I am so completely and totally in love with these bridesmaid outfits!  Smart & sassy pencil skirts + feminine tuxedo shirts + peony adorned belts = the most original and chic bridesmaids I have seen in a long time.  Where exactly is it written that your girls have to wear dresses anyway? NO WHERE!  It’s amazing what fashion and design options open up to you once you start thinking outside the “wedding box”.  Bravo to this bride!  You absolutely must see the rest of this wedding. Gorgeous is an understatement.  Seriously.  Go!

{Photo credit:  Rebekah Westover Photography}

Having trouble finding just the perfect dresses for your ladies?  In Style Weddings and Thread are teaming up to help solve that problem.  Send a sketch of your dream frock and if your design is chosen, Thread will create up to eight of them for you FREE!  Even better, your creation lives on with a place in Thread’s collection of gorgeous dresses.  Who knows, maybe they’ll even name it after you?

Send your sketch to weddings@instylemag.com or 1271 Avenue of the Americas NY NY 10020 Attn: InStyle Wedding Design Your Bridesmaid Dress Contest.

Be sure to check out complete contest rules and good luck!  Would love to see what some of the entries look like…hopefully they’ll share.

I came across Little Flowers by Odyssey a few years ago and their flower girl dresses remain some of my absolute favorites out there.  With the most adorable, modern dress designs and customization options galore, you really can’t go wrong. Custom matching jackets and boleros, silk flowers, sashes, hair bows…the list goes on and on!  But what I really can’t get over is the beautiful array of fabric colors they offer, especially the  CUTEST plaids, stripes and polka dots.

Seriously, how cute are these embroidered polka dot silk shantung options?  I love that they’re beautiful AND youthful.  I personally hate when flower girls end up looking like little mini brides.  They’re little girls after all!  Let’s let them look like little girls.

Sadly, there are no boutiques carrying Little Flowers anywhere in the Carolinas (boo!), BUT you can order dresses directly from the designer!  Feeling uncertain about sizing, fit and colors?  Little Flowers has a great dress loan program.  For a refundable deposit, they will ship you the style and size of your choice.  Don’t you love it?

p.s. They also carry a huge assortment of beautiful bridesmaids dresses, junior bridesmaids and now even bridal gowns!

I am loving this sneak peak into LulaKate’s new bridesmaid collection via the talented Juliet Elizabeth’s blog.  If you aren’t familiar with LulaKate, they are a fabulous line of modern bridesmaid gowns designed by Charlotte native and UNC alum Katharine McDonald.  Even better news…she’s just introduced a few bridal gowns to the collection that are so lovely, I can’t stand it!

I love the LulaKate designs for their modern simplicity and those gorgeous, vibrant color choices, but I have to say that black, one-shouldered number is hot, hot, hot!

The Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston served as the backdrop for this shoot…and what a backdrop it is!

LulaKate designs are available at the flagship boutique on Charleston’s King Street and exclusively at Bella Bridesmaid locations throughout the Carolinas.  Be sure to check out Juliet’s blog for more stunning images from this shoot.