The Horror of Tacky Bridesmaid Dresses!

What is your idea of the perfect bridesmaid dresses? Are they flattering dresses in pretty colors that your friends will be able to wear again? Or are they bizarre costumes, only suited to being worn once before being shoved in the back of a closet until the end of time? Worst of all, do you think that the ideal bridesmaid dress is the one that is so hideous that it will make the unfortunate woman assigned to wear it look less appealing than the bride (oh, I hope not!). Bridesmaids have to endure a lot of things; tacky bridesmaid dresses should not be one them!

So exactly what is it that makes a bridesmaid dress dreadfully tacky, anyway? Is it a ghastly neon color never found in nature? Or perhaps it is an obscenely shiny fabric like gold lamé? Could it even be a cut that hugs every bump and ripple on a woman's body? Yes, yes, and yes! These are just a few of the things that have given bridesmaid dresses a bad reputation over the years.

If you are a bride shopping for bridesmaid dresses and hoping to avoid falling into the tacky trap, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Number one is whether your bridesmaids will be embarrassed to wear the dress that you choose. If it is too low cut, too bright or spangly, has giant puffy sleeves, or in any way makes them resemble Little Bo Peep, the chances are that you have found a tacky dress! The only solution is to look for a dress that is the opposite of the first one in every possible way.

One of the ways that brides can really go wrong when deciding on bridesmaid dresses is to become too enamored of a theme. Even if the inspiration for your wedding design is from a certain period or place, it does not mean that your attendants need to dress in costumes from that era. It is much, much better to find bridesmaid dresses that are modern styles with a hint of an influence from your favored time period. For instance, if you are having a Roaring '20s inspired wedding, do not ask your attendants to wear authentic flapper style dresses, complete with rolled stockings, bobbed hair, and headbands worn over the forehead. Instead, seek out pretty bridesmaid dresses made from an appropriate fabric, like a silk chiffon or charmeuse mini dress. They will fit in with your wedding, while still looking modern and pretty.

Don't think that paying for the bridesmaid dresses as gifts means it is acceptable to force your friends to wear some sort of bizarre costume. Your friends want to be there to support you on the day of your wedding, but they also have the right to feel attractive (after all, there might be some cute groomsmen there!). Besides, your bridesmaid gifts should be something that they would actually want and will be able to wear again, such as a pretty pair of cultured pearl earrings.

Sometimes brides will go into the process with the best of intentions, only to have the end result turn out to be tacky. Common examples of this would be dresses in a range of rainbow colors or homemade bridesmaid dresses that are poorly crafted by the bride's unskilled mother or aunt. Brides, please remember that you should never expect your attendants to wear a bridesmaid dress that you would not be caught dead in, if for no other reason than you do not want them to force you to wear something hideous on the day that they get married!