Wedding Etiquette Wednesday - Wedding Attire: Bridesmaids

You want me to wear THAT?!

 

Remember that scene at the end of the movie 27 Dresses when Jane, played by Katherine Heigel finally gets married and she has 27 attendants wearing all the dresses she had to wear as a bridesmaid? What if every new bride made their attendants wear these crazy outfits?

 

It is not unrealistic for a bride to want everything to be perfect on her wedding day, however, some may go a little overboard with their demands that can be a little bit out of the norm. It is important for every bride to remember some of these important things when deciding on bridesmaids’ attire…

 

Cost – Traditionally, attendants pay for their own dresses and accessories

• Brides should take careful consideration when choosing bridesmaid attire. If a bridesmaid expresses that her budget is limited, the bride has a couple options. 1) Choose less expensive dresses 2) Purchase dresses for attendants as their gift. Just note that this will take a portion of the budget
• If a bridesmaid is on a strict budget and cannot afford to purchase wedding attire, she should be honest with the bride and explain that even though she is honored to be chosen as a bridesmaid, it is just not possible financially
• In the past, dresses would only be worn once. Now, brides are starting to choose dresses that can be worn for other occasions.

 

What is appropriate? – No matter what style of dress is chosen, it should complement the bride’s dress.

• Formality – At a formal wedding, generally the attendants dresses are floor length along with the bride’s but for less formal, they can be shorter
• Fabric – the fabric need not be the same. If the bride’s dress is satin, the attendants should be in a similar fabric, not linen or organdy.
• Color – today, virtually all colors are appropriate for weddings including black and some shades of white (guests should never wear white)

 

Shape – Diversity. It’s what makes the world go round. We are all shapes and sizes. The same style dress might not look as flattering on one bridesmaid as the next. Modern brides can consider choosing different dresses with guidelines for fabric, length, color and formality.

 

So bridesmaids - why did Jane wear all those dresses? I don’t think it was because she was waiting for the day to make everyone else wear them. She knew it was the bride’s day and wanted to make her happy. And for the bride - when you are considering your bridesmaid dress choices, just think if you had to wear it. Would you?

 

 

 

Peggy Post. Wedding Etiquette: The Definitive Guide to Your Wedding Experience (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2006), 258-259.