Who needs another fuchsia taffeta dress hanging in the back of her closet? Not your bridesmaids! The most modern approach to dressing your 'maids is to choose a fabulous dress in a neutral color that they will be able to wear again. Make it suit your wedding by layering in details and accessories in your wedding colors. The result: a bevy of gorgeous and happy bridesmaids.
There is an age-old tug-of-war that takes place between brides and bridesmaids. The bride wants her attendants to wear a dress that will enhance the style of her wedding, and the bridesmaids want a dress that doesn't scream "bridesmaid". After all, they figure, if they are going to drop hundreds of dollars on a dress, it should be something they can actually use again in the future. A reasonable sentiment, and yet one that is often at odds with the bride's vision for her wedding (because what the bridesmaids are really saying they want is black cocktail dresses!). The perfect compromise: stylish dresses in versatile neutral tones that can be accessorized in a way that says "bridesmaid" and then worn again with different accessories for future parties.
One of the most chic neutrals right now is gray. It might sound bland at first, but a nice medium gray in a stylish cut can actually work very well for a bridesmaid dress. The key is how you accessorize it. For an evening wedding, pair a long one shoulder gray dress with dramatic accents in your wedding colors. You can have bridesmaid jewelry custom made as gifts for your attendants in your wedding colors, such as hot pink crystal chandelier earrings. Many, many other colors work beautifully with gray, from rich red to regal purple to bright canary yellow. That is the beauty of a neutral color such as gray; it is all what you want to make of it.
Light colors like almond and cream are increasingly popular for bridesmaid dresses. They can look very soft and ethereal, and are certainly easy for your friends to wear again in the future. To make sure that they do not look like miniature brides, choose dresses for your attendants that definitely say cocktail not bride. Short floaty chiffon numbers strike just the right note, especially when accented with bright colors. A creamy short bridesmaid dress paired with lime green silk high heel sandals would look absolutely stunning. Bring in more pops of color with details such as stacks of green crystal bracelets for their bridesmaid jewelry and a simple green satin headband. Don't forget that the flowers your bridesmaids carry will also be a major part of their look and can add a lot of color to a neutral dress. For the cream dress with lime accessories, bright red flowers tied with a green ribbon would be modern and striking.
Two other popular neutrals for bridesmaid dresses are brown, and of course, the ubiquitous little black dress. Brown is an extremely easy neutral to layer with color. It looks feminine with pink, stylish with aqua, autumnal with orange, luxurious with bronze, and hip with chartreuse. Your favorite color can be layered in as a removable sash, a silk wrap, a beaded clutch, or a trendy headband. After the wedding it will be a snap for your friends to use different accessories to create an entirely different effect. As for black, the key is to keep it from looking too somber, so go with bright hits of color like aqua or yes, even fuchsia. With the strategy of pairing a stylish neutral dress with colorful accessories, everyone will come away feeling like a winner.
