Ever Wonder Why bridesmaids traditionally all wear the same dresses?

It’s one of the trickiest feats for any bride to pull off – ensuring all her friends, be they petite or six-footers, boyish or busty, apples or pears, are all happy wearing the same dress.

Well, according to Mental Floss, it’s the Romans’ fault. The tradition began in Ancient Rome and, initially, it wasn’t just the bridesmaids who all dressed the same – the bride would also wear the same dress.

Bridal decoys (Picture: Getty)

The idea was that you wouldn’t be able to tell any of the ladies apart.

Because the bridesmaids were actually there to act as decoys.

The reason for this was that, back in the day, any happy event was also believed to attract evil spirits. But, by all dressing the same, the bridal party would be able to confuse the malevolent forces long enough to allow the bride and groom to finish their vows.

The trick was believed to have the added benefit of confusing heartbroken exes, who might be hoping to crash a couple’s big day.

Um, that’s not the bride (Picture: Getty)

Makes sense. What chance would you possibly have of recognising the love of your life if confronted by a gaggle of brides?

It wasn’t until Victorian times that brides became less worried about evil spirits and thwarted exes, and more concerned with being the centre of attention, that the rules were relaxed.

Now, only the bridesmaids are traditionally expected to wear the same dresses.

It’s quite sweet when you think about it. It’s like having your very own protection squad on your big day.