The Two-Toned (one of which is black) Bee's Knees

Here at the WB headquarters, we don’t particularly enjoy black bridesmaid dresses: black should be saved for cocktails and undercover spy missions. But we must admit that although we kind of hate the idea in theory, when done properly, it can look irresistibly chic.

Take this wedding for example. The dresses are short and simple and somehow it works. If these dresses had been floor-length it would have been a disaster of monumental proportions. So if you’re going to do black, you have to keep it short or else it just looks too overwhelming.

Now this bride took the black dresses to another level. She decided to let her bridesmaids wear black AND white. White on anyone other than the bride or flower girl is risky. Yet these dresses look very cute and, dare I say, kind of trendy. I think it is the adorable bow formation in the back that ties this look together. Sure it kind of looks like they should be dusting table tops in an old English manor, but we like it! Also, take note of the MOH’s dress. Yes, it’s long but in this case, acceptable because it’s nearly the same style as the bridesmaids’ which makes the bridal party look like a lovely set. Dramatic and thematic.

But adding another color to a black bridesmaid dress is generally quite tricky. There are few colors that can be added confidently to a black bridesmaid dress. Champagne gold can kind of work. Coral would be hot. Maybe a dark green, and certain shades of pink. But there is just something wrong with the blue + black combo in this bride’s wedding party. The blue seems too shiny, too bright and all wrong. The problem does not end there. Between the offensive color choice, the obscene number of bridesmaids and the varied styles of dresses we find ourselves overwhelmed. Different styles of dresses in the same fabric and color are often preferred for bridesmaids, but this is just taking the idea too far. When you have this many ladies, there should not be as much variation. Some of the dresses are quite pretty, notably Miss Sitting Centre, Miss Sitting Right and Miss Standing First Left. Yet the same cannot be said about the others. What is going on with Miss Standing Fourth Left?

And I don’t even want to talk about the poorly constructed fan formation on Miss Sitting Left’s dress. When dealing with so many styles, there are too many misses and not enough hits that part of this bridal party ends up looking like common guests instead of the Chosen Bridesmaids, and no one wants that. What is missing is some sort of unifying item, which ties them together as bridesmaids and sets them apart from the crowd – like a belt? Or a sash?

We like unification. We do. But since we also love colour, variety, and selection we find it difficult to commit to any one given style of dress or colour. We love continuity, we just hate to be bored. Neither of us, prior to this year, had ever considered going for a two-tonal look with our bridesmaids, but some recent research (almost empirical) in the field has changed our mind. Sort of.

Of course, there are right and wrong ways of doing a two-toned dress, and this leap of faith does not come without its caveats. What we like: a colour palette that makes sense. It doesn’t need to be over-the-top contrastive, and though we like the above pairing of black and white, not all two-toned dresses need pair such diametrically opposed hues. Nor need they be inflexible or finitely coupled. Our tp bride, for example, had her girls in these delectable pseudo-grecian numbers that refuse to limit themselves to a stark grey-white separation and instead allow both colours to flow gorgeously into and out of each other. (In fact, going “Grecian” is becoming increasingly fashionable, and we like that, too.) Check plus.

This colour pairing, however (below), though questionable on its own, works like a dream with the bride. Trendy trick number 2: don’t be afraid to put your girls in dresses that complement yours, brides: you’ll both look better that way. But taking control over your ensemble doesn’t mean stripping your bridal party of free will. Of course you want your main ladies to feel almost as good as you on your big day, and they should have a fair say in what they have to wear (and be photographed in) for twelve hours and counting, which is why this bride has seemingly given them free reign over the style of the tops of their dresses. Each lady has chosen a cut that works for her, displaying more of whichever of the two colours she prefers or thinks better showcases her best features. Each lady has also been given carte blanche with respect to footwear – a very good thing when any of your bridesmaids is over – or looming dangerously near – six feet tall.

This bridal party attempted a similar look and we certainly commend them for it: in fact, though certainly more conservative, they seem to have done better with the colour pairing than our above bride. We also like the cuts each of these particular girls has chosen.

What we could do without is the almost offensive consistency and texture of the fabric they are wearing. Need we remind you? You’re attending a wedding at which you are not only a guest but a guest of honour. There’s no need to come in Prada, but there are a million and one ways to look stunning on a shoestring budget, brides, without having to put your girls in flimsy crepe paper better reserved for third-grade arts and crafts adventures. We’ve seen it done. Ask for help if you need it. For a very reasonable and affordable price, you can have your girls look like they’re wearing the silk purse. Not the sow’s ear.