Our Wedding: Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses + Unique Bridesmaid Gift Idea
Let me just preface this post by saying that I have the best bridesmaids ever. I mean, seriously, they didn't care that it took me forever to decide what I wanted their bridesmaid dresses to look like AND I changed the color scheme probably 5 times before saying, "eh, this will work" and going with mismatched bridesmaids dresses from Adrianna Papell.
Even once I had decided on the color and the designer, I wasn't 100% sold on the idea that they would come together and actually look good. I loved each dress that the girls picked out and approved them but until the wedding day I had absolutely zero idea of how they were all going to look together.
Before I ramble on about how much I ended up loving the mismatched Adrianna Papell bridesmaid dresses, let me talk about my win as a bride. I chose what I believe are the most unique bridesmaid gifts ever. Like, seriously ever. Show me a better one, I'll wait. Anyways, there is an entire story behind how these embroidered bridesmaids shirts came to be so sit back and relax for a bit while I tell you the tale.
It all started at my bachelorette party in Nashville. We walked into a super swanky boutique and my girl Sara and I found these adorable embroidered t-shirts that had literary quotes on them. They were freaking adorable but we could not get over the $70 price tag. The jokes about how we could make our own t-shirts or get them made off of Etsy started almost immediately after we decided NOT to buy the t-shirts. Also, anytime you go on a trip with a group of girls, there are sayings that people kind of get stuck with and known for. That's exactly what happened with my bachelorette party so after the fact, Sara and I devised a plan to get each girl's quote from Nashville embroidered on a t-shirt as her bridesmaid gift.
Side note: why are bridesmaids gifts so freaking expensive? Prior to the t-shirt idea, I was really struggling to find affordable bridesmaid gift ideas that weren't overdone and that fit with the personality of my bridesmaids. No matching PJ sets for us, no thank you.
Anyways, I started doing research on Etsy and found Clare of the EmbroideredPeach and instantly messaged her to see what it would cost me to get these t-shirts done for my bridesmaids (and I got one too, obviously). In my head they were going to cost a fortune and it would be a pipe dream to get my girls such a unique gift idea but low and behold I got 5 custom shirts done for around $100. Talk about the perfect bridesmaid gift!
The girls absolutely loved the shirts and to make it a little sweeter I got each of them a Bridesmaid cup from Kate Spade and a little compact mirror from Charming Charlie because a girl can never have too many of those.
Now back to the Adrianna Papell bridesmaid dresses: I told the girls to pick out any Adrianna Papell gown that was beaded and in a nude or taupe color. Before you balk at the expense of Adrianna Papell dresses, they're SO EASY to get on sale and at an affordable price. I think most of my girls got their dresses for under $100 making them a pretty affordable bridesmaid dress option.
I couldn't be more pleased with how they looked together. The mismatched beaded look really gave that air of 'elegant garden party' that I was going for and some of the dresses were even a nod to my love of 1920s style. Even more special than that, each of my girls absolutely loved her dress and now they each have a gown that they can wear for years and occasions to come. That was what was most important to me, that my bridesmaids were comfortable (okay, I'm not sure how comfortable you can be when it's almost 90 degrees but I didn't pick the weather) and conifident and felt just as beautiful as I did that day.
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