How to Choose a Flower Girl Dress

When selecting a flower girl dress for your wedding, there are many things to consider - the age and height of the flower girl, wedding colors, dress length, dress style, and so forth. The first step is to know what styles of flower girl dresses are available.

First one should know the roles for “Flower Girls”. There are really three distinct roles for little flower girls in a wedding. Flower Girl – a child attendant wearing a child-like dress in either Tea or Formal length who usually carries either a basket of petals to strew on the aisle or path announcing the arrival of the Bride. Miniature / Jr. Bride – a child dressed like a bride.

This role comes from medieval times as a decoy to lure evil spirits away from the Bride to avoid a curse on the marriage.  She may wear a miniaturized version of the Bride’s gown or a  edding-style gown complete with train and flowing headpiece.  She carries a bouquet. Jr. Brides Maid – older girls certainly prefer this designation.  The young ladies are usually dressed to coordinate more with the Brides Maids rather than in a full, fluffy little girl’s dress.

Types of dress: Selecting the right flower girl dress and accessories is an exciting time. Indeed it is a special day for the bride rather than the flower girl but what she wears will help her feel just that much more special and create memories for a life time. Traditionally and in many cultures yet today, the "little bride" look is desirable for flower girl.

 It is usually a full satin gown with plenty of trimming and a frothy veil on her head. However that trend has now disappeared in many modern parishes. Today we're seeing a desire for clean lines and simple styles more in tea length than formal. Many feel that this helps focus the emphasis on the child and the meaning of the day. Sleeveless is also definitely popular in many locations.Light touches of beading are still very popular but it is not as 'standard' as it once was. More modern styles will include lovely dresses with an entirely different silhouette from the standard ballgown style. Selecting the Colors: White or ivory dresses are the most popular (always coordinated with the color of the Bride’s gown).  There are many alternatives; consider the following:

A white or ivory dress and add a sash in a color close to the color of the Bride’s Maids dresses.  It may be possible to order extra fabric from the company where you order the Bride’s Maids’ dresses to have sashes made up.  Or, you can select a similar color from a child’s dress company; matching isn’t often that important.

A white or ivory flower-petal filled dress.  Select flower petals in the color of the flowers everyone will carry or the color of the Bride’s Maids’ dresses.  It is not necessary to have an exact match. When to Shop It is very important to shop early so you have the widest possible selection. 

Start shopping in early October. Shop for her headpiece at the same time - once they are out of stock, they won't be available again this year. This will allow you time to think things through and order any style you want - even with extra dress length if necessary/available and still have time to make alterations before the day she wears it.