These Vintage Bridesmaid Styles Prove That The “You Can Shorten It And Wear It Again!” Lie Has Been Around Forever
Traditionally, the role of the bridesmaid is to support the bride in any form and stand with her at the wedding. In reality, their job is to do whatever the bride wants without complaining. That means you have to walk, talk, act, and most importantly, dress however the bride wants.
These vintage bridesmaids are proof that women have been biting their lip and wearing what the bride wants for decades, even if it means looking like a shiny medieval matron. It may have been the fashion trend back then, but these tacky bridesmaid dresses are a sight for sore eyes.
I Guess This Is One Way To Dress For A Winter Wedding
I don't care what the trends were back in the '70s, because I know it wasn't purple satin with faux-fur trim and a fuzzy fascinator.
This is obviously for a winter wedding, but all these muffs end up looking like handcuffs that the bride has used to make sure none of them run away and burn their dresses.
The Dresses Are Bad, But What's Happening With That Guy's Combover?
Let's put a pin in these Little Red Riding hood dresses to discuss the groomsmen on the right's combover quickly. It's almost like a combover-meets-bangs. I'm actually impressed more than anything.
Back to the dresses. They're even more exciting when you realize that it is a mosaic pant with a red shawl overtop. What a wild wedding party.
Crochet Shawls For The Risqué Conservative Woman In All Of Us
We all have a wild side and a conservative side. Why not marry the two with a bridesmaid dress that includes a see-through crochet hooded shawl?
These crochet shawls must have a more profound, feminist meaning because they have pockets. This photo proves the pocket revolution began in the 1970s and women since have been trying to take back the means of pocket production.
Polka Dots And Bonnets Are Guaranteed To Steal The Show
You could argue that a lot of these dresses were once in style, but at no point in history has yellow and green polka dot dresses with matching bonnets been in vogue. This bride wanted to make sure no one showed her up.
Those Two Must Have Been On The Bride's Naughty List
You could argue that the reason these two are in floor-length red dresses with fuzzy white trim is that the bride really wanted to embrace her winter wedding, but we all know the real reason.
The bride secretly hates the other two girls and wanted to get revenge by making them dress up like Mrs. Claus.
They Took "Autumn Wedding" A Little Too Far
Now, the words "autumn wedding" usually means navy blues, maroons, and greys. Back in the day, it meant literally dressing your bridesmaids up in long-sleeve velvet dresses that are the color of a dead leaf.
At least the maid of honor got to rock the pumpkin-color velvet dress instead.
I Take It All Back, These People Took Autumn Wedding To The Nth Degree
I thought brown velvet was bad, but head-to-toe fall floral is even worse. I get that the early '70s had some leftover flower power happening, but this is too much for any bridal party to handle.
Coming up, see what happens when one bride decides to mix fantasy with reality.
Just A Bride And Her Medieval Matrons
Nothing to see here. Just a bride who decided to torture her bridesmaids by forcing them to wear flower crowns and a shiny bronze cape.
Just imagine if a bride today tried to sell this to her bridesmaids? There's no way to politely tell someone they're going to look like a medieval superhero at your wedding.
The Crochet Bibs Are There In Case You Spill During Dinner
Everyone in this wedding party looks like they hate their lives, and it's probably because they can barely breathe in that high lace collar. This style may have worked back in the 16th century, but honey, let's leave it back there.
The only somewhat useful part of this lace collar is that it can double as a bib during the reception dinner.
Tinkerbell Is Rolling In Her Grave
At first, you might think, "hey, it's just a simple dress with some strips of purple multicolor, it isn't supposed to look like a fairy." Then you realize every bridesmaid is wearing a set of fake fairy wings, and everything changes.
This Is As '80s As It Gets
If the bride weren't in this photo, I would have thought the woman in green was wearing this puffy, lacey, tulle-covered dress to a high school prom. But sadly, it was for the most important day is someone's life.
I'd also be interested in why their wedding photos are being taken on the same backdrop used for my 3rd-grade school photo.
Like A Rhinestone Cowgirl
The purple floral dress with the high collar is bad enough, but adding a slightly undersized tulle cowboy hat is just a cherry on top of a terrible ice cream sundae.
In their defense, they had to compete with the groom's awful choice to wear a baby blue suit with a contrast side stripe.
Their Moms Were Kind Enough To Use Old Tablecloths
The bridesmaids in this '70s-tastic photo can't even believe they are wearing these dresses. I'm sure the bride thought getting their moms to make the dresses would help save on costs, but the pennies you pinches were not worth it.
All those wedding guests and photographers will keep their gingham dresses immortalized.
That One Bridesmaid's Smirk Says Everything
It's the maid of honor's job to keep the bride in check, but you can tell this MOH had no control. She can barely hold back her laughter at the fact that she is wearing a floppy sunhat indoors for her best friend's wedding.
I Found Where All Those Missing Mylar Space Blankets Went
There's a very simple explanation for these bridesmaid dresses. Aliens must have stolen a bunch of extra Mylar space blanks from the International Space Station, landed on earth, masqueraded as 20-something women, and turned their Mylar blankets into bridesmaid dresses.
That is the most plausible reason because there's no way the bride was crazy enough to pick out these dresses.
The Pretty Guardian In A Sailor Suit!
These bridesmaids look like they're wearing a wedding-version of Sailor Moon's uniform, which leads me to believe they must have a similar pattern. If they do, then why didn't they do something before the wedding day?
They should have the power of the moon behind them so they can right wrongs and triumph over an evil bride.
This Bride Did Her Bridesmaids Dirty
If you stand three feet back and squint your eyes, these bridesmaid dresses really aren't that bad. They have a cute tailored skirt, and the puffy sleeves aren't the worst ones the '80s saw. But when you look close, you realize that the dresses were made out of their grandma's curtains.
For The Green Thumb In All Of Us
Look. I enjoy gardening just as much as the next person. It's super cool to see a tomato grow from a little seed. But I don't love gardening enough to wear it on my head and force all my bridesmaids to cover their body with it.
Early medieval wedding costumes have never been so out of fashion. If you're going to go medieval, then at least bring back the bronze capes.
Stop Trying To Make Camo Weddings Happen
As someone who used to work in a bridal shop, I can attest that there is a right and wrong way to add a camo flare to a wedding. Having a camouflage corset band, or camouflage pocket squares is subtle and fun.
Having your bridesmaids dressing in camo skirts over top of reflective orange dresses is not subtle, and not fun for anyone involved.
This Has To Be From "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding"
I can't decide if these pink bridesmaids look more like a shower loofa or like the dresses worn at the end of Bridesmaids.
We've seen some pretty outrageous wedding and bridesmaid dresses from the TLC show My Big, Fat Gypsy Wedding but these are one step too far.
Little Bo-Peep But Make It Fashion
Little Bo-Peep is a classic nursery rhyme that was published in 1805 where it should have stayed. But for some reason, people have decided that dressing up like Little Bo-Peep is a good idea.
We've seen Little Bo-Peep costumes for sale around Halloween, and this bride even took a cue from the nursery rhyme for her wedding day.
This Is a Lot of Pastel
Look. I love a pastel color pallet more than most people. But these bridesmaids look like they're about to be on their merry way to meet the Easter bunny for tea. Maybe if the bride had selected one pastel color, it wouldn't be quite as harsh on the eyes.
The matching hats are an added bonus. At least the bridesmaids themselves appear to be happy. Maybe there was an open bar.
Is This Mosquito Protection?
The veil is an important part of a bride's wedding attire. While some bride's nail it, other go with a veil that looks more like waterfall spouting out of their head. Sometimes, the bride extends her personal veil mishap to her bridesmaids.
Luckily, there's a bright side to these headpieces. If the reception is outdoors, they won't have to worry about mosquitos biting them.
An Unfortunate Monochromatic Look
Monochromatic looks are having a moment this season, but we can't say the same for this wedding day look in the '60s.
Light yellow is the perfect color to make sure your wedding party looks washed out in all of your photos, but hey, the bride gets what she wants on her big day.
When You Take "Think Pink" Too Far
The English bank Twink put out an album called Think Pink in 1970, which is the only reasoning we can think of as to why a bride would do this to her friends and family.
Maybe she loved the album so much she was inspired to spread the pink-love on her big day. The bridesmaids' dresses actually aren't that bad, but bridesmaids' hats are never a good idea.
Head-To-Toe Floral Should Have Never Happened
The '70s were all about flower power, so it makes sense that brides would try to pull off the head-to-toe floral look on their big day. Unfortunately, executing this look is difficult.
We have a feeling these dresses may have actually slayed in person, but the message is all wrong when photographed.
When You Secretly Hate Your Bridesmaids
These long bubblegum pink dresses with matching bow-and-tulle headpieces are the perfect outside if you hate your bridesmaids and want them to have a terrible time on your wedding day.
The look on their faces says it all. The older women may be smiling for the photo, but the young girl kneeling down knows she's been forced to wear something so bright.
Going For The Gold
These bridesmaids really had something to glow about on this woman's wedding day. They had to wear brown metallic dresses that really make them stand out – especially from the bride. It almost looks like they're wearing dresses made of candy wrappers, but that might be taking things a little too far.
We hope that these bridesmaids still had a great time at this wedding regardless. If not, hopefully, this moment has left their memories for good.
At Least They're Not Alone
These bridesmaids are really holding back their disgust behind their smiles in this bridal party photo. The bride had them wear these long mint dresses with sheer floral shawls. Looks like the bride wanted them to be completely covered up on her big day.
But hey, at least they're not suffering alone! The groomsmen had to match the bridesmaids by wearing something green, fluffy, and obvious too.
Pretty In Pink
These brides look lovely in pink, but this is yet another set of bridesmaids dresses that veer too far up the conservative scale. You would think that this is a wedding at an Amish community if you didn't know who these people were.
If this wedding took place today, we would think that the bridesmaids would completely ditch the white long sleeve shirts that they're wearing underneath those dresses.
An Easter Wedding
We imagine that this wedding took place sometime around Easter because these bridesmaids sort of look like they're ready to be found! We can't say why this bride chose to have her girls dress up in Easter egg colors, but alas, that's exactly what she did.
At least the ladies each got to wear their own unique color and they stood out! No one is sure to forget this colorful wedding anytime soon.
Can I Borrow Your Highlighter?
You know what? Maybe this bride is a teacher, which would explain why she chose highlighter yellow as the color her bridesmaids would have to wear at her wedding. These ladies are true friends for going out in public in dresses like these.
They did it all for the bride whom they love so much – so she's obviously very lucky. As great friends as they are, we're sure they absolutely do not want to remember the time they had to wear these things.
It's Not That Bad
We can all agree that these bridesmaids dresses are not the most stylish, but they definitely scream what era they are from. That would be the 1970s. These bridesmaids are wearing purple satin gowns with a lace bodice.
In their defense, this is actually a pretty cute look considering the time period. At least the bridesmaids match the bride in a way that makes sense if you look at all of their sleeves.
Peppermint Patties
These ladies are dressed in peppermint colors. They are wearing peppermint pink bodices with long white skirts. There is a red ribbon detailing along the waist of the skirt and a matching pillbox hat to boot!
This bride at least wanted her girls to look cute. But still, we can't help but think that these styles were pretty crazy, even for those times. We wonder what was with the urge to pick such bright colors?
Very, Very Velvet
These ladies appear to be wearing velvet dresses for their friend's wedding. We can't say that it's a sight for sore eyes, so much as it makes our eyes a little sore trying to look at all the details.
These dresses also cover up a lot of skin and we can't quite figure out what's with the floral bustiers that the bridesmaids are wearing. At least this bride let the MOH wear a different color than everyone else.
Merry In Mustard
This young bridesmaid looks as if she doesn't exactly know why she has to be in this wedding, but regardless she's doing what she was told to do anyway. We're sure that in addition to those thoughts, she's also wondering why the bride chose mustard yellow schoolmarm dresses for the bridesmaids.
We're sure this girl looks back on this day as the day she was in a wedding for the first time. It certainly does look memorable.
A Bow To Top It Off
Now here is one instance in which they really should have opted for sleeves. These dresses are sleeveless, but the bridesmaids were still forced to wear long white gloves that went past their elbows!
If that wasn't enough of a statement accessory, they also had to wear those huge pink bows right smack dab in the middle of their heads. These ladies are looking like they're having a good time – or faking it at least.
Florals For Days
The '60s and '70s never really let go of their flower children aesthetic. As these kids grew up, they brought that mentality with them into marriage – design-wise, at least. What is it with all these bridesmaids dresses being so floral during this time anyway?
Regardless, it's a wonder how this print made it in those days without getting ridiculed. What's worse is that they were always long-sleeved and puffy like this with some obnoxious accessory to go with it.
Lavender Ladies In Waiting
Lavender was the name of the game for this wedding. The color choice wasn't that bad, but the style is very indicative of the time. We're sure these empire-waist dresses with floral trimming has long escaped the memories of these women.
They even had to wear lavender tulle headpieces with patterned details, which honestly, is quite a nice tough. Perhaps with little adjustments to style here and there, this wedding look could pass today.
It Must Have Been Hot That Day
This obviously looks like a photo from a summer wedding. They say that you could just shorten the bridesmaid's dress and wear it again, but you really can't do that with these dresses!
At least these girls didn't get too hot it is was indeed a summer wedding. Unfortunately, they look more like they're at a park picnic than a big wedding event. Again, these dresses are all different pastel colors, which really just says a lot about the time these people lived in.
