Wedding Gowns & Bridal Gowns

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No, a kissing ball isn’t a fancy ballroom party where guests go about kissing each other. Kissing balls were actually popular handmade Christmas decorations during the Victorian age, a practice that pre-dated hanging mistletoe on a doorway. Kissing balls of old were made of pine needles, evergreen boughs, and flowers arranged around a potato or apple. Today, kissing balls are made of brightly colored flowers and have a number of uses: as an alternative to bouquets, as decorative ornaments for any occasion, and as traditional Christmas decor. The use of kissing balls in weddings is a very recent development. At first it was because many churches did not allow flower girls to drop petals on the aisle because of the damage they do to the carpet, but then more and more brides started noticing how adorable their flower girls looked when they carried little balls of flowers.

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Flower girl dresses have always been shiny, frilly, sometimes itchy confections that tend to cost quite a bit of money. The image of little girls in fancy organza and tulle dresses still adds an innocent charm to the wedding entourage but with the economy being what it is today, brides of 2009 are looking to cut costs. Luckily for the newly engaged, it is now en vogue to think completely out of the box when it comes to wedding planning and wedding attire.

For spring 2009 weddings, consider decking out your little girls in floral cotton dresses. Not only are they more affordable and comfortable for your flower girls; these dresses add a colorful splash to an otherwise monochromatic color scheme. Simple accessories such as an ornate headband can easily embellish a plain dress if you want your flower girls to look more formal. The best part about dressing up your flower girls in cotton dresses instead of the usual formal attire is that they can use it again and again until they grow out of it, something all peso-pinching parents will surely love.

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When it comes to dressing up your flower girls, your choices are fairly limited. You have the fluffy white dress with the full skirt, or similar styles in a color that will go with the hues and shades you chose for your wedding. Unless you intend to completely reinvent the way a flower girl should look, it seems like you don’t have many options as to what your little girls should wear.

Just because she’s a flower girl doesn’t mean that the only thing she has to carry is a basket full of petals. Here’s your chance to get really creative. Below are some interesting ideas for your flower girls.

Instead of petals in a basket, ask you florist to place roses in a ball with a long ribbon that will serve as its handle. Your flower girls can hold it with one or both hands, or have it wrapped around her wrist. Perfect for the daintiest of flower girls.

If you really want your girls to leave a trail of petals while they walk down the aisle, have your couturier make matching little flower girl purses instead of using baskets. The girls will feel very grown-up carrying this around when the petals are gone!

Having your flower girls carry lit lanterns will set the mood for romance like nothing else. Depending on how old your flower girls are, you can use real candles or battery-powered ones. This idea will work wonderfully for an evening wedding.

Parasols are perfect for outdoor or garden weddings. The fabulous thing about this accessory is that it goes great for many themes: elegant, garden, Asian, modern and more.