If you are planning a wedding, chances are you want your bridal party to look good…better than good…fabulous.  However, should one of your party happen to be expecting, you may be at a loss as to how to accommodate for the mother-to-be without making the rest of your women sport shapeless dresses and miles of material.  But let us reassure you, maternity bridesmaids dresses do not have to make you and your bridesmaids into ugly ducklings.  In fact, as long as you keep certain things in mind when shopping for your dresses, you’ll be sure to find a style that not only makes your expecting mother look and feel beautiful, but you’ll also flatter the rest of the party in the process.  You can’t ask for more than that.

The first thing to keep in mind is the stage of pregnancy when the wedding day arrives.  Shopping for first or even second trimester dresses is vastly different than shopping for third trimester dresses since the baby’s growth rate dramatically increases in those last 3 months. 

The second thing to keep in mind is the comfort level of the expecting bridesmaid.  Can she wear strapless dresses with little worry?  Is she nervous about certain parts of her body (swelling ankles or the increased size of her breasts)?  Has she become increasingly agitated by the clinginess of her clothing?  The answers to these questions will greatly affect your choice of dress style, so be sure to consider them carefully.

The final thing to keep in mind is that there are just certain styles better suited for pregnancy.  Generally, you want to stay close to Empire and Natural Waistline dress styles.  These two styles, particularly Empire, allow for plenty of variation in size and looks.  A-line dresses can also work well, but that style is best for women who will be in their first 3 months of pregnancy when the big day arrives.

Like we mentioned before, pregnancy doesn’t have to equal big, frumpy and sexless clothing.  There is no reason why you should have to sacrifice style for the added factor of an expecting mother.  Just be sure to take the time to look at what’s available, consider the tips offered, and get lots of feedback from your bridesmaids.  Between those 3 things, you won’t be steered wrong!

Tags: bridesmaid, dresses, maternity, wedding

This entry was posted on Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Wedding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.