Inventive Bridal Party Attire
Bridesmaids’ dresses are changing shapes and styles every day.
NO longer are the days when bridesmaids wear the bright pink lacey dresses and the neon green numbers that the bride picks out so that she is more beautiful on the day of the wedding.
Bridesmaids are the bride’s best friends and they are human beings that deserve respect, pride, and to feel beautiful on their walk down the aisle in support of the bride on her wedding day. Bridesmaids are there to support the bride.
In fact, history states that they were originally there to protect the bride from anyone that may have wanted to do her harm on her wedding day. They dressed up in beautiful brightly colored gowns to confuse evil doers from knowing which of the girls was really the bride.
Brides are now considering their bridesmaids when making decisions about them and are offering them options like choosing their own gown within a range of colors or from a single shade.
Brides are allowing different dress lengths, different necklines, and even different patterns. And what an effect these decisions are making on weddings across the country!
Weddings all over are more beautiful, more creative and more unique than ever and bridesmaids finally feel cherished, cared for and beautiful as they step down the aisle, rather than just another part of the wedding day.
What’s even better, most are able to wear these dresses again and again because they were able to choose them for themselves!
Quick Poll
How do you feel about letting your maids choose their own dresses?
Neutral Dresses
So long are the days when we dressed our bridesmaids in neon yellow and purple tulle. I’m sure every woman in the world is thrilled with the new trends in bridal party dress.
Yes, these wonderful women want to stand beside you and support you in your decision to marry your Mr. Right and begin a new life as a Mrs. But no woman willingly chooses to be dressed in a ridiculous costume and be paraded down an aisle to be captured forever in pictures you’ll show the world.
Thank goodness more neutral colors are really becoming the name of the game in bridesmaids wear. Black, gray and nude are now the most elegant way to really make a statement at your wedding, allow your most loved women to be proud walking down the aisle for you, and make sure that you are still the star of the show.
More and more brides are moving more towards finding dresses that their girls can wear over and over again. This has truly come a long way from picking out the exact same dress for everyone in crazy colors and crazy styles.
Brides then went to simply picking a color and allowing their bridesmaids to choose any style they wanted in the chosen color with amazing results. However, how often do you wear pink, orange or even bright blue dresses on a regular basis?
Why not truly provide a dress that will really bring an elegance and sophistication to your wedding and also give your girls a dress that they really will wear over and over. You don’t have to have a black or dark wedding to pull this off. Black matches everything. You could put any color of flowers in their hands and it would really pop!
How nice is this! Your bridesmaid dresses can have as big an impact on your wedding as your own bridal gown.
Lately I’ve loved the look of bridesmaids in neutral colors! Neutral attire allows for big pops of color in the bridesmaid jewelry, hair accessories, bouquets or shoes.
Whether the dresses are all the same or a mix of cute styles…this look has totally won me over! Shades of gray have been surprisingly popular for bridesmaids in the last few seasons.
While colors like deep charcoal or slate gray do not exactly scream festive, they have become beloved for their sophistication and elegance.
Your friends will like gray dresses specifically because they are not traditional bridesmaid colors. Take a charcoal dress from drab to fab by adding intense pops of color in the flowers and accessories.
For a summer soiree, bright colors like canary yellow look marvelous as a contrast to a deep gray hue. Yellow blossoms such as orchids, billy balls, or classic roses will stand out beautifully against a neutral dress.
If you are having a winter wedding, substitute an eggplant purple for the yellow accents. Imagine fabulous purple suede dressy shoes with a gray dress – gorgeous.
Nude or neutral bridesmaid gowns give a soft palette for your wedding photos. Choose from gold and bronze metallic colors, through to solid beige or taupe. This look is especially great for nice sunny outdoor weddings!
Don’t worry that neutral means boring – you can style bridesmaid dresses in understated hues in unique ways to give them a fabulous look for your wedding day. Now you know that a neutral color can make a very grand statement.
Choosing what your bridal party will wear when walking down the aisle with you is sometimes pretty tough. After all, this is your BIG DAY and these will be the pictures you look at for the rest of your life and will show your children.
Are the colors that your supportive men and women wear really going to affect your feelings during your big day or taint in any way the memories you have of marrying your spouse?
No, not really. But if you’re taking the time to plan all of the details for this big event, this is one of the big ones.
Your bridal party really offers an awesome opportunity to color-coordinate, make a big statement, and really set the mood for your overall event.
Not that anyone is going to have trouble seeing your wedding day vision and color scheme if you do it just right, but the addition of the right colors in dresses, suits and flowers can really add a lot of personality to your celebration.
Either way, the bridesmaid dress is huge in the minds of the girls you ask to be your bridesmaids. They’ve probably even had a nightmare or two of their own of you forcing them to walk down the aisle in something that should have been saved for the movie Thriller.
Let’s talk about some amazing options you have for all of these wonderful people in your lives you’ve asked to stand up for you on your wedding day.
Mixed Bridesmaids’ Wear
The biggest trend in bridesmaid dresses at the moment is allowing your girls to wear different dresses.
Regardless of the amazing color you choose for your bridesmaids, or how beautiful you think the dresses are, someone will always be unhappy.
At the very least many of these dresses will be stuffed into the back of a closet and never touched again. It’s really too bad for them to have to spend hundreds of dollars on a dress that they will never wear again.
Why not give them some options? And there are so many to choose from!
Same Color Different Dresses
If you really have your heart set on hot pink dresses, or maybe even a certain shade of purple, would you consider letting your girls choose different styles of dresses as long as they were the right color?
Some bridal shops like David’s Bridal and Alfred Angelo offer a variety of dress styles within each color. This way you can call ahead and request the specific color you want with the shop and your girls can be creative within your boundaries.
You could even say, “I want everyone to have ankle length dresses, but they can be creative with the neck and waistlines.” Your choice. You can limit them or allow them to be as creative as you wish.
Different Colors Different Dresses
For even more freedom, simply give your girls a range to stay within. If you ask them to choose pink dresses, or natural colors like blues, greens, browns and beiges, you’ll really be surprised at the amazing dresses your bridesmaids find and how gorgeous they all look together.
It’s truly an incredible sight!
The more creativity you afford your bridesmaids, the happier they will be with their dresses, the more likely they will wear them again after your wedding, and the more beautiful they will feel walking down the aisle on your wedding day.
Happy bridesmaids mean more beautiful smiles, more beautiful pictures, and more cooperative women. Everyone wins!
Different Colors Same Dresses
Another interesting idea is to assign a specific style dress, at a bridal shop like Alfred Angelo or even at a widely available store like JCPenny’s, and then allow them to choose their own color or from a range of colors. This is a pretty exceptional sight too!
The choices you make on bridesmaids dresses will give a specific look to your wedding. Consider what you want to see and how much freedom you really want to give your girls. Remember though, too much freedom leads to chaos.
At least give them some boundaries so they can be sure that you will be happy with their choice in the end. Even if you simply choose the style of dress or the color scheme, they will feel better about being allowed some creativity.
Funky Shoes
If you’re not comfortable, or not the type to be crazy with your bridesmaids’ dresses, maybe you’ve this particular dress in mind for your bridesmaids since you were little, that’s perfectly fine.
There are so many more ways to allow your girls some creativity. Why not allow them some creative shoes?
Once again, feel free to ask for a neutral colored shoe or for shoes in the blue family. You could even ask for rainbow colors if you’re up for some fun. Shoes can really spice up your bridal party when used the right way.
Consider purple shoes with pink dresses, blue shoes with yellow dresses, or multicolored shoes with a neutral colored dress. This is a great way to allow your bridesmaids some individuality!
Creative Add-Ons
Or even consider a shawl that all of the girls can wear (especially if it is going to be chilly outside), a sash for around their dresses, a necklace or a different colored bouquet.
Your bridesmaids love you and accepted your offer as a sign that they would be there to stand by you and support you through your wedding day and your marriage.
They will be there to assist in your wedding planning, crafts, coming up with ideas, and helping with solutions to any interesting situations that arise, but they are still individuals.
Each girl wants to know that she is special to you, and if she weren’t there, your wedding wouldn’t be the same.
Allow them to be the individuals they long to be with something special. Whether it’s their choice in a dress or shoes, a special necklace or sash that you choose for them, or whatever, let your girls know you chose them for a reason.
You want them by your side on your big day, not just anyone.
Quick Poll
What are you choosing for your main wedding color?
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© 2014 Victoria Van Ness