With one mention of bridesmaid dresses, most people conjure up images in their minds of hideous taffeta gowns with unflattering cuts in the tackiest of colors and designs. Many modern brides, however, are taking care to choose dresses for the bridesmaids that are almost as beautiful as the wedding dress. No longer are bridesmaids confined to the traditional choices of drab and boring dresses. With cocktail dresses and evening gowns to choose from, bridesmaids can actually wear these dresses again and feel as good about the way they look as the bride does.
Although the wedding dress is always going to be the most elegant and eye-catching gown at the ceremony, there is no reason that the bridesmaids shouldn't look beautiful as they stand beside their beloved friend on her big day. There are different routes a bride can take when choosing the bridesmaids dresses though. Many brides allow the bridesmaids to choose their own gowns, for example, as long as they are all the same color and fabric. This way everyone will be able to find a gown that is flattering for their body shape whether they are short, tall, thin or heavy.
The choice of bridesmaid dresses will also depend on the type of ceremony and reception. Evening gowns might be perfect for a nighttime wedding with an elegant reception at a hotel or fine restaurant. Flirty cocktail dresses, on the other hand, might be more appropriate for a daytime wedding with a casual buffet dinner and dancing to follow. Dressmakers offer a wide variety of gowns to choose from with lengths that range from above the knee to floor length. There are long sleeve, short sleeve, thick-strapped, spaghetti strap and strapless gowns in a variety of styles. Some dresses are adorned with jewels and bows, while others are simple and straightforward.
There is no reason to force friends and family to purchase bridesmaids dresses they will never wear again. Today's gown choices can make everyone happy.
For those of us who got married a couple of decades ago whenever we pull out our wedding albums and look over the photos taken on that special day, we might shudder a little when we see what we dressed our bridesmaids on. I mean back 20 years ago, most bridesmaid dresses were overblown Cinderella style dresses that no gal in her right mind would ever wear again.
Today there are many more choices for bridesmaid dresses. This can not only make your bridesmaids feel more comfortable wearing a dress they might even like, it provides many more opportunities for your to create a very personal and unique look to your wedding - and who wouldn't want that?
Let's start be reviewing the dress length. For those of us married over 20 years ago, the bridesmaid dress was required to be a long, ballroom length. However, today's modern bride doesn't have to go with a long dress (it's fine if you like it) but shorter lengths are growing in poopularity and acceptance. This is not only a great option for day time and/or informal weddings, it makes it far more likely that your bridesmaids will consider wearing the dress again in the future.
The next consideration is the dress's style and fabric. With today's fashion trends you have more flexibility to choose any dress style that supports your wedding theme and stay away from the big, floor length dresses of my generation. Also there are infinite options when it comes to choosing a fabric. No longer do brides need to think their bridesmaid dresses need to constructed of satin or taffeta!
May I suggest that you take your bridesmaids with you to judge in person how well different styles and colors look in them. And make sure it looks good on all of them! Primary considerations will be the cut of the dress (no mini dresses if your bridesmaids are older or not super thin) and the color. If your bridesmaids have very different skin and hair colorings (e.g., one of your bridesmaids of Egyptian heritage may have deep golden tan tones in her skin and black hair while another may be a lighter, Swedish looking blond) you may want to select that same dress in different shades of the general color you had in mind. For example, yellow can come in bright, pastel and even gold hued choices. Naturally women with a deeper tan and darker hair would look quite striking in a bright color. But that same color might look awful on a fair skinned gal who would glow in a pastel.
And, of course, the bridesmaid dresses that you select should enhance the look you've cultivated for your wedding. An obvious example is how a sea side or beach wedding would have more informal attire than a traditional church wedding.
Finally, make sure you think about balancing out all these dress considerations before you select the bridesmaids dresses. You may find it a bit of a challenge to 'give' a bit on what you thought you wanted for a bridesmaid dress and what your bridesmaids actually want to wear but by making sure they will feel good about the way they look, everyone will enjoy your wedding day to the fullest. And isn't that what you really want?
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