How to Choose a Color for Your Bridesmaid Dresses

Choose bridesmaid dress colors that your bridal party will look great in.

If you're planning a wedding, there are plenty of details to arrange and decide upon, from choosing your wedding dress to setting a date and booking a photographer. However, you also have to aim some of your focus on your wedding party, particularly your bridesmaids. Between your bridal shower, bachelorette party and your big day, your girls will be helping you out a lot. You'll need to choose their dresses, including the style, length and particularly the color of the dresses.

Instructions

1. Choose a color that will not only look good on the dresses but also scattered throughout your reception. Your wedding colors are reflected in your bridesmaids' dresses, the table settings and the flower arrangements.

2. Think about the colors that go best with the season when you'll be having your wedding. Springtime weddings call for light pastels, summer weddings look great accented with bright, bold colors, winter weddings glisten with ice blue and silver and autumn weddings reflect the colors of changing leaves.

3. Decide what time of day you're going to be holding your wedding. If you're having a wedding during the afternoon, you'll want a lighter colored dress. Evening events call for darker dresses.

4. Think about how formal an event you're going to be having -- this will help determine what shade of color to go with. Casual weddings can get away with just about any color, but ultra-formal events may call for dark brown or black dresses.

5. Take your bridesmaids' coloring and shape into consideration. Bold colors don't flatter heavier women, and dark colors may make women with pale skin look washed out. If your bridesmaids have very different coloring, consider choosing different shades of the same color for your bridesmaids' dresses.

6. Ask your bridesmaids what colors they prefer -- you don't necessarily have to take their suggestions, but their advice may help you narrow down your color choices. Also, if you do end up going with a color that your bridesmaids suggest, you know they'll be just as happy as you will be to order the wedding dresses. The best way to see what colors will -- and will not -- look great on your wedding party is to ask everyone to head to a bridal store and try on a variety of dresses.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, you don't have to follow traditional color choices. If you're having a formal wedding and want your bridal party in light pink dresses, go for it! You have to live with your wedding colors in photos for the rest of your life, so make sure you choose a color scheme that you love.

References

• Wedding Colors; How to Choose Your Bridesmaids Dress Colors; September 2010
• The Joint, 98 Online: How to Choose a Color For Your Bridesmaid Dresses