Seven Steps to Choosing Your Junior Bridesmaid Dresses - Thetrendybride

Deciding to include junior bridesmaids in your wedding is such touching commitment. You are essentially telling a young woman that she is important enough to you to play a role in the first step on your new life journey. You are entrusting her with what might be one of her first major responsibilities – it is your responsibility to make sure her participation is organized and easy to manage.

Junior bridesmaids also, generally, have parents (unless yours happens to be your own daughter), and that is another layer of required diplomacy. As much as you might like to just dictate what your attendants will wear, parents have a legitimate concern for their daughters’ comfort and well-being. Be sure you involve them in your plans from the beginning.

Here are the general steps to follow when choosing your junior bridesmaid dresses:

1. First, select your color palette and decide how the bridesmaid dresses will fit in. Will they match the bridesmaid gowns or would you rather they be a slightly different (or completely different) shade?
2. Choose your own wedding gown. The style of your dress will help dictate the style choices for the rest of the attendants’ attire.
3. Confirm arrangements or ordering instructions with your dress supplier. It’s helpful to have all attendants order their dresses from the same company to ensure that the look is cohesive. Provide attendants and the juniors’ parents with the supplier’s contact information and ordering protocols.
4. Communicate all details and decisions clearly with the junior bridesmaids’ parents. Relay the color details and discuss which styles would coordinate with the rest of the attendants’ attire. How old are the juniors? Younger girls will need to select from gowns made specifically for children, while older ones may be able to choose styles more similar to adult attendants. If your ceremony site has any specific rules or guidelines for modesty or dress, be clear about those as well. Finally, give a timeline of when the dresses need to be selected, ordered, fitted if needed, and pressed.

Encourage the junior bridesmaids to try on several different styles of dresses. When they have narrowed down their choices, help make the final selection.
If you have accessory requests – specific jewelry or shoes, for example, make sure you include the details in your instructions.
Follow up with your entire party regularly to make sure deadlines are met and that dresses arrive in good condition, the right size, the correct color and style.

It’s also helpful to keep in mind that depending on the age of your junior bridesmaids (generally 9 – 14), yours could still be growing rapidly. You may want to tweak measurements to allow for a growth spurt, or choose a dress length and style that is a little bit forgiving. Floor-length gowns, for example must be tailored carefully or the shortest and tallest attendants can have problems matching the look of more average height bridesmaids. Tea-length and some cocktail-length dresses can be a bit more forgiving. Know that juniors are most likely to need a few last-minute alterations and be prepared.

If your junior bridesmaid is a dancer, a performer or a gymnast, you might also want to include her in the wedding show. It’s important to mind that these performances require special types of sports attire, but at the same time they should match your wedding theme. Check out discount dancewear at Just for Kix for something girly and solemn if you’d like to organize a really special show for your wedding.

The process for choosing junior bridesmaid dresses isn’t too much more complicated than for wedding attire in general. Simply keep the maturity of your particular junior bridesmaids, and their ages, in mind when making decisions, and your younger attendants will look their best.

Author Bio

Wendy Dessler

Wendy is a super-connector with ManageBacklinks.io who helps businesses with building their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. Wendy frequently writes about the latest advancements in the SaaS world and digital marketing.