Blooming bridesmaids
If you truly love your bridesmaids, let them wear dresses they can feel divine in. Dresscode is the go-to label to ensure happy bridesmaids — and gorgeous wedding photographs
For most women, weddings are not a dream — instead, they are horrendously stressful events because of all the attention that is suddenly focused on them. Even what starts off as one of the happier moments — asking friends and family to be bridesmaids and stand by your side at this momentous time in your life — becomes a massive stress, as no longer are you just responsible for trying to look your best and make everybody else happy, you now have to ensure some of your favourite women in the world look their best, too.
Suddenly, the bridal group, being of different shapes, sizes, colouring and heights — not to mention challenges, such as a bridesmaid being eight months’ pregnant, or not living in the country and thus unavailable for fittings — becomes a new layer to all the wedding stress.
Which is why I feel everyone should know about Dresscode, an Irish label with over 12 years’ experience in the formal dress market.
First founded by aunt and niece — design director Frances Taaffe, and managing director Aoife Collins — as a classy debs label, Dresscode moved into bridesmaid-wear about five years ago, and has been a massive hit with Irish brides, because they are just so good at what they do.
From the first, I admired Dresscode because they channelled the Hollywood glamour of the silver-screen era into their designs (always fabulously flattering). But also, they were always keenly aware of the trauma many girls and women felt when having to get dolled up for a formal occasion, and where lots of picturetaking was involved. So Dresscode offered a made-to-order service; if a gal was a size 16 on top and 12 on the bottom, or vice versa, they could make her a dress that was cut to fit. Properly.
Dresscode’s flexibility comes from the fact that they do all their design and manufacturing in Dublin and source their fabrics in Europe. It is a sustainable business in the true sense of the word. They carry over 32 colours and styles, and they are constantly updating.
If you are a bride who wants her bridesmaids to be comfortable, and look happy as well as fabulous in the pictures, pick a colour such as pink or blue, and then let your bridesmaids select a hue and style that they feel suits them best. Dresscode will do all the rest.
Dresscode cater from size five to 28 and can even make for your cutie-pie little cousin aged 11. They even hold on to extra fabric for pregnant bridesmaids, and do the final fitting two weeks before the wedding so that she gets to look her best.
Now, that’s service.