Bridesmaid dress dramas…

Worried your dress will make those featured in the film “27 Dresses” look great by comparison (special shoutout to the cowgirl and Little House on the Prairie style numbers)? Here are some words of advice to help you through…

I have been stuck in bridesmaid dresses I don’t like before and I’d love to advise you to just scream “no!” at anything you hate, but this will likely do more harm than good. Here’s my view on when it’s worth fighting your corner and those times when it’s best to just let it slide:

Fight your corner if…you feel uncomfortable. Either aesthetically, i.e. it shows too much skin, or it’s literally uncomfortable with itchy, scratchy fabric or is too tight. My thighs turned purple at one wedding due to having to wear aggressive shapewear because the material of my dress was so thin - not advisable!

Let it slide if…it’s not your colour. Unfortunately there are many factors that contribute to a wedding’s colour scheme, including flowers, decorations and the like so you’re unlikely to change this. You might be able to have a say on the shade, and hopefully you can use the hair styling and make up to make the overall look more palatable to you

Let it slide if…you don’t like the style. Again, a lot goes into “the look” of a wedding so it might be tricky to alter the actual style that the bride wants – especially as she’ll likely have chosen it to complement her own dress. Use accessories such as shoes and jewellery to make the final look more your own

Fight your corner if…you’re paying. Everything above is basically null and void if you’re the one shelling out for the dress. The bride can definitely provide guidance in terms of colour scheme and style, but you can’t be expected to buy a dress that you hate

One thing I will say is that emotions tend to run high when it comes to anything to do with weddings and, at the end of the day, you only have to wear the dress for one day. So I’d say pick your battles on this one. Life is short, it’s not worth falling out with one of your best mates over a dress…