No Longer a One and Done: Wear That Bridesmaid Dress Again

How many times have you been told that you can wear the bridesmaid dress again? How many times have you actually done that? Instead of shelving the bridesmaid dress, never to see it again, it is time to learn how to wear a bridesmaid dress again without looking like you just stepped from the dance floor at the reception.


Alterations Can Work


The first step to wearing a bridesmaid dress again is to look for the positives of the dress and what can be changed. Even though women are wearing maxi dresses, long bridesmaids dresses are often too dressy to wear to anything other than a wedding. If you want to wear a long dress again, it might be worth it to have it hemmed to a shorter length. Or, if the length is perfect, but the top is too dressy, a tailor can remove the formal aspects. After spending hundreds on a dress to wear once, it is worth it to spend a few more dollars to make the dress wearable during the day.


Accessorize to Perfection


Once you have altered the dress to fit your wearability rules and style, the next step is to look at the accessories you can pair with it. In many cases, you might not have to alter the dress at all if you can hide the unwanted aspects of the dress with a gorgeous scarf, a statement necklace, or a casual jacket or cardigan. When you use accessories to change the look of a statement dress, like a bridesmaid dress, it is important to not overdo it because you could run the risk of looking silly. You could pair a scarf or necklace with a cardigan, but not both the scarf and necklace. If you are using a statement piece, you should keep the rest of your jewelry subdued, too.


Casual Shoes Make the Outfit


Another way to get the bridesmaid dress to work outside of the wedding is to pair it with unexpected shoes. One of the best ways to “dress down” a dressy dress is to pair it with casual sneakers. Do not wear socks or hosiery and do not wear athletic shoes with your dress. You can also wear booties or casual sandals to dress down the bridesmaid dress. Do not wear pumps or dressy shoes because those shoes will immediately make the dress look like a bridesmaid dress again.


Be Yourself


Hats can make any dress look casual. Floppy sun hats, fedoras, and other casual hats can make a long dress look like it belongs at a cool outdoor concert. If you pair the hat with a long cardigan and subtle jewelry, no one will have clue that you are wearing a dress that celebrated a new marriage.


There are plenty of ways to change-up a bridesmaid dress to make it wearable on the street, at work, and while hanging out with friends. The key to being able to wear the dress is to style it your way so that you are comfortable.

Weddings 101: Keep Your Dress a Secret

In the world of selfies and social media, keeping anything a secret is a special challenge. Once you share that your are getting married, one of the first things that everyone wants to know is what your dress is going to look like. While many brides do love to share the look of their wedding dress with their social media contacts, there are brides who want to keep the actual dress a complete secret until the moment they appear at the top of the aisle. If you are one of the brides that wants her dress to remain a complete secret, here are a few tips to protect the dress until the day of the wedding:


1. Tell everyone your plans. Communication is the key to success. From the very beginning of your wedding announcement, you must tell the people who think they will be involved in picking out your dress that you are going to do this on your own to keep it a secret. If someone is offended by your decisions, then you should take a moment to talk to this person about your decision and that you hope that person will respect it.

2. Make good people choices. After you have announced your decision about the super-secret-wedding-dress, you should pick the people or person who shops with you very carefully. Bridesmaids and family members love to help with dress shopping, so be sure that you pick the one or two people who will be honest and will keep your secret. However, it might even be best to just go shopping on your own. The old adage from Benjamin Franklin, “Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead” was written out of experience. You will know when you find the dress the love and it will not matter if your best friend or your favorite cousin happens to be there when you see it.

3. Let your bridesmaids pick their dress styles. One of the surest ways to disclose a secret wedding dress style is by picking a bridesmaid dress that looks similar. Instead, let your bridesmaids pick from a collection of dresses in the same color. Since bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes, your attendants will appreciate the opportunity to pick from dresses in a style that will fit their body and style. You can give them a handful of your favorite styles to choose from so you are still in control of the look of your wedding and having the dresses in the same color will make your dress stand out.

4. Pick something to share. Since people will want to know something about your wedding look, you can give a little preview of something to feed their imaginations. Maybe you show a sliver of your shoe, or a swatch of the bridesmaid fabric, or a petal from a flower you plan to carry. By giving a tiny preview, you keep people interested and you will make many of them forget that you wanted to keep your dress a secret.