Unfortunately many people plan their wedding with the misguided notion that the bridesmaid dresses they choose should deliberately be sub-par by comparison to the brides dress. This is completely the wrong way to look at bridesmaid dresses. On a wedding day everything should be as beautiful as possible, and if done correctly everything will fall into place and the bride will still stand out above and beyond her bridesmaids.
"To reach perfection, you must strive for perfection in every way."
Rather than looking at bridesmaid dresses as potentially rivalling the brides dress and possibly detracting from the brides dress, look at bridesmaid dresses as complimenting the centrepiece. They are the introduction to the main attraction. They are the dressing to a finely presented meal, the beautiful frame which 'enhances' the painting everybody came to see. Now are you getting the idea? Good!
Another fundamental reason why bridesmaid dresses will always struggle to outshine the brides dress is because bridesmaids all wear the same dresses, whilst the bride stands there in a dress all of her own - an original, a one off. As a woman, it would be unthinkable to go for a night out on the town with you're girlfriends and all wear the exact same clothes, wouldn't it? - Well this is the begrudging honour all bridesmaids must accept as a sacrifice to the bride on her wedding day, usually in the knowledge that what goes around comes around and on day it will be her turn to be the centrepiece. This is all a natural part of the wedding tradition and always will be, but rest assured that any bridesmaid having worn a beautiful bridesmaid gown will also feel extremely special and beautiful even though this isn't her wedding day - and this is the key!
Have a clear idea of the theme of the wedding first. If for instance it is to be a traditional white wedding, then the theme will no doubt be mostly white and traditional. A traditional style wedding dress and traditional style (usually slightly more conservative) white dresses for the bridesmaids. White weddings generally are time-honoured and the safest theme for a wedding. White is a fantastic colour for bridesmaid dresses also, and will match any hair or skin colour of all bridesmaids without any trouble.
One final thing to consider is the season in which you are to be married. Some bridesmaid dresses (and bride's dresses) may be inappropriate for the hot summer months for instance, and be rather uncomfortable. Think ahead before you make and commitments to purchase dresses of any kinds, particularly deciding upon which season you are to wed so you can go for summery dresses or wintry dresses.
More advice on
bridesmaid dresses can be found at http://www.bridesmaiddresses.org.uk
