Christmas is the most popular time for people to propose, and summer, naturally, the most popular time to have a wedding.
Which, by logic, would make this the most likely time for one of your newly-engaged BFFs to ask you to be her bridesmaid.
It can be a moment of mixed emotions.
Sure, the overriding one is of elation and honour, but if we are truly honest, the nightmares soon set in. Will you have to wear mint green? Will it be strapless? Will ten of you be forced into a one-size-fits-all dress?
And yet, thanks to a flurry of chic, fashion-forward bridesmaid dress brands, there’s no reason you can’t feel like yourself – even your coolest self – on your friend’s special day.
Plus you might actually want to wear it again, post-wedding. Hurrah! Here are eight of the best brands for bridesmaids dresses:
RIXO
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RIXO
Following hot on the heels of its debut bridal launch earlier this year, RIXO has added a bridesmaid collection to its range. The 14-piece collection comes in five key silhouettes that spans everything from halter neck to V-neck and tiered skirts to A-line. Inspired by vintage lingerie and silk slips from the 1930s, the collection comes in two prints: the first, a floral design called Virtues of Rosemary that featured in RIXO’s first ever collection, available in three colours: coral, green and blue and the second a subtle tropical stencil print on white.
Available to shop online and stocked in RIXO’s Bridal store in Belgravia, London – contact bridal@rixo.co.uk to make an appointment. Prices range from £275 – £315
Sister, by Halfpenny London
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Benjamin Wheeler
Kate Halfpenny launched her bridal brand Halfpenny London from her living room in 2005 and has since gone on to design wedding dresses for everyone from Emilia Fox to Millie Mackintosh and Vogue Williams. Now, the London designer has added to her success with the launch of Sister, an affordable bridesmaid collection designed to cater to all shapes and sizes.
Prices for dresses and separates range from £95 to £295. Shop them here.
The Own Studio
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The Own Studio
London-based designers and best friends Jess Kaye and Rosie Williams founded The OWN Studio to bring a contemporary aesthetic to wedding wear. Handmade at its London atelier, the label delivers understated silk dresses in a range of silhouettes, from wrap dresses to halternecks to bias cut slip dresses and skirts. Every piece is designed to enter a woman’s real-life wardrobe and be worn again and are made-to-order, ensuring minimal wastage during production. Fabric offcuts are used to create matching scrunchies as well as other accessories such as flower girl sashes, pocket squares and hair ribbons.
Gallery: What to wear to a summer wedding (Prima (UK))
Prices: £120 – £270, theownstudio.com
Vanessa Cocchiaroâ
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Vanessa Cocchiaro
Stylist Vanessa Cocchiaro launched an elegant, contemporary bridesmaid dress brand called Les Heroines in 2017, before renaming her label eponymously in 2019. In addition to bridesmaid-ready statement jumpsuits, fluid dresses and modern separates, the brand has also branched into chic, understated bridal and eventwear. All her pieces are named after influential women such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Simone de Beauvoir and Maya Angelou.
Prices for dresses and separates range from £140 up to £420. Shop them here
Rewritten
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rewritten
Got a girl gang that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes? Planning a wedding aesthetic with a tight colour scheme? Look no further than Rewritten. Launched by friends Katie Arnott and Frances Cookson in 2016, the brand offers a tight and minimal edit of seven different dress styles all designed and handmade in London which come in seven jewel-hued colours. So your girls can all don an exactly matching hue, but find a shape and cut to suit their figure – everyone’s a winner.
Dresses range from £140 – £160. Shop them here.
Needle & Thread
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Needle and Thread
For designs that are ultra-feminine yet totally on-the-money, British brand Needle & Thread has you covered. Not one for minimalists, these dresses are big on embellishment and big on impact, and the covered-up styles will suit most body types. Although not explicitly a bridesmaid dress brand, several of their styles feel very aisle-appropriate – the cap-sleeved Andromeda dress for example oozes glam winter wedding.
Prices start at £165. Shop them here.
Reformation
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LA-based brand Reformation, which officially launched wedding dresses in spring 2017, has become a go-to for millennial bridesmaids looking for something affordable, on-trend and understated. The dresses comes in a variety of necklines and hem lengths and are generally lightweight, flowy and just-the-right-side-of-hippie. Perfect for the ‘gram.
Prices start at £255. Shop them here.
Grace Loves Lace
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Grace Loves Lace
Australian bridal brand Grace Loves Lace is perfect for those seeking some glamorous – and affordable – bohemian vibes. Each piece is handmade in their studio in Australia using French lace and silk. Maxi dresses and midi slips, bardot tops, silk trousers and dipped hem skirts all come in an array of flattering pastel colours, slinky silver and olive tones.
Founded by Megan Ziems in 2010, the brand also makes wedding dresses – in fact one of Ziems’ creations was the most pinned wedding dress of 2017, with 2.5 million pins on Pinterest.
Prices start at £90. Shop it here.
