Question from Victoria:

How do I coordinate colours brown, cream and bronze with the bridal party outfits.  Any ideas on how these colours can be coordinated well on the outfits in order to look elegant?

Answer from Bridal Expert Angela:

Hi Victoria, and congratulations on your upcoming wedding.  Brown and cream look very beautiful together.  I suggest using bronze as an accent colour.  The bronze colour could be in the accessories like handbag, bridesmaid jewellery, or shoes.  You could have a bronze cloth “belt” on the dress, if the style you have chosen suits it.

Bronze is an interesting colour because it depends upon how it works with the brown—it needs to have the same undertone of colour to work well together.  If the bronze has a shimmery, metallic look to it, it could really add sparkle to the outfits.  I suggest you look at some different bridesmaids dress styles to see what the designers have done with multicoloured dresses, or how they have used metallics in their designs.

I saw a beautiful brown bridesmaid dress at a wedding I attended a long time ago.  It was a beautiful, soft deep chocolate brown with a wrap style bodice, and a cocktail length A-line skirt that was slightly flared.  The bodice had a cream lapel trimmed in lace that was squared in the back, and ran in a thinning taper across both sides of the wrap in front.  That particular dress had a black belt.  The dress looked so beautiful that I made a mental note of it.  It also suited the different body types wearing it, and the cream colour worked with the colouring of the bridesmaids wearing it, so they all looked quite radiant.  Of course, that was the 80′s, and big lapels were “in” back then—but you get the idea, and dress styles can be modified.

You could have a brown bridesmaid dress with a bronze and cream accented “jacket”—bolero, shrug, or similar item.  Maybe you want metallic bronze lace layered over the brown dress, with cream sash belt, shoes, and handbag.  There is no one right way to use these colours in your bridesmaid dresses.  Explore what the designers have done, and take the things you like best to create something that reflects your personal style.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

Angela Fiebelkorn, The Wedding Expert