Dressed for That Walk Down the Isle
Dear Fashion Police: I am in a quandary over how to dress my wedding party, including the groom. My fiance and I are getting married in late April, the ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. at a small chapel in Malibu, and the reception at a nearby club on the beach. My dress has only a small chapel train and is not elaborate.
We have decided to incorporate a tropical theme into the reception, but I am at a loss as to how to dress the groom and his men. It’s too early for tuxedos (I’m heeding your warnings). He half-jokingly suggested that the men wear Hawaiian shirts and shorts! I have not chosen the bridesmaids’ outfits but am leaning toward a short dress that can be worn again. Any suggestions for dressing my wedding party in style would be appreciated.
--NOT HANGING 10
ON MY WEDDING DAY
Dear Hang: We hope your fiance was completely joking when he suggested Hawaiian shirts and shorts for the groomsmen. Unless this is the marriage of the Professor and Mary Ann, let’s nix the Gilligan’s Island kitsch. There are more subtle ways of bringing a tropical or beach theme to your wedding without lashing fishing nets and plastic pineapples to bamboo poles and turning this special event into a tiki hut nightmare.
First, let’s start with the bridesmaids. We like your idea of short dresses that can be worn again. The illustration below shows three similar dresses but with slightly different silhouettes: One has a sleeveless, tank bodice, another has a halter neckline, and the third has little cap sleeves. They should all be made of the same fabric, such as cotton sateen, linen or raw silk. You can go with one color, or mix pale beach shades such as seashell pink, sand, aqua and sky blue.
Your fiance will look handsome in a dark suit and white shirt. His tie can incorporate some of the shades in your bouquet or the bridesmaids’ dresses, but the colors shouldn’t be that obvious, as if he’d just mopped up rainbow sherbet with it. His attendants can be outfitted in medium to charcoal-gray suits with white shirts, or shirts in even paler versions of what the bridesmaids are wearing, with coordinating ties.
If you want to carry the tropical theme further, you can incorporate nontraditional flowers in your bouquet. Joy Myerscough of Flourish & Garlande in Beverly Hills suggests a spray or sprays of orchids for a simple yet dramatic look. Two choices are white dendrobium orchids, which have several small flowers on a long branch. Cymbidium orchids have larger flowers and come in shades of white, cream, pink and blush tones. Myerscough added that if you wanted to incorporate some greenery, consider bear grass. The long, thin green blades will add to the beachy feel. Your fiance would wear a boutonniere of one orchid blossom.
Bridesmaids could carry orchids in colors that match their dresses, and the best man and male attendants would wear coordinating boutonnieres.
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Dear Fashion Police: My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary by going to Monte Carlo in May.
Should he bring a tux (we would have to rent one), and should I bring evening gowns? How about the temperature in May? We are not the dress-up types, but we do want to fit in.
--WON’T GAMBLE
FOR THE GAMBOL
Dear Gamble: Forget whatever James Bond fantasy you think you have to conform to in Monte Carlo; the reality is most men don’t wear tuxedos and most women don’t wear long designer evening gowns and eye-popping jewels. But then, you’re probably not an international spy and your husband probably isn’t a secret agent. No offense.
Marit Amundson, press assistant at the Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Bureau in New York, said that your husband can get by with a jacket and tie, which are required in the casinos and nicer restaurants. Some men opt for suits, but you’ll see very few tuxes.
For you, short cocktail dresses, dinner dresses, dressy suits, even dressy pantsuits are fine. No long evening gowns are required.
As for the weather, she said expect highs in the 60s and 70s, lows in the low 60s, and probably no rain.
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