Weddings 101: A crash course in wedding & bridesmaid frocks- PART TROIS

After hunting around for bridesmaid dresses, the saying "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" doesn't register with me as a bad thing. Just saying, I wouldn't complain if I was Katherine Heigel in 27 Dresses so long as I got to twirl around in gorgeous satin or chiffon frocks. At least for a little while that is. Anyways, now that we have addressed the most important person in our wedding series, the bride, it is time to focus on her bridesmaids! If you missed the first two parts in this series check out PART UN here and PART DEUX here!

Exhibit A: Colors 

Katy told me she is going to have six bridesmaids and would like to have a sunset-inspired color pallet, meaning oranges, corals, and yellows. When it comes to bridesmaid dress selection, one of the cardinal rules is having enough color contrast between the bride and her bridesmaids. I would be very careful about picking pastels. In all honesty, I probably wouldn't even consider pastels for my own wedding, but to each his (or her) own.

Also, since Katy is going to have six bridesmaids, she needs to think about colors that will accommodate a variety of skin tones. If she is planning on lining her bridesmaids up in a certain order, she must take their dresses' color into consideration (for example one option would be having two girls in orange, followed by two in yellow, and then two in coral). Furthermore, Katy needs to know all of the color options for the if the style of dress she desires. All of these elements will play into her final decision. Here is a collection of possible options:

Exhibit B: Silhouette

Again, since Katy is having a number of bridesmaids she needs to find a style that will suit more than one body type. I would recommend an A-line dress because it will look good on a variety of shapes. This type of dress has a fitted bodice that is the most tight around the waist and then flairs gently downward to form an “A” shape. This is ideal if you want to cover the tummy or other lower body areas, but it will also look good even if you don't necessary want/need to cover those areas. A-lines are similar to ball gowns in that they both flare out; however, they aren’t as voluminous as ball gowns.

Option 1: Short Sateen Dress

I found the dress through David's Bridal and have picked out three colors to show. From left to right the colors are: persimmon, tangerine, and canary. I like this dress because it is an A-line shape and the pleating around the waist will really accentuate the smallest part of any girls' body, creating a very pretty feminine shape. The dress is fully lined, but the sateen fabric makes this dress very airy- perfect for Katy's beach wedding in Mexico!

Option 2: Mori Lee Chiffon Dress

This dress is another A-line; however, there is a lot more going on here. The bust is sweetheart shape that has breathtaking pleated chiffon, and the strap has some floral detailing. This dress is also longer: it's knee length, as opposed to the cocktail length shown in the first option. The colors I've chosen to feature are jalapeno, buttercup, and cantaloupe. For more information, check out Mori Lee's website.

Option 3: Amsale Chiffon Dress

This is another chiffon dress and is sort of a hybrid between the first two options. It's above the knee and has a floral detailing, but it isn't as fierce (for lack of a better word) as the second option. Their website wouldn't allow me to switch between the colors, so I've included their collection of possible swatches you can order. I would recommend the coral.

Well, that concludes our bridal series. What did you guys think? Leave me a comment or e-mail me at info at remchic dot com! I'd also like to wish Katy and Cory congratulations on their engagement and all the happiness in the world!