It may be your day, but you still have other people to consider. For a bride-to-be, it’s a never-ending list of considerations, really, and when it comes to sartorial matters, a bride’s work isn’t over when she’s done selecting her own dress.

In fact, choose the perfect bridesmaid dresses can be even trickier than finding a perfect wedding dress. After all, you’re dealing with more people, more personalities and more body types.

If you’re a bride in search of duds for your best girls, read on. Here are top tips on how to choose the right bridesmaid dresses.

1. Don’t Ask for Opinions

We know you want to make your girls happy, but your happiness shouldn’t hinge on their falling in love with your vision for your day  — and that includes your vision for your bridesmaids. Yes, you should take them into consideration when you’re shopping around, but ultimately, you have the final say.

Of course, it never hurts to give your bridesmaids some choice, especially if you are having trouble making a decision. We recommend picking out two or three dresses you love, and then allowing them to decide from there.

2. Embrace Their Figures

Chances are, not all your bridesmaids are the same size and height. For this reason, you want to select a dress that can flatter a range of figures. Avoid styles that require everyone look a certain way. For instance, mermaid gowns aren’t particularly flattering on petite or apple-shaped women, and tent dresses can make women with fuller figures look frumpy.

Almost eccummenically becoming dress styles include fit and flare dresses, wrap dresses, or dresses with a higher waistline. Gowns that feature an A-line skirt also look great on a range of body types.

Reality Check:

You may not be able to find a one-size-fits-all solution. If this is the case  — or if you just want to give your girls some room to express their personal sense of style  — opt for mismatched bridesmaids dresses. Often, these dresses are the same colour, but are different styles. For instance, they can be long or short, or they can showcase different necklines (e.g. halter, off-the-shoulder, strapless, spaghetti strap).

3. Be Budget Friendly

Unless you are buying the dresses and have infinite funds, your pick needs to be bank account friendly. Sure, you or some of your bridesmaids may be able to afford expensive designer dresses, but this is not always the case. This isn’t to say you can’t get your girls into affordable and beautiful designer bridesmaid dresses like the ones from Cooper St, just that you should be mindful of the price point.

In the face of these three considerations, any others are comparatively unimportant. If you keep these tips in mind, you’ll have no problems selecting bridesmaid dresses that will make you and your best girls happy.