There’s no doubt that tastes change over the years. No matter how stylish your bridesmaids are at your wedding, chances are that one day, you’ll look back at the pictures and wonder what you were thinking.
But the bridesmaids of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s had it bad. The sheer volume of ruffles, pastels, prints, and hats are a sight to behold. Unfortunately for the ladies who wore them, it means they went down in the Bad Photos of History Hall of Fame.
Some brides ascribe to the idea that the bridesmaids should wear ugly dresses so they’re never upstaged. In some cases, that may have been what these brides were going for. But most of the time, they honestly chose these because they thought they looked good.
Some people say they don’t mind seeing the outdated styles because they love looking at photos of people on their wedding day. These couples have hopefully now enjoyed decades of marriage together.
But others, of course, just can’t get past those bizarre styles of yesteryear.
Whether they were wearing dresses that might have been made from curtains or had some truly awful headgear, these photos are bound to make you cringe.
Most brides choose one particular color scheme that they think will complement the look of the wedding gown. Not this bride. Instead, she chose rainbow colors with the intriguing addition of cloaks and Easter baskets.
Everything about these bridesmaid dresses is terrible, from the gaudy print to the enveloping style to the odd, floppy hats. The unfortunate result is that these ladies look less like bridesmaids and more like scarecrows.
If the theme of your wedding is Winter Wonderland, it only makes sense that you should dress all your bridesmaids as Snow Queens, complete with velvet and fur from head to toe. The feathers on the hats are a particularly confusing touch.
Is there anything more nerve-wracking than getting married? How about an army of hooded spirits watching you from the pews? That’s the aesthetic this bride was going for.
Do you want to know what to do when your wedding budget is low? How about repurposing some of mom’s curtains for the bridesmaid dresses? Okay, they might not be exactly alike, but they’re pretty darn close.
This bride had a taste for poofy dresses. If you take a moment to look past those pastel rainbow bridesmaids, you’ll see the bride herself, in a wedding dress that looks like a mound of whipped cream.
What was up with the farmhouse patterns and floppy hats for bridesmaids in the 1970s? The look, unfortunately, resembles kitschy Halloween decorations you put in your front yard.
As vintage looks go, this one is not that bad. But between the huge hats, the odd capes, the white gloves, and the odd Easter baskets, there’s a lot going on.
The 80s were the age of sweatbands, aerobics, and learning how to get physical. This bride decided to give her bridesmaids a similar look, in addition to the poofy calf-length dresses, of course.
10. In the 70s, high necks and hats were mandatory.
The 1970s had exactly one style of dress for bridesmaids, and that involves high collars, long sleeves, and hats. This couple not only takes the cake for those garish purple gowns but also the groom’s powder blue suit.
Ah, doesn’t the bride look beautiful! Unfortunately, the bridesmaids got saddled with some truly awful bubblegum pink dresses. They come along with choker necklaces and veils with tentacles on the sides.
This one is not bad as far as vintage weddings go, but we can’t help but notice those bridesmaid dresses look a lot like nightgowns. Specifically, those nighties your grandma wears around the house.
Nothing says “festive” like the color black! These ladies all look pretty intimidating, with their shoulder pads, voluminous dresses, and black chokers. Just don’t look any of them in the eye and you’ll be all right.
If you don’t like traditional dresses, why not mix it up a bit? You can try this bizarre combination of butterfly wings, flower crowns, and fairy skirts for a wedding theme that will leave all your guests confused.
15. Who needs bouquets when you can have, um…wands?
Weddings in the 1960s had a bride who was looking classy and beautiful. But those electric blue bridesmaid dresses are quite the eyesore. Fortunately, bridesmaid headgear has gone out of fashion, as have weird blue wand ribbons.
Apparently, this wedding had a pretty sizeable bridal party. Can you imagine a dozen bridesmaids walking around in these eye-catching dresses? If you think the gold doesn’t jump out enough, we’ve added some ruffles.
“I want them to be less like dresses and more like robes, hoods included. But give them one weird strip of a floral pattern down the leg. You know what, scratch it all. Just make them look like full-fledged cult members.”
There’s a lot going on in this photo, from the flower basket on the bride’s head to the bizarre headdresses and burlap capes of the bridesmaids. And what’s all over their capes, shellfish?
Forget being in a parade, these enormous dresses could probably keep a parade float aloft on their own. Why be modern when you can be a “Gone with The Wind” recreation?
Those hats are bad enough but the kids got the worst end of the deal. Imagine having to dress up like a Little House on the Prairie character all for the privilege of being a flower girl.
“Honey, we’re getting married in the winter. How about a Christmas-themed wedding? The bridesmaids can dress up like St. Nick. Do you know where we can rent some reindeer?”
The look of absolute fury on every bridesmaid’s face might be a good indicator of how they felt about these dresses. The color scheme is reminiscent of a tequila sunrise and there are more ruffles than should be allowed.
What’s worse than a wedding color palette of pea-green and mustard yellow? Pea-green and mustard yellow with giant flower veils that perch right on top of your head.
As bad as these dresses are, they’re not bad in comparison to some of the other outfits of the time. Sure, they look like the lawn chairs in a retirement community but at least there aren’t any hats!
Bygone eras didn’t go for subtlety when it came to bridesmaid dresses. If anything, the louder the pattern the better. Just take this horrible medley of bright yellow with multicolored flowers.
You had two directions you could go when choosing your wedding colors back in the day: rainbow pastels or flower patterns. Unfortunately, rainbow pastels just look like you’re doing an Easter theme. The hats don’t help.
Have you ever heard a bride reassure her bridesmaids “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to wear it again!” These bridesmaids had no hope of ever wearing these blue silk nightmares again, or using those ruffle parasols.
28. At least everyone will be looking at the bride.
People often joke that brides choose ugly bridesmaid dresses so that people will look at them instead of their attendants. This bride did that very successfully by choosing an unnerving vomit pattern and color scheme.
If you want your bridal party to look like they’re wearing picnic tarps, this is the perfect dress. Maybe they were just ahead of the curve with upcycling. The result is, unfortunately, a bit overwhelming.
30. Who needs a color scheme when the velvet ties it all together?
Don’t get us wrong — the bows are much better than the floppy hats or the multicolored veils. But those velvet dresses in the mismatched colors aren’t a good choice. At least the bride and bridesmaids all look happy.
31. Bare skin must be covered by a shower curtain.
Ah, the 70s, when bridesmaids had to be covered from neck to wrists to ankles in the most garish fabric imaginable. The awfulness of this pattern is giving all the others a run for their money.
32. There were exactly two styles of dresses back in the 70s.
Forty years ago, you had two choices of dress styles: short-sleeved and flowy or long-sleeved and Victorian. Of course, no matter which one you preferred, you still had to choose an obnoxiously loud pattern to go with it.
These bridesmaid dresses might just take the wedding cake. From the vomitlike color to the ruffled collars, green veils, and cartoon-like large bows, this is a disaster from start to finish. Amazingly, the bridesmaids are actually smiling.
Go to any nursing home and you’ll probably see some furniture with these exact patterns. And now you know why. They’ve all been recycled from the weddings of the 1960s and 70s.
If we had to choose among the dresses on this list, these would be among the top five. Are they good? No. There’s an excessive volume of ruffles and the sleeves are way too poofy. But at least the color’s not bad.
Powder blue was all the rage for bridesmaid dresses and tuxes alike for an unfortunate decade. The color looks like it belongs in a nursery, which doesn’t pair well with the childlike ruffles and ribbons look — at least not on adults.
37. Why did bridesmaid hats ever go out of fashion?
Once upon a time, floppy hats on brides and bridesmaids were considered high fasion. That meant you got pictures like this, where everyone looks like a shepherdess because there’s way too much headgear.
38. It’s not a wedding unless you look like a pioneer.
Everybody loves retro fashions! Unfortunately, 30 years ago, that meant pairing a Victorian look with the color palettes and fabrics of the 1980s. The results were bizarre combinations like this.
Hey, do you like blue? This bride and groom do! From the flowers to the bridesmaid dresses and hats to the groom’s tux, blue reigned supreme. Guess she didn’t have to look far for her “something blue.”
The face of the bridesmaid on the right says it all. Everything about this look is over the top, from the bubblegum pink shade to the teased hair to the excess of flowers and ruffles. Of course, the sparkly shoes are a nice touch, too.
For the bride that wants a unique look and is part of a subculture, we present the Tolkien Wedding. Everyone looked like an elf maiden and cloaks were mandatory.
This has a very “Sixteen Candles” vibe, a look considered awful even back in the 80s. While the dresses are bad, the hats bring this look to the next level. In spite of their getup, all of these bridesmaids are smiling.
We have a lot of questions about this one. What’s up with the hoods? Why is everyone holding a triangular basket of flowers? Did the angry lady beside the bride not get the “mandatory hood” memo?
What’s better than garish yellow dresses with white lace that resemble the garden furniture at your grandma’s house? Everyone is looking absolutely miserable while wearing it. At least the flower girl makes up for it with her ear-to-ear grin.
Look how progressive and forward-thinking this wedding party was way back in the day! They had the bridesmaids wear suits instead of dresses. Of course, it was the 70s, so they weren’t NICE suits. That would be ridiculous.
Except for the one in the middle, none of these bridesmaids look remotely happy to be wearing this getup. The color palette alone is bad, but the single sleeve, ruffles, and broad-brimmed hat tip it over the edge.
47. Why get dressed when you can wear Grandma’s bathrobe?
It turns out, this bride was right — these bridesmaids were able to use these dresses again! They just waited until they were old enough to stay home all day. And that’s the story of how Grandma got her house dress.
That’s quite the color palette! The dresses themselves are not necessarily terrible but what really sets them off are the pilgrim hats with the big blue bows.
Why don’t more people use brown for their wedding? It’s such a great color, especially when combined with weird patterns like the ones you see on quilts in a retirement home!
50. “The worst thing that ever happened to me.”
That quote is from the bridesmaid herself, who submitted this photo to People magazine. Amazingly, she stayed friends with the bride after wearing this atrocity, which has probably made its way to a thrift store by now.
50 Outrageous Bridesmaids Dresses From Back In The Day
Cedric Jackson
07.30.19
There’s no doubt that tastes change over the years. No matter how stylish your bridesmaids are at your wedding, chances are that one day, you’ll look back at the pictures and wonder what you were thinking.
But the bridesmaids of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s had it bad. The sheer volume of ruffles, pastels, prints, and hats are a sight to behold. Unfortunately for the ladies who wore them, it means they went down in the Bad Photos of History Hall of Fame.
Some brides ascribe to the idea that the bridesmaids should wear ugly dresses so they’re never upstaged. In some cases, that may have been what these brides were going for. But most of the time, they honestly chose these because they thought they looked good.
Some people say they don’t mind seeing the outdated styles because they love looking at photos of people on their wedding day. These couples have hopefully now enjoyed decades of marriage together.
But others, of course, just can’t get past those bizarre styles of yesteryear.
Whether they were wearing dresses that might have been made from curtains or had some truly awful headgear, these photos are bound to make you cringe.
