After you have chosen the perfect dresses for your bridesmaids, it is time to move onto the fun part -- choosing their jewelry and shoes! Even the most beautiful bridesmaid dresses and the cutest dress for your flower-girl can be kicked up a notch in style by accessorizing them correctly. Follow these tips for making these important members of your bridal party look great from head-to-toe.
1. Choosing Bridesmaid Jewelry
There are several factors that contribute to choosing the right jewelry for your bridesmaids, including dress style, dress color, and the hairstyles they will be wearing during the wedding. Since bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes, you must also choose styles that are universally flattering to women of different heights and body shapes.
Follow these basic dos and don'ts when choosing jewelry for your bridesmaids:
Bridesmaid Dos:
- Choose silver-toned jewelry if your bridesmaid dresses will be of a cool-toned color, and choose gold-toned jewelry for warmer shades. For example, if your bridesmaids are wearing baby-blue, then this cool-toned dress shade will look much better with silver-toned jewelry than with gold. However, gold jewelry complements warm-toned yellow dresses well.
- Keep jewelry simple. You don't want beads and oversized jewelry to attract attention away from the dresses and, more importantly, to distract from the star of the show -- you.
- Skip necklaces if your bridesmaids are wearing dresses with higher necklines. If their dresses are strapless, then a short necklace that hits no lower than about two-inches above the neckline of the dress is best.
- If your bridesmaids are wearing their hair up, then earrings are must. Don't worry if you have bridesmaids with unpierced ears, because clip-on earrings have become more fashionable than ever, and even high-end designer jewelry-makers, like Lena Style, are now offering them.
Bridesmaid Don'ts:
- Very long necklaces typically don't complement wedding attire well. Stick to shorter styles.
- While every bridesmaid may have her own personal jewelry style, your wedding is not the time for them to show them off.
- If you have your bridesmaids wear bracelets (which is a great idea), then make sure each fits their wrists well. You don't want them having to play with their bracelets during the ceremony to keep them from falling off.
Follow these guidelines for bridesmaids that look great but also don't steal the show from the bride and groom.
Your flower girl is likely young and will be wearing a dress that is different from your bridesmaids. This means her jewelry can be unique. Let her help you choose her jewelry, so she sees the wedding as a fun event. This may be her first experience being "in-the-spotlight", so letting her choose her own adorable styles can help ease her nerves and ensure she is wearing a big smile on the day of the wedding!
2. Choosing Shoes
While your bridesmaids should wear the same or similar jewelry styles of shoes, you can give them a bit more leeway when guiding their shoe choices. After all, some people have foot problems that don't allow them to wear heels entirely, and your bridesmaids will likely be of many different heights.
Guide them with the following dos and don'ts, then let them make their final choices:
Do's:
- Give your bridesmaids a maximum heel-height guideline. You don't want your stiletto-loving friend show up in 8-inch heels when everyone else is sticking to shorter heels or flats.
- Choose open-toe or closed-toe. While their styles can vary a bit, you want the type of toe to be somewhat consistent.
- Choose a color. Gone are the days of dying bridesmaid shoes to perfectly match dresses, but you also don't want each bridesmaid wearing a drastically different color shoe.
Don'ts:
- Don't insist that every bridesmaid wear a very high heel. You could be putting the health of a bridesmaid with a foot problem in danger or end up with one taking a tumble if she is not skilled at wearing heels.
- If your bridesmaids' dresses hit the floor, then you can allow them all to wear comfy flats, but don't let them wear slippers or old flip-flops that always have the chance of being exposed at some point.
Your flower girl can wear just about anything on her feet, and a pair of cute, embellished flip-flops are a great choice for a little one. You want her to be cute and comfortable.
Choosing your bridesmaids' jewelry is fun. Follow these guidelines for a great-looking wedding party and an adorable flower-girl. However, remember these are just guidelines. If you want your bridesmaids to wear something that breaks all the rules, then go for it as long as it makes you happy on your big day!
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