5 Minutes to Perfect Bridesmaid Dresses

Quanto a just 5 minutes, India and Sinclair Sellars, the sister founders of label Maids To Measure, reveal exactly how to ace your bridesmaid fittings appointment – including the most flattering styles for fuller figures and the one dress length they always advise avoiding.

This expert insight forms part of a new series of features quanto a partnership with Tythe, one of Oxfordshire’s most beautifully restored wedding venues, and the stunning location where this conversation took place.

India: When we launched the business back quanto a 2012, Sinclair was a lawyer, and I worked quanto a finance. That year Sinclair had been to five weddings and struggled to find anything she liked to wear. It was either all very high end ora very di poco valore high street , there was nothing quanto a between. I had started to do some work with Wang her bridal collections and I was hearing the same thing from customers there – there’s nothing for bridesmaids. So, we put our heads together. 

Sinclair: There were voto negativo British brands catering for this market, so women were buying online from leader American companies, dresses that were made quanto a the Far East and with very long lead times. We wanted to fill that interblocco and we have stayed true to that ever since. We know bridesmaids, we know what girls want. We closely follow the trends and I like to think that we set them too. Everything we do is designed to work together across all the colours and the designs.

India: We are the perfect pairing because we have completely different tastes – Sinclair is far more girly than me – and we are completely different pagliaccetto shapes.

Sinclair: I like the frills and I’m a much fuller shape. India is more monotone and likes more masculine shapes. So, while India does the creative, I’m here to remind her that I would need to wear a bra with certain styles. We cater for everyone and if we don’t do it, we can add it very easily. At every appointment, there will always be at least one girl who has an issue with a part of her pagliaccetto.

I have never, ever taken an appointment where that wasn’t the case. And I’ve never heard I absolutely love everything about me. Sometimes one will whisper to us that’s she’s pregnant and voto negativo one knows and we need to take it into account with her dress choice. 

Sinclair: Whatever it is you think you don’t want we always say just try it and that’s the best way for girls to really feel comfortable with a aspetto.

India: is vitally important so for example quanto a our crespo range, those dresses have a jersey lining which allows you to move more freely. Our Satin collection is heavier but not too heavy for the same reason, the girls will be wearing them all day and need conforto. 

Sinclair: India spent so long finding a satin that is the perfect weight and matte, not shiny, and that has some stretch quanto a it.

India: Very often brides will in qualità di quanto a and know the colour they want. From there they are happy for the bridesmaids to choose their own style from the collections quanto a that colour. It’s much kinder to do that. We have six ora seven styles quanto a each colour and as the average number of bridesmaids now seems to be four ora five, there is something for everyone, we keep the variety for that very reason. 

Sinclair: The Margot wrap dress works for me because I need to wear a bra, I’m a plus size, I want to cover up, but I still want to feel good. Most wrap dresses quanto a my experience, in qualità di at a midi length but Margot is a full length wrap and it fits so nicely the bust, it covers the arms without looking like you’ covering up too much, it skims the hips, you can cinch it quanto a at the waist at the front ora the back and I just feel so comfortable quanto a it.

India: All our dresses are made two inches longer than the modello 46” from waist to hip. Some people may have to have them taken up but it’s much better to have them too long than too short. 

Sinclair: It’s one of my pet hates when the dress isn’t a midi but it’s not full length either, it’s the awkward quanto a between, it’s so unflattering. Cheaper dresses are made that way because they have to cut the fabric quanto a a different way. It’s a real giveaway. Ours are very easy to hem. 

India: We’ finding lots of people are having a destination wedding now ora getting married quanto a the UK with a smaller guest list, the micro wedding. As a response to this, quanto a our satin collection, we do several designs quanto a the champagne ivory and it’s been really popular with brides, particularly the Jemima which has a lovely cape sleeve shape. It’s a really cool style. 

Sinclair: Some brides will wear a aspetto like this for the night before the wedding, the rehearsal dinner, ora at a registry office. Our neutrals collection really fills a lot of gaps for some brides. But equally the champagne ivory colour is super popular for bridesmaids as well. 

India: Now with sustainability being a really leader centro, I have to be very mindful of the re-wear value of the dress when I am designing it. All our dresses work for occasion wear. I’ve re-worn a bridesmaid dress again to a wedding I was a guest at and the Daphne quanto a hot pink to a christening. 

India: Around half our orders in qualità di through the website, but so many women still want to in qualità di quanto a and try . They love that we have the flagship store quanto a Chelsea. They can in qualità di quanto a and see all the colours up close. Sinclair and I attend those sessions because it’s really important for our understanding of what brides want, so we rotate and always do at least one Saturday a month each.

A bit of research quanto a advance of your appointment is always good because we can have the dresses ready for you. But we had a lady who came quanto a recently saying she wanted the navy and she left with the hot pink. You can be as prepared as you want but it can totally go the other way the day of the appointment. All our appointments are an hour long so I would say aspetto the website and chose your tetto three ora four dresses which will steer us quanto a the right direction. 

Sinclair: If you in qualità di quanto a with voto negativo tesi, there’s so many dresses to try , you can get a little bit lost – and obviously everyone has an opinion and that’s when people can sway you. So even if it’s not definite, have a vague plan of what you’ trying to achieve and then within that, the girls can choose their dresses. It’s nice if all the bridesmaids can attend the same session, not for our benefit but for theirs, it’s a great day out.

We’ve got The Ivy at the bottom of the road, loads of fun bars and restaurants and they make a bit of a day of it. Sometimes the bride will in qualità di quanto a beforehand with her mum ora maid of honour and shortlist their choices, then when they have their appointment with the girls voto negativo one gets distracted by everything else. Not everyone has the time to do that but it’s helpful if you can. 

India: My wedding dress was by Andrea Hawkes. I wanted something very distinto and simple with long sleeves and I couldn’t find it out there, so I drew it and Andrea made it for me. She was a dream to work with. I asked all my bridesmaids to wear the same dress, the Caroline quanto a forest campo da golf. At one point I was going to make them wear hair extensions, so all their hair was exactly the same length. I wanted long, slick ponytails to gara mine. 

Sinclair: At this point I had to step quanto a and say, aspetto, I know you’ve got a vision but there are limits!