The trend of mismatched bridesmaid dresses is not one that is entirely new, but has certainly been gaining a lot of popularity over the past few years. It's a trend that we are seeing more and more of in the weddings we photograph, and is one that is likely going to stick around. Thanks to Pinterest, the ideas and possibilities for creating a mismatched bridal party are almost endless! Here are a few of our favorite looks from real weddings we've photographed:

The simplest way to achieve the mismatched look is to choose the color of the dress, and then let each bridesmaid choose the dress style that fits them best.

You'll end up with a cohesive look, but allow your girls to shine in a dress that best fits their body and will still give you a bit of variety in your photos.

 Another popular choice is an "ombre look".

Choose a color family for your girls, like purple, and then let them choose a shade that best suits them. You can mix it up even more by allowing them to choose a different cut or style of dress, but we recommend keeping certain aspects the same so you have some cohesion, like length or the type of fabric.

To take the ombre look even farther, go more broad and choose just a color family.

You could choose jewel tones:

Or something a bit more neutral, like below. But remember to keep some similarity in mind, whether it be the fabric, length or cut of the dress.

And to go even more extreme, let your girls choose their own dress!

We do recommend giving some direction with this, like how formal you want the outfits to be, but a wide mix of fabric, styles and lengths can work and each bridesmaid will shine in a dress she is truly comfortable in. We find this works best if you stick with a neutral color palette to tie everyone together.

We just love the mix of textures and sparkle in Jenni's bridal party: