Ways to Personalize Black Bridesmaid Dresses
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, black bridesmaid dresses are here to stay. With so many brides now choosing black dresses for their attendants, it can be pretty easy for them all to blend into a sea of sameness from one wedding to the next. The key to avoiding this is to add special details in the cut of the dresses, accessories, and flowers to make your bridesmaids’ attire feel unique. These are some great ways to personalize black bridesmaid dresses.
When choosing flowers for your bridesmaids to carry, black dresses are a very neutral backdrop. Almost anything will work, although you do have to be careful about how certain colors combine with black, such as orange (too Halloween) and yellow (hello, bumblebee!). For a summer wedding, try flowers in bright festive colors like lime green, fuchsia, and orange (pairing it with other colors negates the Halloween association). If yours is an evening wedding, cascade bouquets featuring lush purple orchids would be the height of style with the black bridesmaid dresses. Bright red roses are popular for winter weddings with black satin gowns, or create fall bouquets featuring reds, yellows, and oranges to carry against black silk dupioni dresses.
Jewelry is another excellent way to add character to black bridesmaid dresses. Consider having unique custom bridesmaid jewelry created for a really special accent. To give your dresses more of a classic style, pink pearl tin cup necklaces made with pearls in a large diameter would be very graceful and ladylike. Or opt for colorful custom Swarovski crystal bridesmaid jewelry which pulls in a color from their bouquets. Bold colors like peridot and siam red would be marvelous for statement jewelry. Certainly the timeless style of clear or “ab” finish crystals would also be gorgeous with black dresses, if you prefer to a more understated glamor.
Shoes are a fantastic way to personalize black bridesmaid dresses! Forget about black shoes to match the dresses, and seek out festive shoes with style. Silver high heeled sandals are always nice, although it would be fun to do something a bit wilder. Consider a sassy leopard print peep toe pump or a chartreuse green silk high heel Mary Jane. If flats are what your bridesmaids prefer, choose exciting ones with a rhinestone brooch at the toe or burgundy velvet flats for a holiday wedding.
Filed under Bridesmaid Jewelry | Tags: black bridesmaid dresses, bridesmaid accessories, bridesmaid bouquets, custom bridesmaid jewelry | Comment (0)Ideas to Brighten Up Black Bridesmaid Dresses
Just because you have chosen a dark color for the bridesmaid dresses does not mean that they cannot have some vivid color elsewhere in their ensemble. A very fresh approach to the bridesmaid bouquets is to give each attendant a nosegay made of a different variety of flower. Have each bouquet made in a monochromatic color from one type of flower. In other words, you might have one nosegay of green Kermit mums, another of hot pink carnations, another in orange gerbera daisies, and so on. As long as the shape and size of each bouquet is uniform, this will look fantastic.
Accessories are a great way to brighten up black bridesmaid dresses. The bridesmaid jewelry can be a particularly fun way to add a splash of cheer to dark attire. Classic white pearls are lovely, but when the attendants are all wearing black, it can be better to opt for Swarovski crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets. This will give you a huge range of color choices, and will also get some shimmer and sparkle into the bridesmaids’ outfits, which is always a good thing. For summer, aquamarine crystal station necklaces would be gorgeous. In the winter months, a rich color like jade or cinnamon will be just the right amount of color for the bridesmaid jewelry to make it pop against the dark dresses.
Bridesmaids wearing knee length black dresses? Then use their shoes as the pop of color. One of the best colors is a chartreuse satin shoe, which will really stand out and make a statement. There is nothing somber about shoes like that! Cobalt blue is a rich hue which looks surprisingly good with black. Another deep shade with a great hit of color is plum. Metallic colors can work well for the bridesmaids’ shoes also. Silver, gold, or bronze shoes will offer the distinct advantage of being something which the bridesmaids will be able to wear again on many occasions.
What if your bridesmaids have already purchased their black dresses, but when your mother learns of the choice, it launches her into a panic attack? Instead of returning the dresses, consider adding a sash or wrap with a pop of color. This couldn’t be easier, since absolutely any color will look great against a black dress. If it means maintaining family harmony, it may well be a worthwhile compromise. The nice thing is that after your wedding, remove the sash, and your attendants will still have the classic black party dresses that they started with.
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: black bridesmaid dresses, bridesmaid bouquets, Bridesmaid Jewelry | Comment (0)Bouquets for Bridesmaids
Your bridesmaids’ bouquets are the largest accessory that they will carry, so it is important to choose wisely. There are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when talking bouquets with your florist. One is that your bridesmaids’ bouquets should coordinate with their dresses, your wedding gown and bouquet, as well as the style or theme of your wedding. The biggest choices that you will make are: color, type of flower, size and shape of bouquets, and special accents like ribbons.
It used to be common for a bride to try to match the color of the bridesmaids’ flowers to their dresses as closely as possible. Although this is still done, many florists are getting away from the exact match, because the flowers will tend to blend in too much with the dresses. You can lose the visual impact of the blossoms in this way, especially in photographs.
A nice alternative is to select flowers in a color that will stand out against the bridesmaid dresses, and tie them with a ribbon that matches their dresses for continuity. The flowers can be another version of the same color, like hot pink peonies carried by bridesmaids in pale pink gowns, or go for a modern look with a strong contrast, like orange flowers with a deep purple dress. Sometimes brides will choose to have the bridesmaids carry a progression of colors in the same type of flower; for instance if your attendants were wearing butter yellow dresses, you could design bouquets in a range of purples from lilac to eggplant for a dramatic contrast.
It is very important that the style of flowers you choose for bridesmaid bouquets makes sense with their dresses. If your attendants were wearing long black sheaths and crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets for an evening wedding, you would not give them a bunch of daisies to carry down the aisle. On the other hand, an elegant bouquet of calla lilies would be perfect with such a chic bridesmaid ensemble. And the daisies have their place too; they would be charming with cotton voile bridesmaid dresses and simple sets of silver jewelry for a summer afternoon wedding in a park.
When in doubt, ask your florist to make you a few samples to view along with a sample of your own bridal bouquet. The wedding flowers are such a key decorative element at your ceremony that you want to make sure they all look gorgeous.
Filed under Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: bridesmaid bouquets, bridesmaid jewelry sets, wedding bouquets, wedding flowers | Comment (0)