Dressing the You’ve picked your dress but what about everyone else? Here’s how you can help your loved ones Whilst the most important outfits at the wedding are those getting married, there are other members in the bridal party that we need to consider. The key players that will need your help are the bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents of the happy couple, flowergirls and pageboys. They will need to look the part while they run around and help on the wedding day – so, how to dress them? Bridesmaids and groomsmen are perhaps the easiest on the list and do have a set rulebook, but what about the others? Flowergirls invariably end up in a white dress (the only person on the guestlist that can get away with this), and pageboys end up in a mini version of the groomsmen’s suits. The parents also need to stand out but don’t have a clear ‘uniform’ so what do? BRIDESMAIDS Let’s start off with the group that we all think of when we hear ‘bridal party’. Knowing what bridesmaids are going to wear, invariably falls towards the top of the list, as there can sometimes be a lot of people to organise. In having so many different body shapes to dress, you find that there are lot of barriers to overcome. Dressing your bridesmaids can be broken down into five steps: colour, fabric, style, length, accessories. The colour is normally an indicator of your wedding theme and should be the thing you decide on first. From there, we can get a better idea of what fabric would suit this best. Fabric can be anything from silk to chiffon and can even change between the maid-of-honour and the bridesmaids. For example, your maid-of-honour could be in a silk dress, and the others could be in chiffon but in the same colour. The style can then be impacted by the type of fabric you pick; choosing silk limits you to more skintight silhouettes and chiffon will naturally lean on the A-line cut. A popular style for modern bridesmaids is the multiway dress; the top half can be fashioned into whatever style that bridesmaid wants. This is amazing for creating a cohesive look without forcing your maids to wear something that doesn’t suit them. After colour, fabric, and style you need to decide on a length; floor-length has been popular for a long time now and whilst we see hints of tea-length coming back, floor-length gowns seem to suit bridal party Photo by Emma Bauso “A popular style for modern bridesmaids is the multiway dress; the top half can be fashioned into a style that bridesmaid wants. This is amazing for creating a cohesive look without forcing bridesmaids to wear something that doesn’t suit them.” DRESSING THE BRIDAL PARTY 71
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