Wedding Party Etiquette

What make a wedding party? The wedding party is not a celebration; it is a reference to the people who will be in your wedding. Like that brides maids, the groomsmen, kids (flower girl, ring bearer) and moms and dads. We are going to take a look at what you need to know to coordinate your wedding party. Traditionally the wedding party is coordinated so the look of your wedding is seamless.

Let’s start with the bride’s maids. Color is one of the most important features of a dress, a short halter dress in red might be too sexy, but the same dress in a chocolate brown just might be a smash. When shopping for the bride maid dresses you should bring one or two maids. Try to bring the maid that has the most similar to the body type and skin coloring to the rest of the bridal attendants. Ask your maids for advice but you should make the final decision. You are going to be the one who has the whole picture in your head of how you want your day to look like, the formality of it and the budget. Do not forget that the maid needs to accessorize also, Remember their dress and bouquet are considered part of the accessorizes so keep it simple.

Now let’s look at groomsmen the groomsmen should dress around the groom but should have at least one thing that makes the groom different from the rest of the crowd. The difference can be as simple as a different boutonniere or a different tie. When most people think of a groom or groomsmen a lot think tuxedo but there are many option out there for men. There are good looking suites as well as sport coats. It will all depend on how formal the wedding is.

Moms and Dads, how are they traditionally dressed? Tradition dictates that the mother of the bride should choose her dress first and that the grooms mom should match the level of elegance. (example both moms ware a cocktail length if that is the choice of the mother of the bride.) A rule of thumb for moms dress color is that it should complement the brides maids dresses but not match. Also moms traditionally start shopping after the brides maid dresses are ordered. The rule for dad is the same his wear does not have to be the same as the groom or groomsmen but should be at the same level of formality.

Kids are sometimes a hard one to figure in. There are many rolls kids can play in a wedding. Most people think of the young kids right away. But older kids can be a big help also. Older kids can be ushers or even junior brides maid or groomsmen. Younger children are usually used in the roles of flower girl or miniature bride and ring bearer. Now that we have the roles defined let’s look at clothing rules for these roles. Flower girls and ring bears do not have to match the adults, but should match the formality. Be sure to dress kids appropriately for their age. Comfort is the key with kids, this will help cut down on added fidgeting. The kids clothing is typically ordered three months before the big day.

Written by
Deana Schwark
02/18/09