The Agony Of Ugly Bridesmaid Dresses

The Knot's Heather Levine Tells Brides How To Spare Their Wedding Party Participants

(CBS)  This weekend, the romantic comedy "27 Dresses" opens in theatres nationwide.

In it, Katherine Heigl plays a young woman who's always a bridesmaid, but never a bride -- 27 times, in fact -- and she has 27 ugly dresses to prove it!

Sound familiar? Many woman have to grin and wear it -- some 11 million are bridesmaids each year -- and many are forced to don the most unflattering dresses.

On The Early Show Friday, Heather Levine, fashion editor of The Knot, offered suggestions to help brides-to-be spare their bridesmaids of the dreaded dresses.

Oh -- and the set was "adorned' with several examples of very unflattering bridesmaid dresses.

TIPS FOR THE BRIDE

One of the biggest trends in bridesmaids' dresses is to have them look coordinated, but not match too much.

Some things to keep in mind:

Pick a color, but LET THEM CHOOSE THE STYLE: There's nothing wrong with wanting your bridal party to look coordinated, but because all your girls have unique shapes and styles, why not pick a color and fabric and have them choose the rest? Just be sure to choose a color that's flattering on the various skin tones of your bridesmaids

KEEP WEARABILITY IN MIND: No matter how cute the outfit, once it's called a bridesmaid dress and someone is wearing it next to 11 other girls, chances are she won't be too excited to put it on again. But there is hope: By adding ruffle trims and floral embellishments, varied hemlines, and flattering necklines, designers are making bridesmaid dresses feel more like sophisticated eveningwear that would never be pegged as a multiple.

GO FOR METALLICS: Rather than asking your girls to buy matching celadon green wedges, these days, formal footwear is all about silver and gold. Metallic accessories were hot on ready-to-wear runways this year, and that look has trickled down to bridesmaid fashion, as well -- and it will work with just about any color and look you've picked for your bridesmaids.

LET YOUR GIRLS CHOOSE THEIR JEWELRY: You can and should suggest the type of jewelry you'd like to see them wear (pearls, silver, or gold), but allow them to pick from their own closets when it comes to the particulars. Chances are, your pictures won't pick up the difference in their jewels, and they'll feel more comfortable in baubles they already know and love.

CONSIDER HAVING EACH BRIDESMAID CARRY A BOUQUET OF DIFFERENT BLOOMS, ALL WITHIN YOUR WEDDING COLORS: So, if your colors are pink and green, one girl could hold a bouquet of pale pink roses, another of fuchsia peonies, and another of green hydrangeas. Your bouquet could then consist of one or two flowers from each of theirs, bringing the look together!

OTHER HOT TRENDS

BRIGHT COLORS: Bright and bold colors are all the rage, from electric blue, to hot pink, and even canary yellow.

UNSTRUCTURED SHAPES: Another trend that that spilled over from ready-to-wear is unstructured shapes. Some shapes look great on tall/thin-ballerina-type figures, but aren't good for curvy girls, since they'll look as though you're trying to cover something up, when you should be flaunting it!

EMPIRE WAISTLINES: The ultra-flattering trend of empire waists has definitely spilled over from ready-to-wear. This is a great option for curvy girls, and also works great for pregnant bridesmaids!

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Add a Comment

by justfacts2 January 18, 2008 1:12 PM PST

I followed those tips when I got married seven years ago. I let my bridesmaids pick out their own dress. I met with each one individually. Surprisingly, they all picked out the same dress and the color that was chosen was also flattering to them. I got so many compliments on how nice my wedding party looked. Unlike most brides, I took into consideration that I had been on the other side and I know what it is like to have a bride only think of herself. I didn''t want to be one of the selfish ones. All three of them kept their dresses and had them shortened.

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[justfacts2]

I followed those tips when I got married seven years ago. I let my bridesmaids pick out their own dress. I met with each one individually. Surprisingly, they all picked out the same dress and the color that was chosen was also flattering to them. I got so many compliments on how nice my wedding party looked. Unlike most brides, I took into consideration that I had been on the other side and I know what it is like to have a bride only think of herself. I didn''t want to be one of the selfish ones. All three of them kept their dresses and had them shortened.