Bridesmaids - SouthBound Bride

Asymmetric Skirts & Neckline Bridesmaid Dresses

19 March, 2014 by gaby

We’re rounding up our Wednesday with the last of our current look at rising bridesmaid trends (for now, anyway!). You know how they say that if you want to buy a red Ferrari, you suddenly see red Ferraris everywhere? Well, not that I would know anything about fancy cars, but for me this trend has been just like that. Suddenly I am seeing one shoulder dresses EVERYWHERE, and a rising number of hi-lo and asymmetric hemlines. They add a really lovely bit of visual interest (especially in comparison to a wedding dress), and I think work particularly well where you want to go for solid colours instead of one of the more textured looks we’ve been talking about (illusion lace, glitter, prints, etc.) but still want to make your girls stand out. And while not all one-shoulder dresses are universally flattering, the right one can look good on a real variety of body types. So it’s kind of a no brainer for consideration, really. :) Here are some of my favourite recent examples.Read More

Berry & Jewel Tone Bridesmaid Dresses

14 March, 2014 by gaby

Time for our latest rundown of gorgeous looks for your bridesmaids, and today we’ve come over all autumney with a line-up of berry and jewel toned dresses in the prettiest shades of purple, lilac and, of course, the colour of the year Radiant Orchid. I’m loving how these colours are popping up in bridal parties round the globe and brightening things up – and I have to say, I am especially fond of the look where you have a wedding that otherwise uses earth tones or neutrals. It really pops. Of course, you can choose a single shade of plum or cranberry, but this is another of those cases where tonal mismatching really comes into its own. Plus, there are loads of dresses in these colours popping up on the catwalks, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up some you all love in the shops. Win.Read More

Illusion Neckline & Statement Back Bridesmaid Dresses

7 March, 2014 by gaby

We’re continuing our busy Friday with a look at one of my FAVOURITE bridesmaid trends of the moment. Actually, this one started as a wedding dress trend, but good news girls, illusion necklines and statement or portrait back dresses are now for bridesmaids too! There’s just no denying how pretty these are, and how gorgeous and sophisticated they will make your bridesmaids feel. Plus, win, they look GREAT in photos! I think we’ll be seeing lots more of these this season, but today I’ve rounded up some of my favourite looks so far.Read More

Two-tone Bridesmaid Dresses

26 February, 2014 by gaby

If you follow on Twitter or Facebook, you might have spotted a little something about SBB making its radio debut on OFM, a radio station based in Bloemfontein yesterday. Fun! I was delighted to be approached by DJ Yolanda Maartens, and I was more than happy to act as one of her experts on a spot she calls The Wedding Planner. This time, Yolanda suggested we chat about bridesmaids and the latest trends for dressing your girls, and it got me thinking that it’s been a while since I did one of our bridesmaid dress trend roundups. Last year I covered a huge series of looks, and many of these are going strong into 2014 (hello sparkle, lace & pastels!) but there are a couple of key looks I haven’t yet covered. So I’m declaring March the Month of Bridesmaids, and I’m starting things off today with two tone dresses. Now, colour blocking is by no means a new trend on the catwalks (or even on bridesmaids), but I think 2014 is the year it really comes into its own, thanks to the development of two other trends. One is for longer lengths, with many bridesmaids rocking floor length gowns where a couple of years ago it was all about the cocktail dress. The other is for skirts (one of the trends I looked at last year). And while two-tone dresses can be any combination really, my favourite look – and the one that I’m seeing more of this season – is a white top or bustier with a long, flowing, skirt. Not only is it very, very pretty, but it’s super flattering on a huge variety of figures. So yay. We like this one. :)

If you’d like to hear my full OFM interview, you can play the podcasts from here. Read More

‘Be My Bridesmaid’ DIY Roundup

9 January, 2014 by gaby

Once the first excitement of the engagement dies down, and before you get swamped with all the planning, there’s a fun decision to be made and that’s who will be part of your bridal party. Having your best girls beside you to celebrate your big day is such a joy – a special memory that you’ll treasure as well as a source of support and perspective. Some of you will know immediately who to ask, some of you will have a harder decision ahead of you, but either way, asking your girls can be a lovely moment, an affirmation of the past you share and the role you want them to play in the life of your new family going forward. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen some super sweet ideas for ‘proposing’ to your bridesmaids, and I thought it would make a fun DIY roundup. Let’s go!

SouthBound’s Best 2013: Bridesmaids

19 December, 2013 by gaby

Yesterday we had a closer look at the gorgeous fashion choices of both our 2013 brides and grooms/groomsmen, but this morning we turn our sight to the bridesmaids. I think that dressing your ladies is a great way to bring a note of fashion and elegance to your wedding style, as well as reinforce or contrast with your colour scheme, so I love all the mismatching and innovation that’s going on with bridal party gowns right now. And of course our SBBs were no exception! SO hard to narrow this one down too, but here are the top picks from the year that was.

Mismatched Neutral Bridesmaid Dresses

19 June, 2013 by gaby

Source: via Belle the Magazine

Mismatched bridesmaid dresses: aren’t they fabulous? This trend just grows and grows, and I especially love the look of mismatched neutral bridesmaid dresses, because you can often incorporate some of the other pretty bridesmaid dress trends into it too, like prints or sequins. For example, if you’re mismatching within the mushroom to nude pink neutrals range, you could include, one pattern in neutral colours, one lace overlay dress, and then a pop of glitter against a neutral skirt perhaps? The secret of successful mismatched bridesmaids is texture – think ruffles, soft chiffon and contrasting fabrics. Model Molly Sims pretty much perfected this look for her wedding, but I found lots of less famous brides who pulled it off beautifully too. And I had to include the image on the left below – I wonder if any has been pinned quite as much as this one? I always thought it was from a catalogue, but in fact it was an early adopter of the mismatched neutrals look, a bride who made it look easy breezy and drop dead gorgeous. Just one last note to mention here – most of the weddings below have used white or pale flowers and probably have an overall white or neutral colour scheme. Which is great. But don’t forget that this look works beautifully for bolder wedding colour choices too, and bright blooms really pop against a plain background, so don’t write it off as too vanilla if you’re a statement bride! *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Key Colours for Bridesmaid Dresses

10 June, 2013 by gaby

Source: onelove photography via Inspired By This

Afternoon, friends! Since January, we’ve been looking at all the key trends for bridesmaid dresses in 2013 – who knew there could be so many? We’ve looked at prints (floral, stripes), styles (Gatsby, skirts) and textures (lace, sequins). Now we’re turning to colours themselves – after all, this is the classic look that many brides will always choose. Next week we’ll look at neutrals (in themselves a trend) but today we’re turning attention to five key colours that have been making a big impression in wedding parties across the world: emerald (Pantone’s colour of the year), mint, coral, peach and navy. For each, I’ve highlighted a few shop finds – somee a steal and others a bit more of a splurge. I love them all!Read More

Ombre Bridesmaid Dresses

29 May, 2013 by gaby

Image: Our Labor of Love

We’re heading towards the end of our series on the top bridesmaid looks for 2013, and I must say, I have loved pulling them together! I honestly don’t know how you all are choosing which one to go with, because I love them all. And today’s is no exception – as you may have figured out by now, I’m a huge fan of ombre, the French term for graduated colour – see more of this wedding look here. It also happens to work perfectly with the watercolour trend that’s making everything so pretty right now. There are lots of ways to bring ombre into your wedding, but one of my favourites is through bridesmaid dresses – it’s the perfect evolution of the mismatched look. But what IS the difference between ombre and mismatched bridesmaids? Well, the key is really in the colours, of course. With mismatched, you could pick a colour (green, for example) and let your girls buy whatever dresses they liked, as long as they’re blue. With ombre, you’ll need to be a bit more OCD about it, picking an exact shade along the same colour spectrum for each bridesmaid, starting at an intense colour and ending at a light one, spaced out according to the number of BMs you have. Sound complicated? Well, it can be – one way to make it a bit easier is to have dresses made (the same or in different styles) so you have a bit more control. Take paint samples with you when you go shopping for material or dresses – each will usually show you an ombre colour family, so they’re the perfect reference. But even if you go high street, it’s not as difficult as you might imagine, and to show you, I’ve put together three ombre looks from current high street finds. My favourite is the peach ombre look – it just works so perfectly!

Click on any of the dress images below to shop. For the most recent BM dress finds, check in with our Bridesmaid Boutique Pinterest Board.Read More

Bridesmaids in Skirts

23 May, 2013 by gaby

Images: Jessica Kettle Photography via Bridesmaid.com

Evening, lovelies! Time for some more bridesmaid fashion inspiration, but today instead of looking at dresses, the trend we’re focusing on is bridesmaid skirts. I think this trend started with LDS weddings in the US, but I absolutely love how stylish and sophisticated the look is, and it’s actually really budget friendly. As with all the trends I’ve highlighted so far, there are lots of ways of working bridesmaid skirts and tops – identical skirts and tops, mismatched tops, mismatched skirts, casual tops, formal ones… you can pretty much customise it to whatever look you want. In fact, I think bridesmaid separates a particularly good option if you’re struggling to find dresses that fit with the style you envision – definitely consider the skirt option, whether simple or textured, short or long. I’ve actually worn this as a bridesmaid before (my friend Abbie was so ahead of her time!) and I have to say that it was comfortable, flattering and really pretty. So here are my favourites from t’internets. *Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.