Winter Wedding Flower Girls - Dresses and Accessories

Winter weddings are breathtakingly beautiful, and give a bride many opportunities to express her creativity and elegance. When it comes to the flower girl in a winter wedding, the season is perfect for her to play the princess while complementing the bride's chosen theme. Below are some ideas and suggestions concerning dresses and accessories for the perfect winter wedding flower girl.

Dresses. Winter weddings provide opportunities to play with styles and materials that are not available for spring and summer weddings. Instead of the usual sleeveless or short-sleeved styles, take a look at full length and three quarter length sleeves. A lovely detail, especially on a flower girl, is to use different textured fabrics for the sleeve material - for example, lace sleeves with a velvet dress, organza sleeves with a taffeta or satin gown. This elegant, princess touch is sure to please any flower girl. One caution is not to use a draped sleeve for a younger flower girl, as they will have trouble eating in this style and will be upset if they get anything on their beautiful dresses. Necklines can also be more unusual, such as a cowl neck instead of the traditional square, and or try a ruched or embroidered bodice.

Fabric. As mentioned above, many more fabrics become available to a bride when she has a winter wedding. (Note, I am not suggesting you dress your flower girl in plaid flannel.) Heavily embroidered fabrics, velvets, dresses with (faux) fur touches such as sleeves or necklines, will all make lovely flower girl dresses. Of course, traditional fabrics such as satin, taffeta and organza are still appropriate, but you can also use overlays more freely, and in heavier fabrics than you would use in a spring or summer wedding.

Colors can be deeper and richer at a winter wedding, and your flower girl will look beautiful in a dress of chocolate brown, champagne or even gold (children can pull this off.) Match the color of your flower girl's dress to your bridesmaids, or have her dress be a softer, lighter shade (light blue with sapphire, dove grey with black.) Your flower girl's dress can also be a contrasting shade, making her stand out as a highlight of your wedding party. If your bridesmaids are in rose put her in fuchsia; if they are in forest green think emerald. Just make sure to bring swatches to both fittings so the colors complement, not clash.

Winter wedding flower girl dress styles are also much broader, as layers and tiers are very appropriate. Two and three tiered dresses are lovely, especially in bubble skirts, and full length dresses will look very elegant. Another adorable style is to have the tiers cut in a sweeping diagonal, accented with a ribbon.

Shoes. There is nothing sweeter than a flower girl in delicate boots, provided she is comfortable and can walk in them (don't put a two year old in granny boots.) Velvet ballet flats are also adorable and elegant, as are low-heeled satin slippers.

Accessories. Gloves are always adorable on a flower girl and even more appropriate at a winter wedding. Think wrist-length for a flower girl, in ivory or white or dyed to match her dress. I tend to shy away from hats for a winter wedding, since hat brims seem more appropriate for summer, but if you find an adorable pill box or other small hat that goes well with her ensemble, by all means use it. Simple headpieces, including crowns of flowers, are always adorable and appropriate, and an intricate hairstyle is also sweet. (Little girls love having their hair done, as long as it does not involve a lot of pulling.)

Jewelry should be simple and nothing expensive in case it gets lost in the excitement of the wedding. If you want to present your flower girl with a keepsake piece of jewelry, which I did, by all means give it as a gift but don't have her wear it.

Source list:

Personal experience