First of all, brides should definitely consider what dresses compliment the
style of their own wedding gown and the theme, season and time the ceremony and
reception will take place.
It’s also very important to consider the bridesmaids’ sizes. If a bride
has to consider a large range of sizes with her bridesmaids, she can often
choose a color and fabric and have it made in different styles — for instance,
some made with sleeves.
Many brides do have pregnant women in their wedding party and in that case
they have a couple of options. Many designers will sell fabric to the bride so
she can have her bridesmaid go to a maternity store to have a dress made.
If it is an off-the-rack dress the bride has chosen, a pregnant bridesmaid
can still go to a maternity store to buy something similar in color and style.
Some designers will create a dress for the pregnant bridesmaid. There are also a
lot of materials and styles that can stretch and also work for a pregnant
bridesmaid.
In addition to sizes, a bride should also consider the skin tone and coloring
of their bridesmaids.
Another important consideration for a bride is the financial situations of
her bridesmaids, and in the case where a bride picks a more pricey dress for her
bridal party, if she is in the financial situation to do so, she may offer to
help contribute to the cost of the dresses for her bridal party.
Often a bride will take her maid of honor shopping with her to choose her
dress and she can often wear one that differentiates her from the rest of the
bridal party. It’s nice for a bride to ask opinions of her bridesmaids for
what they may feel comfortable in, but a bride doesn’t want too many chefs in
the kitchen.
The jewelry for a bridal party should be simple and often a bride will give a
strand of pearls or jewelry accessories as the present for her bridesmaids.
The recommendation for a bridesmaid to order her dress and get it fitted is
anywhere from eight weeks to three months — giving her time to either go back
to the designer to get fitted or to their own tailor.
As for pregnant bridesmaids, they should wait as long as possible to get
fitted so that they will know how they will fit in the dress at the latest
possible stage in their pregnancy. Often designers can make the dress as short
as six weeks in advance and put a rush on it. It may cost a little more money,
but it’s worth it for that bridesmaid to feel as comfortable and look as good
as possible in the dress.
