Dressing Your Bridal Party

Finding ethnic inspired bridesmaids dresses is not as easy as going into a bridal salon and pulling them off the rack.  I have seen wedding themes ruined because the bridesmaid's dresses were not complimentary to the bride's attire.

You should start shopping for your bridesmaids� dresses right after you have chosen your gown,  It is probably best to go it alone your first time out, so you can get a sense of what's out there or just bring one bridesmaid or honor attendant to have her try on a few looks.

Tradition dictates that the bridesmaid�s dresses should compliment and coordinate well with the bride�s gown.  The easiest way to coordinate the bridesmaid's dresses with your style is to pick up on a single detail in your gown; such as a piece of trim, a hint of color or even the shape of your neckline.  Then search for a dress with a similar style.  The bridesmaid�s dress should never be longer or more elaborate then your wedding gown.

Your bridesmaids should coordinate in as many ways as possible.  All elements of their ensembles should be considered from hair to nails to makeup to colors to shoes.  The trick is to pick something that suits each attendant perfectly and keeps her smiling all day.  There are several options in for selecting your bridesmaid�s dresses.  No rule says that they all need to wear the exact same dress.  The only guideline you should follow is to keep your wedding attendants visually cohesive, comfortable and attractive.

 Start by selecting the color that you want your bridal party to wear. Then begin to think about the style of their dress.  A-line silhouettes, sheaths, 2 pc. ensembles and empire waist gowns are the best choices for most body types. If your bridesmaids come in a range of sizes, then you can make it easy on yourself by allowing each woman to choose her own style but in the same colors and textures. 

Another option is to choose three styles that compliment different shapes. Make sure they are all made from the same fabric and color.  You can also choose one dress style in different colors or different shades of the same color thus creating a beautiful spectrum of vibrant hues.  To keep uniformity, they can wear identical jewelry, hairstyles and nail polish. When the brides and her maid�s attire blend and work well together, it always results in a beautifully styled wedding

Your Honor Attendant

Although your honor attendant's gown should be similar in texture, style and color, she will have a little more flexibility with her choice because of her distinguished role.  You may choose to have her stand out in the crowd as the only one in your bridal party whose dress has a shawl or whose dress color is a different shade or you can even have her carry different a different flower arrangement from the rest of the attendants.  .

 Deciding On The Color

Soft pastels are most widely used for daytime weddings as well as silver, gold champagne and earth tones.  Although they are standard and classic wedding colors, you don't have to rely on them.  Challenge yourself and use unexpected colors such as

deep, rich jewel tones, royal blue, fuchsia and orange.  Darker colors like black, navy and chocolate have become acceptable as colors for attendants both for daytime and evening weddings, and they can be worn again. Charcoal is a trendy option for your wedding party since it has more richness and depth then black.  It is also more acceptable to parents or grand parents who don�t think guests and attendants should wear black.

You can also select you colors according to the season or time of day the wedding is being held;

Autumn/Winter - sienna, moss, sage, chocolate, bronze, cranberry, cinnamon, hunter green, wine, navy, charcoal, copper, burnt orange, gold, champagne, black

Spring/Summer - fuchsia, lavender, dusty rose, other creamy colors

Evening - royal blue, burgundy, black, navy

Sunset - orange, coral, red, gold

Afternoon - peach, purple and pastels

Excerpt from The AfroCentric Bride, A Style Guide by Therez Fleetwood