It’s a huge trend now to have shorter bridesmaid dresses, for good reason. Cool for a few reasons: 1 – more practical, not worn just once for the wedding (in most cases); 2 – perfect for a unique, vintage look; 3 – can be more casual (unless you want the formal look); 5 – way less money than a formal, long dress; 4 – although “trendy”, still unique; and 5 – your bridesmaids will thank you! I went a little crazy with this post, it was so fun looking at the different styles, and I actually did narrow them down! One thing to mention – if you have a small bridal party, the cons are way less; or, discuss the color idea and brainstorm, a kick-ass bride!
My favorites are the wrap ones (says this plus-size woman), oh, and casual, and vintage…
One more thing, if you have cankles like me, short dresses may not be your first choice. While I love figuring out what pictures to post, please know that personally, I would be wearing a “modified short dress”, also know as “tea-length”. The hi-low options below, though, would be a close second.
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Vintage Look
Pros – cute as a button! trendy, unique, fun to wear, kick-ass bridesmaids, feminine (is this enough?)
Cons – love/hate style, non-forgiving waist line, cool to have in wardrobe – but not worn much
Wrap/Tie-Waist/Bodycon
Pros – flattering for various figures, practical, easy to have different styles with same color, infinity choice (one dress, multiple ways to wear) is truly a sensible choice all-around, bridesmaids can wear any way they want while the wedding color can still all the same
Cons – is there one?
Lace
Pros – more formal, feminine, romantic-looking
Cons – less practical, sometimes not flattering for all body types, old-fashioned
Hi-Low
Pros – flattering for various figures, more formal, unique
Cons – love/hate style, less practical, hard to pick a style all will like, younger preference (pro – depending on age)
Floral/Pattern
Pros – unique, practical, fun
Cons – tough for a similar wedding look
Chiffon/Flowy
Pros – elegant, flattering for various figures (depending on style), tons on the market, easy to re-sell, nice to have a few in your closet
Cons – less practical, very common
Casual
Pros – most practical, more comfortable, endless options
Cons – too casual, hard to find ones everyone likes (could ask girls to choose “color family”), harder to get the color/theme look
Semi-Formal/Traditional
Pros – matching wedding color, easy to re-sell, gorgeous for theme & same color-look
Cons – least practical, wear once depending on style (but short ones are way more likely to be worn again than long ones, well, unless you are attending all sorts of formal events, then I take that back)
Post Image Credit: Photo by Lelani Badenhorst
