Glamorous Wedding Attire

Weddings are one of the few excuses we get to really dress up these days.  Let’s face it: dressing your best makes a special occasion feel even more special. That goes for everyone involved in the wedding, from the bride and groom to the wedding party to the guests. This guide to glamorous wedding attire will help you turn out in high style.

There are spectacular options available for the bride who wants a wedding gown with a glamorous attitude. It is all about the use of luxurious fabrics and rich details with a touch of drama. A trumpet style is one of the most glamorous, with its slim fit through the bodice and sudden flare of fullness at the skirt above the knee. The most au courant versions of trumpet shape wedding gowns are created in silk satin or silk taffeta and feature interesting ruching and gathering. A one shoulder gown would be very chic as would one with an asymmetrical oversized bow. Lots of dazzling crystal bridal jewelry and fabulous high heels will make the look even more glam.

When the bride is the picture of glamor, she will surely want her bridesmaids to embody the same fabulous style. Rich color can be an excellent way to make your bridesmaids look glamorous. Try an eggplant silk or a peacock blue for drama and sophistication. A satin draped column dress would be a fantastic silhouette for the bridesmaid dresses (the draping is not only gorgeous, but it hides any figure flaws). Sparkling crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets will be the perfect finishing touch.

Without a doubt, the most glamorous style for the groom and the rest of the gentlemen is black tie. The female wedding guests can take their cues from the bride and bridesmaids: rich colors, luxurious fabrics like silk, special accents like feathered accessories and crystal wedding jewelry. The entire wedding will be a marvelous sight to behold with such gorgeously attired people there!

Preppy 2010 Bridesmaid Dresses

A big trend for 2010 is to dress the bridesmaids in a very light neutral color, or even white. If this appeals to you, a fantastic bridesmaid dress would be one of the white eyelet lace dresses from Lilly Pulitzer. Available in strapless styles and styles with straps, the look is one of classic romance, with a crisp preppy twist. A pearl tin cup necklace would be the ideal bridesmaid jewelry for white eyelet bridesmaid dresses.  Pink and white peony bouquets will be the perfect finishing detail for your beautiful bridesmaids.

Seersucker is another favorite fabric of preppy brides, and there are some marvelous options available. The dress company thread does fantastic bridesmaid dresses in several colors of seersucker, which would be great for a wedding on a hot summer afternoon. There are both knee length and full length dresses, so you can decide on how formal you want to go with your attendants’ attire. Your bridesmaids will love that these dresses do not scream “bridesmaid”, which will make them easy to wear again summer after summer.

For a beach wedding with a preppy flavor, check out the great dresses at Vineyard Vines. They do an adorable pink shift dress with a subtle shell pattern that would be perfect for an informal wedding on the sand. White lace trim adds elegance to the simple shape of the knee length shift dresses.  A cute detail would be to have your bridesmaids carry bouquets with seashells wired in amongst the flowers to tie in with the shell print on their dresses.

If your style is more formal, there are some wonderful classic bridesmaid dresses that have a preppy flair to them. The cotton cady dresses at J Crew have a terrific crisp polished look, and are available in preppy favorites like azalea pink and clover green. They are mostly offered in knee length styles, and the nice thing is that bridesmaids can choose from several different necklines within the same fabric and color. That allows each woman to choose the dress which is most flattering to her figure, while still maintaining a unified appearance for the bridal party as a whole (because we all know that preppy gals like things to match!).

Bridesmaid Dresses to Pair With Red Wedding Gowns

A red wedding gown can actually take on a lot of different styles, from elegant to retro to dramatic, and that is a great place to begin when shopping for bridesmaid dresses to match your gown. Let’s say that you are having a formal evening wedding, and really want your attendants to look sophisticated and elegant. Black satin column dresses would be very striking for the bridesmaids. You can bring in the red wedding theme with custom red crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets and bouquets of deep red roses. If you want to bring a touch of the bridesmaids’ black to your bridal attire, add some black feathers to your bouquet, and maybe even wear them in your hair.

Black and red are a fairly dark color combination, so it will not suit every wedding. Metallic neutrals are a fantastic option for a chic bridesmaid dress color to pair with a red wedding gown. Silver or pewter chiffon dresses would be elegant for a summer evening wedding. In the autumn, a rich tone like bronze silk dupioni would be magnificent with a bride in red. Match the metallic to the undertone of the red of your wedding gown. If you are wearing a cool cherry red, silver would be a good complement. Brides in rich burgundy would look best surrounded by bridesmaids in warm metallic colors like gold. Glittering Swarovski crystals in a coordinating metallic shade would be great for the bridesmaid jewelry sets.

For brides who like the royal associations of a red wedding gown, the perfect bridesmaid dress color is another one with regal undertones: purple. Rich aubergine bridesmaid dresses will look like the epitome of elegance and style next to a bride in a deep red wedding gown. Tie the colors together with bouquets which combine the red and purple. The bride’s bouquet could be mostly purple flowers with a few red blossoms, and the bridesmaids could carry bouquets that are the reverse. That will help the flowers to stand out against the color of the dresses.

Although red is not the traditional wedding gown color, it is actually a fairly versatile one. Once you have an idea of how to mix and match your red gown with the rest of your wedding details, the whole design picture will quickly come together. These great ideas for bridesmaid dresses should help you get off to a terrific start.

Winter Wonderland Wedding Attire

Planning a Winter Wonderland theme wedding? Great! It is a fabulous and festive theme for a wedding in the cold winter months. A Winter Wonderland wedding needs equally fabulous attire for the bridal party; here is a guide to the most spectacular outfits for everyone from the bride on down.

The hallmarks of a Winter Wonderland wedding are icy sparkle and plenty of shimmer. This is a very fun idea to capture in a bridal gown. Look for a lustrous white silk gown, rather than one in ivory or champagne. Choose a style that has a grand presence, such as a very full ballgown with a box pleated skirt. Then think about the details. Silver embroidery and crystal beadwork are a must!

No wedding gown is complete without the perfect finishing touches. A sparkling headpiece is great for a Winter Wonderland bride. Choose a tiara, a double headband, a festive comb, or a set of hairpins. Crystals and rhinestones can be mixed with tiny pearls for the perfect icy snowflake look. In fact, you can even get hairpins or other jewelry that is made in the shape of a snowflake. A snowflake pendant is a fantastic gift idea for your bridesmaids. You will want plenty of other twinkling touches, too, such as stacks of Swarovski crystal bracelets, chandelier earrings, and a fabulous crystal necklace.

The bridesmaids for a Winter Wonderland wedding should also look spectacular. As popular as red is for winter weddings, it makes too strong a contrast to the icy white palette that characterizes this theme. Opt for bridesmaid dresses in a color like silver, platinum, or champagne instead. They will look just as festive, yet will not be a distraction from the décor. Certainly the bridesmaids will also want to shimmer. Sets of Swarovski crystal bracelets, earrings, and necklaces would be the perfect finishing touch.

Preppy Bridesmaid Dresses

If you are a bride who loves the classics, then you will have fun planning a wedding with preppy details. From the bouquets to the attire, everything should proclaim your personal style. These are some ideas for the most perfect preppy bridesmaid dresses.

A favorite of preppy brides everywhere are the whimsical designs of Lilly Pulitzer. Always cheerful and bright, Lilly dresses are ideal for less formal bridesmaid dresses. Best of all, your friends will have plenty of chances to wear them after the wedding, since they are not specifically bridesmaid dresses. Lilly’s strapless dresses tend to be the most popular for weddings, as they are a bit dressier than the classic shifts. Slip on a set of pearl bridesmaid jewelry and a cute pair of sandals, and your ‘maids will be picture perfect. A bonus is that you can coordinate the rest of the wedding party with the bridesmaids; there are dresses in matching fabrics for little flower girls and even Lilly print neckties for the men in the bridal party.

If your wedding is a bit dressier, you may prefer to choose bridesmaid dresses that are not so boldly patterned. The first color that springs to mind for preppy bridesmaid dresses is pink, perhaps with a lime green accent. A strapless dress that hits just below the knee would look wonderful in a pink silk shantung (in any season) or silk organza (spring and summer only). Add to the appeal with a cheerful sash at the waist in lime green, or perhaps a silk patterned Vineyard Vines waist sash for a little more flair. White pearls would be timeless and pretty, or you could have custom sets of bridesmaid jewelry created from pretty pink Swarovski pearls. A tin cup necklace style would be perfect for the simplicity of this type of bridesmaid dress.

Most preppy brides and grooms love the water. If your wedding is going to be held at a yacht club or oceanside, think about navy blue bridesmaid dresses. The crisp combination of navy blue and white always looks fresh for a nautical wedding. Navy faille dresses would be marvelous, especially accented with a bit of white piping around the neckline and at the waist. Strapless is always nice, but another neckline that would work very well is a slightly squared scoopneck. The dresses can be long or shorter, depending on the time of day and the formality of your event. The options are really limitless; it is all a matter of selecting the dresses that best suit your bridesmaids and your wedding style.

Neutral Bridesmaid Dresses Your Girls Will Adore

There is an age-old tug-of-war that takes place between brides and bridesmaids. The bride wants her attendants to wear a dress that will enhance the style of her wedding, and the bridesmaids want a dress that doesn’t scream “bridesmaid”. After all, they figure, if they are going to drop hundreds of dollars on a dress, it should be something they can actually use again in the future. The perfect compromise: stylish dresses in versatile neutral tones that can be accessorized in a way that says “bridesmaid” and then worn again with different accessories for future parties.

One of the most chic neutrals right now is gray. For an evening wedding, pair a long one shoulder gray dress with dramatic accents in your wedding colors. You can have bridesmaid jewelry custom made as gifts for your attendants in your wedding colors, such as hot pink crystal chandelier earrings. Many, many other colors work beautifully with gray, from rich red to regal purple to bright canary yellow. That is the beauty of a neutral color such as gray; it is all what you want to make of it.

Light colors like almond and cream are increasingly popular for bridesmaid dresses. They can look very soft and ethereal, and are certainly easy for your friends to wear again in the future.  Short floaty chiffon numbers strike just the right note, especially when accented with bright colors. A creamy short bridesmaid dress paired with lime green silk high heel sandals would look absolutely stunning. Bring in more pops of color with details such as stacks of green crystal bracelets for their bridesmaid jewelry and a simple green satin headband.

Two other popular neutrals for bridesmaid dresses are brown, and of course, the ubiquitous little black dress. Brown is an extremely easy neutral to layer with color. It looks feminine with pink, stylish with aqua, autumnal with orange, luxurious with bronze, and hip with chartreuse. Your favorite color can be layered in as a removable sash, a silk wrap, a beaded clutch, or a trendy headband. After the wedding it will be a snap for your friends to use different accessories to create an entirely different effect.

Wonderful Striped Wedding Attire

Stripes are fresh and crisp, tailored and classic. They can be formal and restrained, as in a pin stripe suit. Stripes can be exuberant when they are done in a rainbow of bright colors. They can be vertical, horizontal, printed or woven, even made from ribbon embellishments. With all this variety, it is no wonder that stripes are one of the best patterns to choose when dressing your wedding party.

You can find some amazing striped dresses for your bridesmaids. The most classic are a two color stripe, woven in a fairly stiff fabric. This looks fantastic for a knee length strapless dress, in any color. If you are having a preppy wedding, pink and green stripes are perfect, especially when paired with pearl bridesmaid jewelry. For summer weddings, you cannot beat the fresh and easy look of seersucker striped bridesmaid dresses, in pink and white or blue and white. The classic elegance of pearl bridesmaid jewelry also looks pretty with this style of dress, and will not compete with the patterned fabric.

For a formal wedding, I love the look of a ball skirt made from wide tonal stripes (which have a very subtle contrast between colors). Rich gold tones created in wide vertical stripes look magnificent and grand. The top of the ensemble can be a fitted strapless or square neck top in a solid color that matches one of the stripes, a cashmere twinset, or even a white wrap blouse in a dressy taffeta. The last style also works beautifully for the mother of the bride or groom.

The men in the wedding will also look handsome in stripes. A very subtle pinstripe or even a chalk stripe suit can be a nice option for a fairly formal wedding which is not black tie. Just be sure that the effect is not overly business like, and avoid double breasted pinstripe styles, which look more mafioso than stylish. A solid suit can be made more interesting with the addition of a striped shirt. This looks especially nice for a summer wedding when the groom and his groomsmen will be wearing linen suits. A pastel striped shirt adds a nice detail to the mix. And of course, don’t forget about dressing up a solid suit and shirt with a boldly striped repp tie.

Even the bride can get into the act. A white on white seersucker stripe would be fresh and beautiful for a spring or summer bridal gown. The detail is very subtle, but so pretty when seen up close. You can also find some wonderful wedding dresses which have horizontal or vertical bands of lace, which creates a striped effect. Pearl bridal jewelry with crystal accents would be a lovely finishing touch, especially if the lace is beaded.

Casual Bridesmaid Attire

Not every wedding calls for the attendants to be dressed in formal attire. For a wedding on the beach, in a park, or in your own backyard, you might want to consider choosing something informal for your bridesmaids. These are some of the best looks for casual bridesmaid attire for any type of wedding.

For a beach or waterside wedding, a great informal look for bridesmaid dresses is a dress with a festive pattern. Tropical Hawaiian prints are wonderful for a beach wedding. For a preppy beach wedding, Lilly Pulitzer shift dresses worn with pearl tin cup necklaces will make your bridesmaids picture perfect. New England weddings by the water are the perfect excuse for your bridesmaids to get cute dresses from Vineyard Vines. The classic Nantucket style of their patterns will look great with tin cup necklaces (the perfect bridesmaid jewelry gifts) and the guys in Nantucket red pants.

Another idea for a relaxed bridesmaid look is to have each one wear a top and a skirt instead of a dress. If executed well, this can be a wonderful look, although if it is not properly coordinated, you will lose the cohesiveness that a bridal party should have. Choose one pretty skirt that each attendant will wear, and pair it with a simple top. An example would be a patterned skirt worn with very nice crisp white blouses. An appealing variation on this is to put a simple white blouse with a ball skirt for a relaxed holiday evening wedding. Just resist the urge to have each skirt be a different color of the rainbow; I have seen this done, and frankly it is impossible to pull off well. A better idea would be to put each bridesmaid in a version of the same color, such as shades of pink.

When you have only one or two attendants, your options for informal bridesmaid attire will open up even more. You could just allow each bridesmaid to select a strappy sundress that she really loves. The nice thing about this is that you will know that your friends will love their dresses enough to wear them again. When you have two or fewer attendants, it is not so important that they coordinate with one another or the rest of the wedding party. Your attendants will be ready to go and have a great time at your fun and casual wedding.

Saving on Wedding Attire

Every bride wants to look as beautiful as possible on her wedding day, and yet doing so need not mean going deep into debt for a designer gown with all of the trimmings. It is definitely possible to find affordable wedding attire for both the bride and her attendants while keeping the budget in check. Here are some suggestions on the best ways to save on your wedding attire.

One of the best ways to keep your expenses under control is to think creatively. For instance, if you are a bride who is seeking a simple but elegant gown, you may find some fabulous choices available in the evening wear department of your favorite boutique or department store. There will often be some stunning styles available in many of the most popular bridal fabrics like wispy chiffon or flowing charmeuse. Not only will you pay less, but you will have access to all of the latest trends and styles.

Bridesmaid dresses are not just for bridesmaids any more. Did you know that many bridesmaid dresses can also be ordered in white or ivory? You can find a huge array of styles and fabrics, including satin, organza, or crepe. Bridesmaid collections are also easy to order in virtually any size, and take much less time to come in that wedding gowns. This means that you can save both time and money!

Of course, since you are working to save on your attire, you will want to find great accessories that will not break the bank. This can actually be easier than you may expect. Swarovski crystal bridal jewelry is a great option. It will definitely help to transform your dress into one that says, “bride”, and yet it is also quite affordable. Choose a sparkling crystal headpiece, dramatic bridal earrings, and finish off your jewelry set with a pretty necklace and a bracelet or two. Top with a simple veil, and you will look every bit the beautiful bride.

The Hippest Bridesmaid Dresses

The coolest bridesmaid dresses look like something that you could wear to a chic nightclub, rather than the taffeta nightmares of weddings past. These dresses are so hip and stylish that the bride might even want to get one for herself to wear on her honeymoon. If the bride herself would be happy to put it on, you know that it is one stylish dress!

The fabrics of choice for the most modern bridesmaid styles are flowing silk charmeuse and silk chiffon. These fabrics are great because they are both elegant and a little bit sultry at the same time. For color, any shade of blue is in, as are rich jewel tones and neutrals like charcoal. They will look especially wonderful for an evening wedding.

Short is a big trend for chic bridesmaid dresses. Many of the dresses are created in short and sassy cuts with details like bubble hems or ruffles on the hemline. The skirts are full but soft, which will make them float and move marvelously as your bridesmaids march down the aisle. The fullness also helps to balance out the shorter skirts and strapless or spaghetti strap tops that are all the rage. A fun detail that has also been cropping up is pockets hidden in the seams of the skirts.

Such stylish dresses call for equally fabulous accessories. Look for bridesmaid jewelry that has a modern edge to it, like long crystal drop earrings. A great idea for bridesmaid jewelry gifts would be a pair of stunning earrings with enough bracelets to stack up the wrist. Keep the shoes simple and modern – a pair of strappy high heels is perfect.

Bridesmaid dresses no longer have to be a bad joke played on your good friends. With these fresh and modern styles now available, you can dress your bridesmaids in a way that will make your wedding even more chic. And for once, maybe your friends can actually have a bridesmaid dress that they will be happy to wear again.