Your bridesmaid’s outfit for your wedding doesn’t end at a
dress and shoes. Jewelry, shawls, and even hairpieces are necessary to round
out the attire you’ve chosen for your closest ladies to wear.
What should you require that your bridesmaids wear? Should
you purchase accessories for them? Where can you acquire these items?
Shawls and Wraps
A bridesmaid once told me that Pashmina shawls were “out of
style”. Guess what? She was wrong.
Pashminas and other types of shawls are by no means “out of style”. In
fact, they’re still very much in style – a simple walk through any upscale
department store shows as much.
Not only are shawls and wraps available in a range of
colors, but they are also offered in different patterns. Moreover, many are
rather simple – meaning without any frills or décor - allowing bridesmaids to
use them again in the future.
A wrap or shawl serves one essential purpose: keeping a
bridesmaid warm. For this reason, they’ll never be out of style. In fact, I couldn’t
help but notice that the bridesmaid with such opinions about her Pashmina wore
it all night during her friend’s mid-March wedding.
Jewelry
Sending a bride down the aisle without jewelry isn’t a
crime, but it does end up leaving your attendants looking unfinished. Moreover,
a lack of jewelry on bridesmaids can become obvious in pictures.
You may choose for your bridesmaids to wear the exact same
jewelry, jewelry within the same color scheme, or jewelry that is the same but
with each bridesmaid wearing different pieces. An example of the last option is
one bridesmaid wearing a necklace and earrings in a specific jewelry style or
color while another wears earrings and a bracelet of the same type.
Most bridesmaids are more than willing to wear whatever
jewelry the bride selects – even if it’s just a selection of “all silver or
gold please.” However, the important thing is for a bride to select what she
wants and to make it known: a task helped along by the fact that most
bridesmaids will pose a question regarding the issue at some point during the
planning process.
Hairpieces
No, we don’t mean toupees (however, some groomsmen may need
this assistance!)! We mean fascinators, flowers or some other adornment that
your bridesmaids will place on their lovely (full) heads of hair.
Hairpieces are tricky. Many bridesmaids aren’t used to
wearing them and often have quite specific views about what they’re willing or
unwilling to put on their heads. However, the key to including any hairpiece in
your bridesmaid’s attire is uniformity. Multiple types of adornments, which
often happens whenever bridesmaids are allowed to select the hairpiece of their
choice, look awkward in photos.
Note, however, that not every bridesmaid needs to wear a
hairpiece. For example, it is perfectly acceptable for only five of ten
bridesmaids to wear the fascinator the bride chose. The key is uniformity among
whatever number of bridesmaids agrees to the hairpiece and to not have only one
bridesmaid, even if she is the maid of honor, wear a hairpiece. One bridesmaid
wearing a hairpiece will stand out and look strange.
A bride interested in having her bridesmaids wear hairpieces
should pick them out herself and either put them on hold at the store for each
bridesmaid to purchase herself or purchase the item for each bridesmaid. This ensures that the particular piece chosen
is actually worn.
With hairpieces, it’s also important to provide bridesmaids
with a professional (read: hairdresser) to apply them as appropriate. This ensures
uniformity within the pieces’ appearance, reducing awkwardness.
Should You Buy These Accessories?
Accessories are a great bridesmaid gift: the bride ensures
that each bridesmaid has the specific item chosen for them and bridesmaids do
not have to spend more money purchasing items for their role. You might
consider purchasing accessories for your bridesmaids if:
- They are expensive
- They are unusual or unique; because not all stores carry the same items, it might be difficult for bridesmaids to find the item chosen if they live scattered throughout the US
- They are custom made
- Doing so is within your budget
Make it known to your bridesmaids if you’re planning on
purchasing accessories for them, they’ll thank you for saving them time and
money.
Where Can You Purchase These Accessories?
A key to purchasing any bridesmaid accessory, regardless of
whether you’re gifting them as a “Thank You” for their participation in your
wedding, is to keep them mid- to low-cost. Purchasing items for several ladies
quickly adds up to a large expense.
Although you can bargain hunt at traditional stores, if you
really want to purchase nice items at a reasonable cost, consider gently used
items, such as those offered by NextWed.com. Most jewelry and other bridesmaid
accessories have been worn once and only for a few hours, and most resale
websites and shops offer high-class and style items at less than retail.
