February 18, 2021

Wedding Styling The Littles: How to dress your Flower Girls and Ring Bearers

The flower girl and ring bearer are such a sweet part of the wedding ceremony. They are often special members of the family, and usually the cutest members of the wedding party as well! The cutest, and sometimes the hardest to please! (Mother-in-laws notwithstanding….)

Dressing the littles for success takes a little bit of extra planning and communication, but it is well worth the extra effort to have happy, photo-ready kids walking down the aisle. Read on for our advice on how to keep the smallest humans happy, comfortable, clean, and most importantly, stylish!

It’s tempting to head straight to Pinterest to find the most adorable fashions for your tiny crew, but always consult the parents or guardians first when it comes to budget and choosing the wardrobe for kiddos. Little humans can have strong opinions and it is good to know if they'll refuse to wear certain colors, styles, or types of clothing before you get too invested in their look. Many children are sensitive to different types of fabrics, only want elastic waist bands, or won’t wear tights....you get the picture. Find out what is a no-go and move on from there. Hint: use the seam ripper in our sewing kit to get rid of itchy tags!

ic: This flower girl gets comfy post-ceremony. Tulle can be itchy!

Comfort and preparation is key when dressing kids. It is important to have them try everything on ahead of time to get them excited and prepare them for what they'll be wearing. Layering pieces or a change of footwear will be helpful if they get cold, hot or uncomfortable. If kids are staying for the post-ceremony festivities, you might want to have a full extra change of comfortable clothes available.

ic: Jackets and ties are the cutest on this little buddy! Some layering pieces for later in the night will keep him happy and comfortable for dancing.

Wedding days can run very long, especially for kids. If they are invited to the rehearsal dinner, be aware of how late dinner is served, so the kids can get to bed early. On the day of, try not to dress them until you absolutely have to in order to avoid stains, discomfort, or even tantrums! Create a plan with the wedding planner and parents to make sure they are dressed and ready at the right time.

ic: Ring bearer (right) decided at the last minute he strongly disliked his chosen foot wear. Fortunately his grandmother (not part of the ceremony) was tasked to help the kids, and she had an extra pair of his favorite shoes ready to go.

Assign someone they trust to help dress them and be by their side especially if mom or dad is in the bridal party. Most likely parents will have an activity to keep them occupied, but it's always a nice gesture to offer an activity box while they wait.

Kids' clothing can be an opportunity to bring in playful colors or accessories to your bridal party. If they’ll wear it, trying fun items like suspenders, bow ties, accent sashes, or colored footwear are great ways to coordinate with the rest of the bridal party and make a cute statement. A fun trend lately is to dress the minis just like the bridal party -- so taking the bridesmaids' dresses and having a mini version made to look just like them, or having the ring bearer in a mini suit with the same accessories as the guys (if you're taking a traditional route). Some more fun ideas are to incorporate flowers more into the look, props like custom signs, things to do down the aisle, or even custom graphic tees under suits to give the crowd a good laugh!

ic: Matching outfits for the boys and a sweet sign for the ring bearer to carry down the aisle are two super sweet ways to make a statement and incorporate the ring bearer into the wedding party look!

We strongly encourage well-timed bathroom breaks, strategic snack times (including non-staining and easy to eat foods while dressed), and consistent water breaks. Right before professional pics start or their walk down the aisle are great times for all these things! Hint: Kids get messy. Keep our Emergency Stain Rescue and Silk and Clean stain removing wipes close!