It was recently announced that reality television star and fashion designer Lauren Conrad launched her own line of bridesmaids dresses through her clothing line, Paper Crown. Her nine bridesmaids will get to choose from 12 styles in two different colors to accompany Conrad at her wedding to law student William Tell. When I saw the dresses, I have to say, I was not very impressed. They didn't stand out as being special or fabulous, but they did get me thinking about the way brides are becoming less concerned with uniformity at weddings and letting their bridesmaids have more control over the dresses that they wear. For my 2011 vows, I had a rainbow themed wedding, so each of my girls wore a different color dress to create a rainbow. The dress was the same, but the colors were different, and I chose both. However, for some brides, giving their bridesmaids free reign over their dresses is important. After all, every woman is built differently, and what looks good on one might not flatter another. Budget can also be a concern, so letting friends choose their own dress eliminates the financial pressure of forking out money for an expensive dress- which brings me to one more thing. When bridesmaids get to choose their own dress, there is a better chance they will find one they can wear again. I know it can be frustrating to spend well over $100-200 on something you will only wear once.

So what do you think? Do you like the idea of letting bridesmaids choose their own dresses? Maybe give them a color and a dress length and let them find one they like? Or do you like the more traditional look of the bridal party all matching?