Your bridesmaids’ dresses will make a bold
statement about the style of your wedding. Their design could also be used to
introduce a theme but be careful not to impose too much on the individuals
involved.
If your bridesmaids are paying for
their own dresses, then price is an important consideration as is that they feel
wonderful and be comfortable. So, as a matter of courtesy, you should take into
account their preferences. If having them dressed identically is your wish,
making the right choice for all can be difficult, especially if you have both
adult and child bridesmaids with very different heights and figures or, if they
are from different cultural backgrounds. Will the adult(s) be happy wearing the
same style as the younger ones?
From the
little girls point of view, she may want to be dressed the same as the older  bridesmaids. Conversely, you may want, or she may wish, her dress to be as
fairytale and dramatic as possible.
Find out the opinions of each of your bridesmaids and then make your decisions,
the last thing you want is a miserable face staring back at you on your wedding
photographs! If you have one bridesmaid who's more difficult to dress than the
others, find the right style and colour for her first and then try them on the
others.
As the bride, you have the right to make final decisions. However, if, for
whatever reason, the decision is made difficult, you could allow the
Chief Bridesmaid/Maid or Matron of Honour, or the whole Wedding Party, to decide. One way to do
this is to choice 3 or 4 dresses you like and let everyone vote on the options!
Or, you could pick the material,  and let the bridesmaids choose whatever dress
they want. The one thing you must decide, however, is the length of the
dresses, it will look odd if you have one in a full length dress and another in
a mini!
Separate tops and skirts are very popular and this may allow the Chief Bridesmaid/ Maid or Matron of
Honour to be dressed a little differently.
Dresses don’t have to be “bridal”. You could choose “off the peg” cocktail
dresses - great if they are to be worn again. But don’t get too caught up with them being
suitable to wear again, bridesmaids dresses are usually meant to be practical.
Even the most expensive and beautiful dress can be ruined by the wrong choice
of underwear. Bras, for example, should not only give support but should also
follow the shape of the bodice, the usual bra may not do this effectively.
Corsets give a very streamlined look under clothing or they
can be worn on their own.
Try different styles before committing to buy as what fits one person perfectly
may be uncomfortable to another. Fastening are often hooks and eyes or laces
which means having someone to help, otherwise the best fit and shape may not be
achieved.
- In which season are you getting married? In spring and summer, pastel
shades work well whereas in the autumn or winter and, the probability that most
of the day you will be seen under electric light, stronger colours are
advisable.
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What style and mood are you looking to create? Strong colours will give a
sense of drama whilst softer hues are more romantic.
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Limit your main colours to two or three and use these throughout the wedding
planning.
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If using 2 strong colours, make the third one subtle in order to tone things
down.
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Try to coordinate colours that will accent your venue(s). What colour are the
drapes and carpet?
If an autumn or winter wedding, make sure your bridesmaids will be warm enough with either pashminas or cloaks.
If you are not buying the bridesmaids’ jewellery, give them some idea of what
you would like: gold, silver, pearls.
Why not give your bridesmaids their jewellery as a "thank you" gift on the
morning of the wedding and then during the speeches present them with special
“thank you” cards tied up with pretty ribbon. You could make the gifts
individual by choosing from the same range but giving a bracelet to one, a
necklace to another, earrings to another and, for the younger bridesmaid, a
hair pin.
The bridesmaids’ flowers are a great way of adding glamour to the whole occasion. However, it’s important to consider the style of their dresses and
their heights and ages.
Adult bridesmaids’
flowers could be mini versions of the bride’s bouquet or, they could be a
different variety of flowers but in the same colour. For the younger
bridesmaid, a wrist posy, floral hair circlet or a decorated hoop may be more
appropriate.
If you have adult bridesmaids and only one younger bridesmaid, you could make
her feel very special by asking her to be your "flower girl" complete
with a basket full of flower petals to strew amongst your guests whilst the
photographs are being taken.
Do take into account the personality of the
little boy. A safe bet will be to dress him in the same style as the  other male
attendants.
A younger pageboy may be persuaded to wear a sailor or a Little Lord Fauntleroy
outfit but, the older he is, the more likely he is to refuse!
National costumes could be considered including the popular Scottish kilt -
sporran, dirk and all. The colour of the pageboys outfit could be introduced
into the bridesmaids flowers, so that all the outfits co-ordinate.
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