Sunday, August 22, 2010

Matching the Attendants' Attire to the Bride and Groom


Image : http://www.flickr.com


The bride and groom are the focus of attention at a wedding. Well, okay, mostly just the bride. Nevertheless, your bridesmaids and groomsmen will also play an important role in the look of your wedding. You want to make sure that their attire will complement the style of what the bride and groom are wearing, as well as the theme of the wedding in general.

Getting the men in the wedding party coordinated is really quite easy. Whatever the groom wears is what the groomsmen should wear. If the groom wears a tuxedo, his attendants will also wear tuxedos. If the groom wears a navy blazer and khakis, then the groomsmen will wear that too. Some couples think that they should dress the groom a little bit differently to make him stand out from the rest of the men, but this really is not necessary. Everyone will recognize the groom, since he will be the one standing up at the altar kissing the bride!

There may be some additional touches that you want for the men in the wedding. If they will be wearing shirts with French cuffs, a very nice wedding gift from the bride would be a pair of cufflinks. You can have them engraved with his monogram, or perhaps your wedding date. A really fun idea is a pair of locket cufflinks with a picture of the happy couple inside. The groom can use this same concept when he is looking for gifts for his groomsmen. These days, a lot of young men do not own any cufflinks, and a silver pair makes for very handsome groomsmen gifts, indeed.

The bride and her bridesmaids will not wear the same dresses, of course. You do want the style of the bridesmaid dresses to be in keeping with what the bride will be wearing though. In particular, it looks best when the attendants match the bride in the degree of formality. If the bride will be wearing a satin gown with a cathedral length train, it would look very odd for the bridesmaids to wear above the knee cocktail dresses. On the other hand, if the bride is wearing a simple linen gown for an outdoor wedding, putting the bridesmaids into long silk gowns would also be a mismatch.

In addition to formality, the bridesmaids should match the style of the wedding and the bride's gown. If you are having a very romantic garden wedding, then you don't want to dress your bridesmaids in black sheath dresses that would be better suited for an urban loft ceremony. Not would you want to dress the bridesmaids at an urban loft wedding in flowery sundresses. For religious ceremonies, propriety is also a consideration. In certain churches too much skin is a definite no-no, so be sure to check on the specific requirements of your church before ordering the dresses for the wedding party.

The wedding party should also complement the look of the bride and groom in terms of accessories and grooming. This applies more to the hair and makeup of the ladies, but the groomsmen are not exempt. For example, if you are having a barefoot wedding on the beach, it might not matter if the best man shows up with three days worth of stubble on his face, but for a ceremony at the Ritz-Carleton, he had darn well better have a fresh shave and a haircut!

Once you match the attendants to the bride and groom in general terms, you will find that you still have plenty of freedom in choosing their attire (well, for the bridesmaids, at least). You can pick out dresses in any number of beautiful colors, flattering cuts, and luxurious fabrics. And when all is said and done, you will have a bridal party that does you proud.




Laura is interested in wedding planning and wedding trends including jewelry,receptions and gifts. Groomsmen gifts can be customized to fit the interests of your attendants.

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