How to Keep Bridesmaids Warm in an Outdoor Winter Wedding: Alternatives to the Shawl, Wrap, and Sleeves

Outdoor winter weddings can be beautiful, enchanting, and....extremely uncomfortable for the female members of the wedding party. Guests can bundle up in warm winter coats and groomsmen have layers and long sleeves, but bridesmaids are generally still expected to wear long elegant gowns without much protection from the elements for their shoulders and arms. While shawls, wraps, and even sleeves are always possible options, many brides would prefer to somehow find a way to help their bridesmaids stay warm without bundling them in layers. Because elegance and formality must be preserved, take a look at the following alternative tips on how to keep bridesmaids warm in an outdoor winter wedding.

Tip #1: Utilize closed toes, closed heels, or kitten pumps. Many brides quickly select a traditional strappy sandal for their bridesmaids to don, but those throwing wedding celebrations during the winter season could do much more for their attendants' freezing feet. A closed heel and/or a closed toe work wonders and even allow for the possibility of tights or panty hose to be hidden beneath long gowns, but a sexy kitten heel also works to add warmth without detracting any elegance.

Tip #2: Add a corset. Thick corsets worn underneath bridesmaid's gowns as opposed to traditional lingerie not only offer support and a slimmer look, but they also offer substantial warmth. Provide your bridesmaids with smooth, comfortable, fitted corsets with minimal ribbing to add up to half an inch of fabric that no one will notice underneath their gowns. Their cores will be sleeker and much better protected from the harsh winter elements.

Tip #3: Consider adding long evening gloves. Nothing is more timelessly elegant than a pair of long evening gloves, and winter wedding offer the perfect occasion in which to utilize them. Because outdoor winter wedding are generally much more formal than outdoor spring or summer weddings, you can use elbow length satin or silk gloves to keep bridesmaids warm without appearing over the top or too extravagant.

Tip #4: Offer your bridesmaids headpieces with veils. While most brides only bother with considering a veil for themselves, a less formal veil can be attached to a tiara or other headpiece for the bridesmaids as well. Worn strictly down the back of the gowns and in colors that match the fabric of their dresses, veils offer a bit of protection from winter winds and can be turned into gorgeous costume pieces for your outdoor winter wedding. Be sure that they do cover the shoulders and a bit of the back, but that the bridesmaids' veils are not longer or more formal than your own. To keep them from looking too much like bridal veils, consider having them hand crafted in your choice of colors with perhaps a few embellishments to distinguish them.

Tip #5: Add slips and tulle. Layers of tulle or even a long slip can work wonders to warm the legs of your frigid bridesmaids during your beautiful outdoor winter wedding. Simply add a few layers of tulle for A-line gowns, or add a slip to gowns that hug closer to the body. This step may only add a layer or two of fabric, but the extra insulation keeps satin and silk outer materials (which will be freezing to the touch) from clinging to the flesh.

Tip #6: Allow bridesmaids to wear hair down, with hair extensions. Rather than having your bridesmaids wear identical up-do's, ask them to wear their hair down and around the neck and shoulders for extra warmth and protection. For even more warmth, provide natural hair extensions that will at least thicken layers and perhaps even add an inch or two of extra length. This small step can do a great deal to warm your bridesmaids without the need for a shawl or wrap, and won't take anything away from the elegance of their hairstyles if a bit of polishing from a professional salon treatment is undertaken beforehand.

Tip #7: Select bridesmaid gowns with structured fabrics. When selecting a gown style for your bridesmaids, the structure of the fabric may be more important than the amount of scant coverage it provides. When silk or satin, perhaps the most popular fabrics of choice for bridesmaid's gowns, cling closely to the body in cold weather, the cold that they so easily absorb penetrates right down to the skin. However, fabrics that are molded and shaped at the bust and throughout the core are often a bit thicker and pull the cold materials away from the body. Consider choosing gowns that are offer a bit of curve and shape.

Keeping bridesmaids warm during an outdoor winter wedding doesn't necessarily mean layering them in thick shawls or requiring them to wear long, cumbersome sleeves. Provided that snow isn't in the forecast, these simple and discrete tips can go a long way to keeping your bridal attendants comfortable and chic until the party goes indoors.