Naturally, it’s the bride who will be the focus of attention on her wedding day, but it’s important for the bridesmaids to look gorgeous too. Choose something simple and not over decorated or detailed, but that will make the bridesmaids look elegant, sophisticated and feminine. It’s important to choose a dress style which will flatter everyone’s figure. This is never an easy task, but empire waists and A-line or princess skirts will tend to suit most shapes and sizes. If your client’s bridesmaids have very different figure types and heights, they might feel uncomfortable in matching dresses. A nice alternative is to suggest that the bride chooses the fabrics and colours, and allows each individual bridesmaid to choose her own dress style.
Classic Looks for Bridesmaids
Any kind of formal gown, semi-formal or evening dress can be chosen for bridesmaids’ gowns. Satin, organza, chiffon, georgette, tulle, lace, brocades, and crepe are all classic fabrics for bridesmaid dresses. It’s traditional to choose a one-piece dress or gown, but separates are definitely an option. Mixing and matching separate necklines and skirts makes it easier to find a style which suits each individual bridesmaid. Time of year will influence gown choices. Advise lighter fabrics for summer, and a sleeveless or a strapless dress style. If the wedding is planned for a cooler time in the year, long skirts and sleeves are best, or include a shawl or wrap as part of the outfit. A lot of churches require that ladies shoulders are covered, or if marrying abroad check with the ceremony venue about appropriate dress. It’s a nice idea to choose the colours according to the time of year also. Fresh, soft colours are lovely for spring and summer; golds, copper tones and rusty reds for autumn, and deep marine blues, teal green, deep burgundies and plums, or platinum shades for winter. Advise on colours which will match the flowers that are in bloom at the time of year, so gowns will tone in nicely with the bouquets. If in doubt or if you feel this is not a strong point of yours, have your client discuss colour ideas with the florist. It will make the job of choosing colours much easier. For a very sophisticated, formal look, black or black and white never goes out of style. For a more romantic look, use white or a solid colour overlaid with black lace, either as a feature of the dress itself, or as a shawl or wrap. Soft, pretty pastel shades like lilac, powder pink, cream, platinum and eggshell blue are always popular colours for bridesmaid dresses, because they always look good together with the white or ivory shade of the bridal gown. Adding dramatic colour accents in the bouquets creates a very attractive look for the wedding party as a whole.
Accessories for Bridesmaids
The simplest look will tend to work best, so accessories should best be kept to a minimum. It’s traditional for the bride to give the bridesmaids their jewellery as a gift. For a very formal look, use shawls, gloves and hair clips as bridesmaids’ accessories. Keep comfort as well as style in mind when you choose shoes for bridesmaids. Very high heels will be uncomfortable to stand in for any period of time. Also consider the fact that the bridesmaids will most likely be wearing the shoes for the wedding ceremony and the reception, so choose shoes which will be comfortable to wear all day, then dance away the night.