You and your groom should choose a style that reflects both your personality and tastes. There are some vital decisions you both need to make.
Choice of ceremony (religious or civil)
Time of year
Number of guests
Venue location
Make these your first priority and you can then concentrate on the finer details.
The Dress
- A good rule of thumb when choosing your dress is to make sure it’s a style that suits your body shape. It’s always tempting to go for something you’ve fallen in love with from the pages of a magazine.
- It’s hugely important to try on lots of different gowns.
- Many brides end up choosing something very different to what they originally imagined.
- Be open-minded and experiment with all sorts of styles – the dress may look surprisingly different on than when it’s on the hanger!
- It’s also a good idea to practice putting on the dress and accessories in advance of the big day.
- Your dressmaker will advise on the correct order for dressing and fastening everything.
- Once you take delivery of your dress, it’s advisable not to try and iron it – hang it up in the bathroom and the steam will help any creases to drop.
- It’s also advisable to wear cotton gloves when handling your dress.
- Make sure whoever helps you to get ready on the day, doesn’t wear shoes until the last minute in case they step on the dress or veil.
- Your dress is the last thing you should put on
- Be fully made-up before putting your dress on
- Your bouquet should be held at hip-height otherwise the line of the dress can be spoilt.
Your florist will have an abundance of ideas and experience to help you choose the perfect flowers to suit the style of your wedding.
Be sure to choose a bouquet to suit both the theme of your wedding and the style and line of your wedding dress – a country wedding would require a very different bouquet to a sleek contemporary one!
Bridesmaids' Flowers
Your bridesmaid’s flowers should be understated and simple – they should subtly complement your bouquet rather than compete with it.
- Hand tied single flowers or small bouquets and posies are usually popular and very cost-effective.
- Choosing a basic version of the bride's bouquet is the safest option.
- The flowers should co-ordinate with the bridesmaids' dresses and the bride's bouquet.
- The bridesmaids' bouquets should also match the ushers' buttonholes.
- For a more unusual look you could have each bridesmaid carrying different flowers.
Buttonholes
Traditonally the groom, best man, ushers and the fathers of both the bride and groom wear a buttonhole.
They are worn on the left-hand lapel of the morning coat or suit jacket.
* They should not be too large or decorative; something quite simple looks the most effective.
* It’s usual for the groom's buttonhole flower to pick out one of the bride's flowers
* The best man, ushers' and fathers' buttonholes should reflect the bridesmaids' flowers.
* Your florist will provide a pin with each buttonhole for attachment to the lapel
Whilst it’s not traditional, sometimes buttonholes are provided for members of the wedding party and the guests – this ensures consistency for the theme of your wedding.
A popular choice for Mother’s of the Bride and key female guests, the corsage is a ‘mini’ spray of flowers either worn on the lapel or around the wrist or upper arm, made up of small flowers or buds to complement the style of the wedding flowers.
That's the main wedding party sorted - see part 2 which outlines some traditional etiquette - timeless rituals from rules on engagements and presents to venues and honeymoons.
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