Weddings are a time of joy and celebration of a union of two people and their families. With each family comes a diverse range of people, temperaments, style, and preferences. A bride has her work cut out for her when it comes to styling her bridal party bearing in mind the unique personality and body types of each individual in the party.
Having been a bridesmaid twice and an absolute stickler for my unique sense of style i.e. knee length dresses (no skirts) in a fabulous colour for the particular season, I know how it feels to want to hold on to your individuality whilst trying to please the bride’s vision at the same time.
Mix and Match is the latest trendiest way of coordinating the looks of the bridal party yet paying attention to the different needs of each member of the party. The key element is having a single colour tone but having a variety of styles, lengths and accents.
There are advantages to mixing and matching a bridal party.
Foremost, it gives the wedding a great aesthetic in pictures. Mixing and matching with a core colour tone and a variety of accents turns out great in pictures with a central focal point of the bride in white.
Furthermore, mixing and matching helps the bride deal with each member of the bridal party without having to be physically present in a single location as time is of essence in planning a wedding. Each member gets to feel special in an individual look yet fit into the entire party.
Mixing and Matching has a definite advantage of helping the members of the bridal party, and the bride reach a beautiful compromise in picking colours and outfits. It is important to point out here that the Bride’s wishes prevail when it comes to the colour theme, styles and shapes are up for consideration.
Mixing and Matching allows members of the party have fun whilst preparing for the big day. It is a cost effective and efficient way of picking an outfit for the wedding which may be considered suitable to be worn for a formal occasion in the future
Most importantly, it is an African custom for the members of the bridal party to bear the cost of their outfits for the wedding. It would be considerate of a bride to take into account the needs of each party when picking outfits to be worn for an entire day and probably for future occasions. Mixing and Matching would be a perfect way to accomplish this.
Styling a wedding does not have to be boring or stressful. Pull on your inner creativity and listen to your bridal party.
By Folasade Kafidiya