The subject of white dresses confuses many. 

It’s simple but relatively unknown that “whites” are not all the same!

We just had a call asking if a “white” flower girl dress will match the bride’s diamond white dress.  The answer?  It all depends.  What does it depend on?  The shade of the bride’s diamond white AND the shade of white of the flower girl dress she’s considering.  Is it bright white - or is it silk white, for instance?

We’ve discussed the subject of matching garments extensively here and throughout our websites.   You can find these discussions in the categories at right - they’re always here for your use.  It applies to white like any other color.

In short, to ‘match’ all garments must be ordered from the same manufacturer at the same time from the same dye lot. 

To coordinate, though, there’s a little more room for variation.

What shades of white are there?  We’ll name several but likely will miss something.  Why?  Because every company likes to come up with their own names for things.

• White a/k/a/ Bright/Brilliant White a/k/a Stark White
• Diamond White
• Candlelight
• Silk White  (or just silk fabric in white)
• Off-White
• Winter White
• Ivory
• Cream

These are all shades of “white” and tend to get deeper in shade as you decend the list.

The closer they are together on this list - the less likely they will look good together. 

When mixing bright whites and off-shades of white, the non-bright color will look dingy or even dirty against the bright white.  Very often it is the bride in the off-white shade; if a member of the wedding party is in bright white, that person is going to make the bride’s gown look dingy.

We recommend NEVER mixing bright whites with slight shades of off-white.  That includes candle light, silk white (silk is NEVER brilliant white and always looks dull against bright whites of other fibers), off-white, winter-white, etc.

Why?  Because the off-white shades are going to look dingy against the bright white.

Now, there may be some brides who WANT their maids to look dingy . . . but we won’t go there! 

The father away from each other, the better they can look together.  Combining very different shades looks “deliberate” and makes a fashion statement.  For instance?  Cream against bright white.  This can have a stunning effect just like chocolate on champagne (same color family but different shades).

Off-white shades look fabulous with the skin tones of many.  In fact, bright white can’t be worn well by a lot of people.

Coordinating which whites are best to use for your situation really does take a little effort and deliberation.  We recommend in a Wedding that it be the Bride who decides what shade is best on her — then everyone else’s garments are selected to compliment.  If she chooses bright white, then the wedding party should be in either bright white or color.  If the bride is in any shade of off-white, then the wedding party should be in off-whites - or color.

Perhaps a white or ivory dress with a colored sash simply isn’t in your plans for your wedding or other social event.  You absolutely have your heart set on COLOR dresses.

Then simply put - you will have to focus on COORDINATING colors - not ‘matching’.

Why?  We’ve discussed this at length previously about dye lots and fabric.  In short, if you don’t order all dresses from the same company at the same time from the same dye lot, they’re not going to match.  It doesn’t matter where you order them - that’s simply the way it happens.  That’s the nature of fabric and dying.

But you DO have options.  There are always options.

Coordinate colors instead of trying to match.  Do you have burgundy bride’s maid dresses?  Pink looks fantastic against burgundy. 

Navy?  Try coordinating with light blue.

Forest green?  Try a soft, lighter shade of green for the flower girl.

Same for the ring bearer’s accessories.

The reverse is true too, of course.

Another possibility is to go with the color of your flowers for the children.  What accent color is in your flowers?  You can use that color for the children in your wedding.  This approach can produce stunning photos; it can look totally color-coordinated and well planned.