Choosing Your Bridesmaids' Dresses
With literally thousands of color and style combinations to choose from, a bride-to-be can easily become overwhelmed when deciding what her bridesmaids should wear. One of the best ways to begin narrowing down the choices is to consider the wedding plans already made. The time of day of the wedding, the time of year, the location and the figures of the bridesmaids all play into the final decision, as does cost.
Time of day - If a formal evening ceremony is planned, the bridesmaids might wear either long dresses or shorter ones falling just below the knee to mid-calf (tea length). If the wedding will be held in the afternoon, then only shorter dresses are worn by both the bridesmaids and the mothers. (Mothers tend to make more mistakes than bridesmaids when choosing their dresses, often overdressing rather than considering the formality of the wedding.)
Time of year - Unless the wedding will occur in a semi-tropical location, the time of year is important when choosing appropriate attire. A pale pink strapless dress may be appropriate in July but not in January. Likewise, a dark velvet dress looks lovely in January but not so much in August.
Location - If an outdoor wedding is planned, particularly on a beach or in the mountains, the style of the dress and shoes should be appropriate for the terrain. If it might be windy, a dress with a full skirt could be embarassing. And if it might be 100 degrees and high humidity, the simpler the dress the better. Long dresses are usually too formal for such locations. Open-toed shoes should be avoided.
Bridesmaids' figures - All girls are not 5 foot 10 with a stick figure. Bridesmaids come in a wide variety of heights, weights and skin tones. Therefore, choosing a dress style and color that compliments most of them will be important. Light to medium blue is a color most people can wear. Be careful of orange, yellow, bright green and bright red. If the ladies are widely divergent in size, you might choose a color and let each one choose a style that best fits her.
Cost - Unfortunately, no matter the style, bridesmaids' dresses tend to be worn only once. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect girls to pay several hundred dollars for a dress when perfectly suitable ones can be found for much less. Unless the bride plans to pay for the dresses, being sensitive to the bridesmaids' budgets will be appreciated.
It isn't necessary to purchase dresses at a bridal shop. Check department stores near prom time or holidays. You may find the perfect dress for a fraction of the cost of one at a bridal shop, and possibly even on sale.
When shopping, it isn't necessary to take all the bridesmaids. Take your maid of honor and possibly your mom. When you narrow the choices to a couple styles, then you can ask all the ladies to try them on and decide what looks best on the majority.
Take your time and do your research, possibly on-line to get ideas, then enjoy your shopping rather than feeling overwhelmed.
Time of day - If a formal evening ceremony is planned, the bridesmaids might wear either long dresses or shorter ones falling just below the knee to mid-calf (tea length). If the wedding will be held in the afternoon, then only shorter dresses are worn by both the bridesmaids and the mothers. (Mothers tend to make more mistakes than bridesmaids when choosing their dresses, often overdressing rather than considering the formality of the wedding.)
Time of year - Unless the wedding will occur in a semi-tropical location, the time of year is important when choosing appropriate attire. A pale pink strapless dress may be appropriate in July but not in January. Likewise, a dark velvet dress looks lovely in January but not so much in August.
Location - If an outdoor wedding is planned, particularly on a beach or in the mountains, the style of the dress and shoes should be appropriate for the terrain. If it might be windy, a dress with a full skirt could be embarassing. And if it might be 100 degrees and high humidity, the simpler the dress the better. Long dresses are usually too formal for such locations. Open-toed shoes should be avoided.
Bridesmaids' figures - All girls are not 5 foot 10 with a stick figure. Bridesmaids come in a wide variety of heights, weights and skin tones. Therefore, choosing a dress style and color that compliments most of them will be important. Light to medium blue is a color most people can wear. Be careful of orange, yellow, bright green and bright red. If the ladies are widely divergent in size, you might choose a color and let each one choose a style that best fits her.
Cost - Unfortunately, no matter the style, bridesmaids' dresses tend to be worn only once. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect girls to pay several hundred dollars for a dress when perfectly suitable ones can be found for much less. Unless the bride plans to pay for the dresses, being sensitive to the bridesmaids' budgets will be appreciated.
It isn't necessary to purchase dresses at a bridal shop. Check department stores near prom time or holidays. You may find the perfect dress for a fraction of the cost of one at a bridal shop, and possibly even on sale.
When shopping, it isn't necessary to take all the bridesmaids. Take your maid of honor and possibly your mom. When you narrow the choices to a couple styles, then you can ask all the ladies to try them on and decide what looks best on the majority.
Take your time and do your research, possibly on-line to get ideas, then enjoy your shopping rather than feeling overwhelmed.
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