What is the general rule re: wedding/bridesmaid dresses?
My sister will be having a long wedding dress at a destination wedding. Is a short maid of honor dress ok with a long wedding gown or does it have to be long too? What are the rules about that kind of thing?
The general rule is that the bridesmaids’ dresses should not be shorter than the next “conventional” length. What that means is if the bride wears a long dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses should not be shorter than short tea length, which is low-calf length. If the bride wears a dress which is low-calf length, then the attendants can wear one as short as below the knee. Basically, the bride’s dress should always be longer than that of the attendants, unless the bride chooses to have the attendants wear floor length, which usually happens at formal weddings where the bride’s dress is technically longer because it often has a train.
There are a lot of hemline styles, but for fancy dresses, they can basically be broken down into four categories: above knee (which is generally no shorter than about 2 inches above the top of the knee); below knee, which can be anywhere below the knee to the high-calf area; low-calf area to tea length (tea length is about 2-3 inches above the ankle); and long, which means ankles covered and longer.
As for color, it can be anything but the color of the bride’s dress. If she wears white or ivory, then those are out for the attendants. If she wears a color, the attendants should wear a different color. The old thing about pastels went in the garbage years ago, and brights or deep colors are perfectly acceptable.
The top of the attendants’ dresses can be anything from strapless to long-sleeved–it’s the bride’s choice.
I know at some destination weddings the bride chooses to go barefoot, especially if it’s on a beach. Traditional etiquette dictates attendants wear shoes. Stockings or hose are optional, but if the dresses are fairly fancy, then stockings or hose are usually recommended.
Now that I have told you the conventional rules, you need to know one more thing. It’s the bride’s day, and the most important thing is that she have what she wants. If that means attendants in mini skirts with leather bustiers, so be it.
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