Finding the Perfect Bridesmaid Gown
Now that you’ve already selected your wedding’s color scheme, you’d have to decide on the flowers, tablecloth cover colors, candle scents and colors, your wedding gown design and style and of course, that of your entourage’s.
Whatever color or style you’d choose for your bridesmaids, flower girls, maid of honor and the rest of your entourage, just remember that their dresses should always complement and enhance your own wedding gown. After all, you’re the star on your wedding day.
Your bridesmaids and maid of honor are usually your best friends or valued family members. Every bride should make every effort not to offend or upset these women. Your relationship with them is forever, unlike your wedding which happens usually only once in a lifetime. If your sister were to get married, you would also want her to consider your height, your coloring, personal taste and body type when she’s selecting your bridesmaid gown, right?
When it comes to style, clean and simple lines are generally favored over the more frivolous designs. Any bridesmaid would appreciate a dress she can wear again, perhaps to a party or another wedding. A-Lines, Sheaths, Empire Cuts are safe choices since these are the common styles that are flattering on any figure. Other popular trends include two-tone, two piece assemblies and Grecian column style dresses. Necklines may vary from one bridesmaid to the next depending on your prerogative. It may be strapless, square, thin spaghetti straps, criss-cross spaghetti straps, halter or even asymmetrical necklines.
You also have to choose the length of the dress. When you do this, do consider the venue, weather/season and the type of wedding you’re planning to have. If you’re having a spring or summer wedding, then you can opt for knee-length dresses that are lighter and more comfortable to wear. If it’s a winter wedding you’re having, then common sense would dictate that floor length gowns would be a better option to cope with the cold. You can also choose to have diverse lengths so that the length of each bridesmaid dress would depend on whichever is more becoming on the wearer but I would only advice this as a last resort since uniformity in length is one of the easiest ways you can homogeny in your entourage’s outfits.
After style and length comes fabric selection. Just like with different styles, different fabrics have different effects on people. Shiny or glittery fabrics should be avoided by those with plump figures but this effect can be countermanded by the style of the dress. Popular fabrics include silk, chiffon, taffeta, satin, organza and lace. Different fabrics have different prices so you might want to include cost when you’re considering which fabric to use.
Choosing the perfect color is certainly challenging. With the wedding’s color scheme in mind, you can choose to have a solid uniform color for all your bridesmaid dresses or you can choose to have them in varying hues. Take the color Pink. If your overall color palette revolves around Pink, you can have your bridesmaids dress in different shades of pink ranging from the lightest pink that it almost looks white to hot pink or even fuchsia. The 1st option would increase the solidarity of your entourage’s attire while keeping true to the color scheme. The 2nd scheme allows your bridesmaids to choose the hue that is more appealing to them and on them.
There are so many options nowadays but one surefire way to choose the perfect bridesmaid dress is to take your bridesmaids with you when you go looking for it.
Types of fabrics that make up bridesmaids dresses?
Bridesmaid dresses have drastically evolved from unflattering styles, colors and fabrics to dresses that are more acceptable now for any type of wedding or worn to another formal event. A glimpse of the different types of fabrics can actually provide you an idea on what could be the best material to select to give you that perfect outfit you earnestly deserve.
Silk. It is a fine, strong, soft lustrous fiber and the most luxurious type of fabric that actualizes a formal bridesmaid dress. It has the most elegant sheen and the most beautiful drape among all fabrics available in the market. It gives a soft weight and airy effect that shows off every detail of the body and the perfect choice for summer weddings. It is the most expensive material so be ready to spend a little more if the dress is made from 100% pure silk.
Satin. It is a smooth, glossy fabric usually made of silk, or can be polyester or acetate. Satin bridesmaid dress will be the perfect outfit for the upcoming wedding combined with the silk/poly blend. The shiny appearance gives an expensive impression and the lightweight fabric makes it easy to drape nicely with soft flowing hemlines, one of the reason why this fabric is popular and adored by many bridesmaids.
Chiffon. It is a light, transparent fabric typically made of silk or nylon. It is commonly used with layers, chiffon bridesmaid dresses are highly desired for its elegant and floating appearance. The fabric gently skims the body, but when it is gathered, it does not cling, also ideal for summer beach wedding.
Organza. It is a sheer and a thin, stiff, transparent dress fabric made of silk or a synthetic yarn. A bridesmaid dress with organza draping will give you a breezy feeling and will naturally exude your beauty. It is perfect for summertime wedding.
Taffeta. It is a fine lustrous silk or similar synthetic fabric with a crisp texture. It is also considered a high-end type of fabric. This kind of dress styles are seen mostly in traditional nuptials and more commonly applied to winter season weddings.
Knowing these fabrics will surely make it easy for you to cope with the overwhelming preparation for an upcoming wedding.
Choosing the Perfect Color for Your Bridesmaids
You’ve chosen the style, the neckline, the length and even the fabric of your bridesmaids’ dresses. What comes next?
Color. Even if you already chose your wedding’s color scheme, you also have to select the perfect and most appropriate color(s) to use for your bridesmaids’ dresses. In the past, it used to be rows of identically dressed bridesmaids from their matched, perfectly color-coordinated dresses to uniform hairstyles. In today’s modern times, you can choose to be more creative and more flexible.
You can still go the old-fashioned way and dress your bridesmaids exactly the same but if your bridesmaids have different ages, heights, body types, hair colors complexions and come from different cultures, you run the risk of having one looking bad or uncomfortable. This may cause undue strains on your personal relationships with them.
With your wedding’s color scheme in mind, it’s advisable to choose different hues within that color scheme. For example, you chose to have the color yellow for your summer wedding. Yellow is quite tricky to work with since not everyone can pull off wearing buttercup yellow without looking sallow. Your responsibility as a bride is to allow your bridesmaids to choose a shade of yellow that is more flattering to their complexion, hair color and body type. If you really want them to wear a single, uniformed yellow, it’s your responsibility to look for that particular shade of yellow that is becoming to all of your bridesmaids.
Colors have different connotations. For example, the color red denotes passion and love while the color green is associated with harmony, abundance and nature. Pink signifies the feminine essence and innocence while black is sophistication and glamour. In Chinese culture, red is lucky so it’s common to see people wearing fire engine red during weddings. Likewise, the color black is avoided in the same culture. When you do choose your color scheme, take into consideration what the color is usually associated with and if the marriage is intercultural.
Most designers balk at white bridesmaids’ dresses so if your color scheme revolves around white, then a very light icy blue or cream might be a good choice for your entourage.
Whatever color you choose for your bridesmaids, it should enhance and accentuate your own wedding gown.
Prom Dresses for Bridesmaids – Okay or Not
You’ve been chosen to be your bestfriend’s bridesmaid! Then you find out that she can’t afford to pay for your bridesmaid dress. You don’t have the extra money to buy a bridesmaid dress for a wedding that happens in 2 months. What should you do?
It’s simple, really. Whatever you do, don’t get mad at your bestfriend. Not everyone gets married on a huge budget. With limited funds, brides are forced to prioritize other things such as the food provider, her wedding gown and the like. Just follow these steps and you’ll do fine. First, don’t panic. Just stay calm and know that if there’s a will, there’s a way. Second, look for options such as wearing a prom dress in lieu of a bridesmaid dress. If you don’t have one, then ask around your friends and family and borrow one. Just make sure that the style and color of the prom dress closely adheres to the color palette and style of the wedding.
Prom dresses that have simple lines and styles would be your best bet. Try looking for an A-line prom dress, a simple sheath or empire cut dresses since they are the most common styles for bridesmaid dresses. If you are using your own prom dress, then you can actually make alterations to better suit the wedding. You may change the length by hemming up a long prom gown; you can even add straps to a simple sheath or add a color coordinated belt to an empire cut dress. And if you’re really into it, you could add small details like beadwork to your prom dress turned bridesmaid dress.
If you don’t have a prom dress of your own (or your old one no longer fits you) and you can’t find one to borrow, you can always rent it. Prices would be pretty much the same whether you choose to rent a prom gown that could pass muster as a bridesmaid dress or an actual bridesmaid dress. Again, make sure the style and color complements the wedding style and color palette.
Ideally, a bridesmaid should wear a bridesmaid dress however, if that is not possible, then wearing a prom dress is okay as long as you stick to the guidelines mentioned above. Think of it this way, bridesmaid dresses and proms dresses are quite similar so unless you tell someone that it’s a prom dress, chances are that nobody will ever know!
Bridesmaids Dresses, are they that important?
Every bride is the most beautiful and stunning woman at her wedding and rightly so. After all, her wedding is her time to shine. Most brides spend a lot of effort into planning their dream wedding and an equal amount of time finding the perfect wedding gown. The effort it takes to find the design that would flatter and enhance the bride’s assets and features and to endure the fittings is quite beyond most men.
But having the perfect wedding not only entails finding the perfect wedding gown for the bride, but also paying keen attention to every little detail. From choosing and scheduling the venue, hiring the caterers, cake-tasting, designing and sending the wedding invitations to choosing the perfect color palette, care should be taken to make sure that everything complements the other.
With all these concerns to take care of, brides often ask the question: Are my bridesmaid dresses as important as everything else even my own wedding gown?
The answer is yes. Bridesmaid dresses are important because the persons wearing them are a very visible part of the entourage. A perfect wedding is one where everything goes beautifully without any hitches. Because brides do want the perfect wedding, care should be given to every aspect of the celebration including the correct selection of appropriate bridesmaid dresses.
Just because the bride is the star on her wedding day is no excuse for bridesmaids to look terrible. Bridesmaid dresses should complement yet enhance the bride’s wedding gown. These dresses, much like the tablecloth covers, flowers and invitations, have to stay within the theme or chosen color palette. Bridesmaids are usually very close friends or close family ties like a sister or a cousin and sometimes, even nieces. Brides must take care not to offend these women since they will be interacting with each other long after the wedding is over.
To maximize time and kill two birds with one stone, bridesmaids are often asked to accompany the bride when she looks for her wedding gown so that they can also find the perfect bridesmaid dresses. This is really advisable if the bridesmaids have different body types, complexions, heights and hair color. This way, once the bride decides on her wedding gown, they can then select bridesmaid dresses that complement the bridal gown in terms of style, length and color.
Simply put, if a bride wants a perfect wedding, she should pay attention to a lot of details in her wedding including her bridesmaid dresses.