How to Pull Off a Hot Pink Bridesmaid's Dress

So one of your closest friends in the whole wide world asked you to be in her wedding. You were excited. You were ecstatic about a day filled with wonderful memories--until she told you that the bridesmaids would all be wearing hot pink! Here are some tips on how you can mercifully pull it off.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Apply neutral make-up. While you have been burdened with this terrible color which you must wear, you can help yourself look a little better by applying neutral make-up. That is to say do not play into the hot pink color scheme but play against it. Keep your eye shadow, lip stick and nail polish all in muted tones. In doing this the rest of your body will appear elegant and sophisticated. If you played into the hot pink color scheme, it might make you look like a "lady of the night" or as if you were attending a Halloween party!
2. Buy decadent shoes. If the dress can't be the focal point, make it the shoes. Convince the insane bride who made you wear a hot pink bridesmaid dress to her wedding, that the shoes must be elegant. Maybe have all of the girls in the bridal party together. (Remember, strength in numbers.) Find a shoe that is elegant and sophisticated and again in muted colors to help relax the burden of the dress.
3. Suggest a shawl or cover-up. This will have a great shot of working for a cold weather wedding. Suggest to the bride that a shawl or cover-up be part of the bridesmaids attire. Again, find a tone that mutes the hot pink dress. Something in a cream or off-white might be nice, or maybe even a softer pink. Just something--anything--to minimize the hot pink!
4. Own it. At the end of the day, it's a dress. Plus, it's not your wedding. It's your friend's. Wear the dress like it's a Vera Wang original. If you have confidence while wearing it and are not embarrassed by it, everyone will just act as if it's completely normal and belongs to the overall mosaic of the day.

Tips & Warnings

• If it is hot pink and has ruffles, have an intervention with the bride. Seriously, it's a fashion felony.