On Behalf of Bridesmaids Everywhere...

They say that when you direct a play, you shouldn't be friends with the cast because by the end of the show, they'll all hate you.  I don't think the same concept should apply to brides organizing their weddings.


And that is why I am of the firm belief that bridesmaids' dresses don't have to be ugly!  They can be really, really pretty!  Bridesmaids' dresses do NOT have to look like this: 

Photo from ily den.

But there are some easy ways to avoid the typical ugly-bridesmaid-dress syndrome.  For one, you can just pick a basic color scheme and ask your bridesmaids to wear their own dresses that fit with the scheme.  That adds some great variety (but not chaos) to the wedding photos and ensures that each can pick a dress that flatters her body type in a color and cut that she likes.

Photo from 100 Layer Cake.

If you want a really super pretty lineup of bridesmaids, you can always go for a rainbow gradient.  I think this idea is incredibly adorable.  I'm the kind of person who always lines up my M&M's in rainbow order, so for the OCD guests in your audience, I have to tell you to make sure they line up in color order if they do this.

Photo from Indie Bliss.

Another great option, which I think adds a lot to the texture of the look of your bridal party, is to have a patterned bridesmaid dress.  It's not too far from the beaten path of solid color dresses, but is still fresh enough to give the standard lineup a new twist.

Photo from Green Wedding Shoes.

Of course, you can always go for the classic, matching look; that pretty much never fails, especially if you choose a pretty color.  J.Crew happens to have some gorgeous bridesmaid dresses...I don't think it's even possible for anyone to look bad in one of these.

Photo from J.Crew.

Any suggestions?  Or, even better, any horror bridesmaid stories?  We'd love to hear them!