Bella's Brides Wedding Dress Blog

If you are a bride in the midst of planning your wedding, you may discover that shopping for the perfect bridesmaid dresses can be a challenge. You could find yourself dealing with the conflicting opinions of your own bridesmaids. Perhaps, you already have a vague idea of what you want, but are confronted by a plethora of options. No matter what difficulties may lie ahead in shopping for the prefect bridesmaid dresses, you must keep in mind that you have the ultimate power to choose your bridesmaid dresses. When it comes to having a wedding, planning is everything. Therefore, take an organized approach by considering some of the following aspects.

Budget
Know your budget. If your bridesmaids are paying for their own bridesmaid dresses, solidify your budget together. Take the time to meet with your bridesmaids and include them in the process, especially if they are responsible for paying for at least a portion of the dresses. A meeting is also an opportune time to discuss other potential design aspects, especially if you are feeling indecisive.

Colors and Fabric
What colors for bridesmaid dresses align with your wedding theme? Usually, a bride chooses bridesmaid dresses based upon the color palette that was chosen specifically for the wedding. Also, feel different fabrics. Are you looking for a matte fabric or a satin material with a special shimmer? Since your wedding will have many photo opportunities, consider how each fabric will look behind the camera lens.

Personal Preferences
Define your personal preference for bridesmaids dresses. Understand that in the end, your opinion wins. After all, this is your wedding day and it’s up to you to choose your ideal set of bridesmaid dresses. You may want to take the time to discover your bridesmaids’ personal style preferences. Some brides allow their bridesmaids to have the freedom to choose their own bridesmaid dresses, particularly if the bride asks for the bridesmaid to pay for the dress or a portion of it. If your bridesmaids’ style preferences do not align, are you willing to compromise or are you sticking to the vision of what you already want?

Figure Types
Evaluate your bridesmaids’ figures. Many brides acknowledge that their bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes. Are you willing to accommodate different shapes and sizes? For example, would you consider purchasing the same color and fabric in different dress shapes? You can offer your bridesmaids the option to choose from various shapes, from cap sleeve dresses to halters. To maintain the uniformity, you can stick with the same exact fabric and color.

Finding bridesmaid dresses can be a challenge. After all, you want them to look nice and align with your wedding theme, all while making sure your bridesmaids wearing them are happy.

A wedding is one of the most enjoyable social occasions. Most people like to make it a real day to remember and put a lot of effort into its preparation and organization. Because weddings are such a part of our society, tradition over the years has done much to dictate how we approach them. This is not to say that you must create a “cookie cutter” style of affair at all, but it does mean that certain conventions need to be met just to satisfy tradition and expectations. As a bride or groom you may be somewhat unconventional and used to alternative approaches, but the chances are that your parents are not and will be looking for a more sedate affair!

However you structure your wedding, you want to be sure that everyone is happy and that no “toes” are stepped on, figuratively speaking, as you walk down the aisle. In this perspective, a little bit of care should be shown when choosing a dress for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom. The selection process will require etiquette and attention to style, but if all are aware of where they stand, everything should go off without a hitch.

The mother of the bride should discuss selection of dresses with her daughter a long time in advance. It’s best to start preparing these things at least six months ahead as this will leave plenty of time for all parties to select and order. There will also be adequate time for special features, alterations and so on to be scheduled if necessary. Custom wedding dresses do take quite a while to prepare and you want to be sure that each of the principal figures has a beautiful wedding dress for the big day.

The mother of the bride’s dress  should never be white; this should be reserved of course for just the bride. A black dress is considered to be bad luck and anything with too vibrant a color is simply considered to be too much. Coordinate the mother of the bride’s dress so that it complements the appearance of the bridal party.

The mother of the groom’s dress  should never overpower the mother of the bride’s dress as this is considered to be bad etiquette. A simple coordination in advance will ensure that there are no unpleasant surprises on the day and once again, the groom’s mother should ensure that her dress is complementary to the whole party.

Visit Bella’s Brides Toronto Bridal shop to choose the perfect dresses for the whole bridal party.

Tradition has it in Western cultures that the groom does not see what the bride is wearing until the wedding day. This makes it rather difficult for the groom to have any say at all!

The groom will, however, have some idea of the sort of wedding that is being planned; he will know if it’s traditional or modern.

Time was that the groom didn’t have a chance either to see or to say anything about the wedding dress and offer his view on what he wants his beautiful bride to look like on their wedding day. Today’s bride is definitely more concerned about the groom’s opinion and tries to balance her decision by including his views in the process to make her wedding dream become a reality. Some brides even allow the groom to go with them when they choose a wedding gown, and listen to his opinion.

The options for a wedding dress are endless; some grooms wants to see their bride more conservative, some simple, others sexy, elegant, or even like a Hollywood star. The wedding dress is a very important part of the overall picture where the bride has the main say, but there are other aspects of the wedding where the groom can participate and help out and offer his opinion.

Before going out there to find your perfect wedding gown the best idea is to have a little chat and come up with the decision on how much would you like to spend for your wedding dress as well the budget for the whole wedding. From this point on it will be easier for you and your groom to plan that unforgettable wedding.

Just how much do men think that the bride should be paying for that dress? This only becomes an issue if the bride and groom are paying for it. If the brides parents are stumping up the cash, what the heck!  The amount also depends on the budget, of course: some folks can just afford more than others, so it’s not an easy one to answer. Prices range from a couple hundred US Dollars to a couple thousand and more. The important thing is that the groom has to be happy with how costs are portioned out and it’s not unreasonable that more should be spent on the bride than on the groom even in these days of equality.

In these enlightened times, if the groom does, indeed, get a chance to choose the dress with the bride, or at least see some photos, catalogs or visit some websites, then we have to admit that times have changed; the groom will as often as not nowadays want to have some input; after all, the bride will surely want to have a say in what HE is wearing, won’t she? The key to this is to discuss and come to an agreement on style and price BEFORE the bride goes off looking. That way, the marriage will begin as it’s meant to go on.

Not so long ago, the word ‘wedding’ would conjure up images of a bride in white with a dress in a heavy fabric with elaborate decoration and a flowing train held by similarly dressed bridesmaids. She would be holding a bouquet of flowers, wearing a tiara and a veil. The groom would wear a morning coat with a top hat. This is the traditional wedding, still seen, still popular. In the 21st century, however, there are many alternatives to this vision in terms of style.

Today’s brides have a choice. The modern wedding has arrived and is well established. Whereas in the past the non-traditional wedding was confined to a secular ceremony outside a place of worship, now all styles of dress can be seen inside the church or temple as well as at civil weddings.

Let’s look at some ideas that you may want to consider for your upcoming wedding.

The first and most obvious change to white is to wear colour. By using colour this gives you enormous scope for styling and theming the whole wedding day from flowers to table cloths and, of course, all your accessories.

The next consideration is likely to be the style of dress or even considering a suit. Lengths of wedding dresses and bridal wear are changing. Today’s bride has an almost bewildering set of choices. There is a definite shift toward higher hemlines below or even above the knee.

Traditional wedding dresses use a lot of material, are often heavy with copious amounts of sateen or tulle with the bride disappearing beneath mountains of material: think Princess Diana.

Modern styles are now more fitted and sexy but also stylish and simple. These can often be strapless, halter necks or spaghetti straps.

Material is a fun part of choosing a wedding gown. For example, you can now find dresses made from taffeta, organza and silk and many other modern fabrics which are lighter to wear but still stylish. The traditional heavy materials such as sateen and tulle are still available, but today you can be conservative AND modern.

Modern wedding gowns can still look back to the traditional but with a huge variety of styles which provide a modern look whilst maintaining a traditional feel.  The choice is yours and there is a huge variety of dresses and styles now out there.

Whatever you do, don’t leave the choice of bridesmaids’ dresses as an afterthought to your wedding dress.

Choosing bridesmaids’ dresses is just as important as choosing the bride’s dress. Why?

Well, some people think that the because the bride is the most important female the bridesmaids should sink into the background and do as they are told and wear what they are told to wear. Wrong!

Firstly, your bridesmaids are your friends and relatives. They deserve some consideration. But, actually, they deserve a lot more than that. Bridesmaids and bridesmaids’ dresses should complement and enhance the bride and the whole occasion. Just because the bridesmaids look beautiful doesn’t detract from the bride. In fact, if your bridesmaids’ dresses are not up to scratch, it will spoil the whole effect.

So how do you go about making the right choice for a group of your friends and relatives who, traditionally, have to pay for their own dresses?

Price and who pays is the first thing you have to decide and only you will know the answer to that. It may be that you have decided that you will pay for the bridesmaids’ dresses. In that case don’t be a dictator. Sit down with your girls (or their mothers if you have very young bridesmaids) and look at some websites (hey! Why not look at Bella’s Brides or catalogues. Go out with your bridesmaids and look and feel, try on some styles. Try to make a joint decision so no-one feels left out.

The question of payment need not be a vexed one. But if your bridesmaids are paying for their own dresses you have to have the diplomatic skills of Condy Rice. If they are paying, they will naturally want to have a bigger say in the choice. This makes it even more important that you get together and discuss.

Whatever the situation is regards who pays, you will all have to agree on the following  factors:

Price; Color; Style.

Price

You must agree a price range first because whoever pays must be comfortable with the decision. Be sensitive to those who may feel they have to go along with the other bridesmaids but may be stretching their resources.

Price will determine what your range of options are and where you go to buy your dresses. You may be able to do a deal with the maker of your bride’s dress if you are also shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses.  Shop around; maybe have the bridesmaids appoint a representative to go with you. Come back with some ideas of costs.

Color

You have a range of options: same color as bride; different but complimentary; contrasting. This is a matter of personal choice but unless you are having some New Age affair in the woods, it is recommended that all the bridesmaids are dressed in the same color. It is a good idea to take with a sample of the dressing dress and then try it with different colors. The bride should insist on the final color scheme but it is important to reach agreement. Depending on your bridesmaids and your relationship with them, it may be a good idea to have a firm idea in advance what you want. It is your wedding after all!

Before you decide on a different color to the bride you have to consider the overall look, and think of flowers, corsages or other accessories. Will I work? Get some advice. The best people are the ones with experience; dress shop owners, family and friends who have made their own weddings. Take advice and make a decision.

One last word of warning: don’t forget the poor groom and best man. You need to know what colors (all the poor dears will have a limited choice compared to you) they are wearing so you don’t clash with them.

Style

This is very much a matter of taste and fashion. It is also determined by the bride’s dress. Your bridesmaids’ dresses really must compliment the bride’s dress. Contrasting styles can look disastrous. Depending on the formality of the occasion you do not have to insist on all bridesmaids’ dresses being exactly the same style but they should ‘match’.  Again, it’s very much a matter of how you want your wedding.

You can see some of the current fashions in bridesmaids dresses at with the Mori Lee and Atelier Alyce ranges. You will be surprised at what bridesmaids are wearing these days if you are used to a ‘traditional’ look. These days bridesmaids’ dresses come in a variety of styles which will make your bridesmaids drop-dead gorgeous and turn the aisle into a catwalk!

Strapless dresses are very popular now as are spaghetti straps. Lengths vary but be sure to go for one length for all to look co-ordinated.

You might also want to consider that today’s bridesmaids wear dresses that can be re-used as evening wear, cocktail dresses, suits and so on. So when choosing, bear in mind that whatever the expense and whoever pays it is a nice thought that your girls will be able to wear their outfit many times in the future.

And finally…

As they say, this is the most important day of your life. If your bridesmaids are happy with their dresses and look stunning they will give you and everyone else a lot of pride and pleasure and a wedding day to remember.