearing it, so be kind.  A puffy sleeve, apricot meringue-style concoction may go brilliantly with your peaches and cream theme, but it may land you with less friends. Here are some tips to bridesmaid dress shopping.

• Where possible take your chosen maids with you shopping.
• Take  into  consideration  all  their  body  shapes  and  insecurities.  They  may  not  all  look  great  in a figure-hugging mini. Some brides opt for a common colour and allow the dresses to vary in style, so as to match the varying shapes and personalities.

• Since  most  bridesmaids  buy  their  own  outfits,  keep  the  price  to  a  minimum.  A  good  amount to stick to is $250, less would, of course, be better.
• Be  wise  about  colour  –  yellow  may  be  sunny  and  happy,  but  looks  terrible  on  some  skin  tones. Ask your bridesmaids if there are any colours they want to avoid. You can’t go wrong with deep colours or black.
• Bridesmaids  dresses  can  be  floor  length,  cocktail  length  or  even  a  skirt  and  top  –  all  are appropriate  even  at  formal  weddings.  Splashes  of  colour  are  gracing  the  aisles,  with  either the whole dress in a colour or an accent with ribbon, beading or other smaller detail.
• Cocktail  style  dresses  are  cost  effective  for  bridesmaids  as  they  are  likely  to  wear  them  again after your big day.