Pretty Maidens All in a Row
By OCinSite At-Large on January 10, 2011 1:40 PM
Bridal party pow-wow. | Photo courtesy the Resort at Pelican Hill
By Michelle Garrido | Newport Beach Magazine, March 2010
Brides are opting for a modern take on bridal party attire that allows her attendants to choose from a selection of dresses in a specified color and fabric. According to Jeannie Savage, wedding planner with Details Details (aboutdetailsdetails.com), this is a great option for larger bridal parties of eight or more.
“With the larger bridal party, there’s a bigger variation in body type,” Jeannie says. “Not everyone is going to have the same frame. When you have a larger group of women standing at your side, it’s a bit more sophisticated if each can choose a different hemline, or a top that flatters her figure.”
For smaller bridal parties with up to two or three attendants, Jeannie sees brides keeping her friends’ body types and budgets in mind by choosing dresses that can be worn more than once.
“They’re definitely not ordering bridesmaid dresses,” says Jeannie. “They’re choosing beautiful evening gowns or cocktail dresses off the rack from stores like ABS or BCBG—even department stores.”
This option is especially suited to older brides with older bridesmaids, Jeannie says. “When you’re in your 30s, you don’t want to wear the traditional bridesmaids dress that might be too cutesy or too flirty. You want something a bit more sophisticated, and brides are becoming much more sensitive to that.”
Color trends pick up where last year’s left off, with deep, regal shades remaining popular among brides. “Eggplant was a huge trend last year,” Jeannie says, “and it continues in 2010. All of the rich jewel tones: deep shades of pink, purple, fuchsia.”
Fucshia flights of fancy. | Photo by Kri Sado
Soft shades of gray are also gaining popularity. These tones play well with others and serve as an unexpected neutral that can flatter most skin tones. “I see a lot of combinations of gray,” Jeannie says. “Gray and grapefruit, gray and butter yellow, gray and mocha. It’s easy to match with other colors. And from gray we move into the metallics—silver, champagne and bronze are also trending for 2010.”
