I own a large bridal salon and thought this might be helpful for brides to be.

Here are some simple tips on how to shop for that perfect flower girl dress.

It used to be that the flower girl would "Mirror" the bride. If the bride was wearing white, flower girl dress was white. As the fashion in bridal gowns and brides maids dresses have changed, so have the flower girl dresses. The ages of the flower girls have changed and we now have older children . Just try to call a 10 year old a flower girl . The bridal designers have adjusted to this trend by adding Junior gowns to the bridesmaids collection. 

The biggest trend we have seen over the last 3 years is having the flower girl dress match the brides maids . It is a great and more of a complete look. One of the great advantages is that often the gown can be worn again for a more formal function or family pictures. If you still prefer to stay with white or Ivory for your  flower girl, it would be nice if you add a sash in the matching color of the brides maids, this will tie the whole wedding theme together.

Brides,  please do not forget :

IT IS YOUR WEDDING, YOU ARE THE BRIDE YOU MAY HAVE WHAT YOU LIKE!

Tips:

• Purchase the flower girl dress only after you have purchased the brides maids dresses.
• Only purchase the gown 8-10 weeks before the wedding. Little girls and juniors do grow and  most salons can not take back or exchange gowns for a different size.
• Try to purchase a gown that already has a build in crinoline/petticoat. Little girls have no waist and often the elastic waistband on the crinolines are to tight. Most little girls we also complain that crinolines are itchie. Buy having it build in ,it takes care of several problems.
• If shopping with a young child, please keep nap time in mind. Nothing worse than an unhappy crying child in a salon. The child will also associate the gown and salon  with something unpleasant.
• Try not to go shopping on Saturdays with a child as you might be waiting for a long time to be helped or get into a room.
• Do not ask the child wich gowns she likes. We all know that if   she is unhappy, she is NOT going to like anything. If her favorite color is blue, she will only like the blue gown that you  hate.
• Flower girl dress sizes do not run like regular children's sizes. If you are working with a bridal salon let them measure the child to get the correct size for you
• Most bridal salons will give you a discount on your flower girl dress, if you have purchased your brides maids gowns there.

Please let me know if this was helpful by voting yes!

  Have fun shopping for your princess !

Suggestions are always welcome.