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What clothing should they wear
Once roles are assigned, you need to think about
clothing for the children in your wedding. Of course, you can use traditional
wedding clothing. This might include a flower girl dress for a flower girl, a
tuxedo for a ring bearer or a (slightly modified style depending on age of
child) bridesmaid dress for the junior bridesmaid. All of these options are
perfectly appropriate, especially if you are having a very formal wedding.
Of course, there are other options. Most weddings
take place between June and September. This means that you have the perfect
opportunity to find more affordable options. During the Easter season, almost
all department stores provide dresses comparable to traditional flower girl (and
in some cases, junior bridesmaid) dresses. Suits are sold during this time for
the boys, and accessories can be found easily. Even if your wedding doesn't take
place between June and September, you can plan ahead the year before.
Another good time is near Christmas, but the
colors of clothing for this season is more limited and is usually darker (or
brighter jewels) in tone. Similar suits (in darker colors) are sold during the
Christmas season, but "wedding like" accessories are harder to find. If you are
"in between seasons" or can't find what you like, you can always try consignment
shops or thrift store. My four year old is wearing a lovely thrift shop example
this year. It is cream-colored lace and has dusky pink roses and ribbons
adorning the sleeves and bodice. Ruffles of lace adorn the skirt. I paid two
dollars for it, but it's a gorgeous dress that makes her "feel like a princess".
It also works perfectly for a "Victorian themed wedding".
If you don't have the time to shop with the
children that are in your wedding, you do have a few alternatives. The first is
multi-colored dresses. These generally have a print of roses or other flowers
and many colors are represented throughout the dresses. Simply give the parent/s
of the child a swatch of the bridesmaid dress color. Even if it does not match
exactly, the look will be uniform. This is especially true if you have the
children in the same or similar prints. If the boy is wearing a tuxedo, his
cummerbund and bowtie can match the colors. If he will be wearing a suit, you
can rent (or buy) only the vest in most cases and can use this to match the
colors. The suit should be similar in color to the groom's wedding party.
The final option is to leave the choice up to the
parent of the child. Armed with a color swatch and instructions to "match it as
closely as possible", most parents will find a perfectly appropriate dress. If
you would like a similar style or fabric (to the bridesmaid dresses), simply
inform the parents of this. While I prefer to have the couple (bride or groom)
shop with my children (and me), it doesn't always work out that way. These
options are for those cases, but you should make every effort to be involved and
let the children know how special they are to you.
I have to include one last note on children's
attire. When the child is too young to actually be involved in the wedding but
his or her siblings are in the wedding…it's nice to involve them too. Simply ask
the parents if they can dress the younger children in complementary clothing.
When it comes time for pictures, include the little ones in the pictures. This
is a great idea if you are a close relative to the child. I have to thank my own
sister for this thoughtfulness as I had not come across this idea before.
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