Bridesmaids
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Virtually
everything that applies to the making, buying or hiring of the
bride's dress applies also to the bridesmaids' dresses; it is
important that each bridesmaid feels completely happy with her
outfit on the big day. Often bridesmaids live in different towns
from one another or from the bride, so getting all the outfits
ready simultaneously may prove quite tricky. Start early to ensure
that there is enough time to do all the dresses property.
Colours
What colours are your bridesmaids going to wear? This can be quite
a difficult choice; you want a basic colour that blends well with
your dress and with the flowers that you want to carry, that
coordinates with the clothes that will be worn by the rest of the
wedding party, and that suits the ages, colourings and personal
preferences of the bridesmaids themselves. It is only kind to
consult the bridesmaids about the choice of colour, especially if
they are contributing towards the cost of the outfit themselves.
The traditional colours for bridesmaids' outfits are the pastels -
yellow, lilac, pink, pale blue, peach. Green used to be considered
unlucky, but green can be a very pretty colour indeed for
bridesmaids' clothes. However, there is no need at all to stick to
pastel colours. Darker violet, beige, brown, vivid pink, red,
midnight blue, turquoise; all these could look very attractive on
bridesmaids of the right colouring. Also there is no need to
choose a plain colour. the dresses can be in a check, a print,
stripes, spotted material, etc., or in a mixture of fabrics, for
instance a plain bodice with patterned skirt and sleeves. Or the
skirts could be made of one colour with a flounced or shorter
overskirt in another colour.
If the colouring of your bridesmaids is very different, for
instance if one has jet-black hair and coffee coloured skin while
the other has reddish blonde hair and a peaches-and-cream
complexion, make very sure that your chosen colour suits them
both! If the bridesmaids are of very different ages you may want
to dress them in two tones of the same basic colour, for instance
a plain blue dress for the matron of honour and a blue and white
print for the junior bridesmaid.
Styles
You will also need to choose a style of dress that suits all your
bridesmaids. For instance, it may be quite appropriate to dress a
six year old girl in a short dress, white pantaloons and a mob
cap, but this would not look so good on a 35 year old matron of
honour! Similarly low necked off the shoulder dresses look fine on
older bridesmaids with good figures but would look inappropriate
on small girls.
You may want to choose a basic style of dress that reflects the
pattern of your wedding dress. This will help to give an overall
homogeneity to the bridal party. Many ranges of off the peg bridal
gowns have coordinating bridesmaids' dresses available to
complement them, and many sew it yourself patterns either have
sister patterns for bridesmaids' dresses or give instructions for
making attendants' dresses from the main bridal gown shape.
Obviously this only works if your bridesmaids are the same size
and shape as you are.
If your bridesmaids cover a wide age range, you can probably think
up adaptations of a basic dress pattern that would suit all of the
different ages. For instance, the basic pattern could be a style
with a fitted bodice and a gathered skirt. The matron of honour
and any older bridesmaids could wear dresses with low necks and
off the shoulder sleeves; teenage bridesmaids could wear the basic
pattern with a scoop neck and puffed sleeves, and younger
bridesmaids could wear dresses with a high neck and puffed
sleeves. The younger bridesmaids' hems could be knee length
instead of full-length.
For very young bridesmaids it is always sensible to keep away from
floor length hems; it is very easy for a small girl to trip over a
long hem. Make the dress ankle length, calf length or knee length.
If your bridesmaids are very different shapes, make sure that you
find a pattern that flatters them all. A heavy bridesmaid will
feel ridiculous in a closely fitted and gathered dress, especially
if she is with sylph like counterparts.
Bridesmaids Checklist
Who are my bridesmaids going to be?
What colour(s) will they be wearing?
Will this blend in with the rest of the wedding party?
Will their dresses reflect mine?
Will they be bought made or hired?
Is there a chief bridesmaid?
If so how will she be distinguished?
Is the style flattering to all my bridesmaids?
Does the colour suit them all?
Can they all wear the same style of dress?
If not how can we adapt the basic style
What length will the dresses be?
What fabric is suitable?
Should it be plain or patterned?
Do we want extra design features, such as tucks, bows, sashes,
frills, flowers, overskirts, aprons etc?
What head dresses will they wear?
What shoes will they wear?
What colour Tights or socks will they wear?
What jewellery will they wear?
When will the dresses be ready?
Who will look after the dresses until the day?
Where will the bridesmaids dress for the wedding?
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