Flower Girl Gowns for Weddings

What a Child Actually Has to Do in This Dress

Adult formal wear is worn standing, sitting and posing. A flower girl's day involves rather more than that, and the gown has to survive all of it.

She will walk down an aisle, often on grass or a runner, sometimes scattering petals. She will stand still for a ceremony lasting anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. She will be photographed, picked up, hugged, and photographed again. She will eat. She will very likely run, sit on the floor, and dance.

Most of the disappointment with flower girl gowns comes from choosing for the first two hours and not the remaining six. A gown that photographs beautifully at the ceremony and becomes unbearable by the reception is a poor result even if the photographs are perfect.

The Comfort Checks That Matter

Three things cause more complaints than anything else, and all three are checkable before ordering.

Tulle against skin. Around three in ten listings here use tulle, and stiff tulle is scratchy against bare legs. Look for a lined skirt or a soft cotton underlayer. Where a gown is unlined, a plain cotton slip underneath solves it entirely and costs very little.

Bodice seams and zips. A metal zip against a child's back, or an unfinished seam at the underarm, produces complaints within the hour. Reviews mentioning comfort are more useful here than reviews mentioning appearance.

Neckline and label. A stiff label at the back of the neck is a common and entirely avoidable irritant. Cutting it out before the day is worth remembering.

Length and Movement

Floor length looks the most formal and creates the most problems for a small child.

A hem that reaches the floor on a five-year-old will be stepped on, particularly going up steps or when she is walking with someone holding her hand. Ankle length, sitting an inch or two clear of the ground, photographs almost identically and removes the tripping risk entirely.

Around a quarter of listings here are described as long. If you choose floor length, have it hemmed to clear the ground in the shoes she will actually wear, and check she can walk up a step in it before the day.

A very full ball gown skirt, at around three in ten listings, has a second issue: it is wide. In a narrow aisle, a car seat, or a crowded reception, a wide skirt is genuinely awkward to manage for someone who cannot yet manage it herself.

Sizing Children's Formal Wear

Children's sizing is by age, and age is the least reliable measurement available.

Two five-year-olds can differ by several inches in height and by a full size in chest measurement. Always order by measurement rather than age where the listing provides a chart, and measure chest, waist and shoulder-to-hem length rather than relying on what she wore last season.

Order early enough to allow one exchange. Children's formal wear in the middle sizes sells through fastest, and a size that fits today may not fit in three months if the wedding is far off.

If the wedding is more than a few months away, size up rather than down. A slightly large gown can be taken in at the shoulder or waist; a gown she has outgrown cannot be fixed.

Fabric

Lace, at around a third of listings, is the most formal-reading and the most likely to catch on jewelry, chair backs and her own shoes. Corded lace is more robust than fine lace for a child.

Tulle, at around three in ten, gives the volume associated with flower girl gowns. Multiple layers create fullness without weight, which matters more for a child than for an adult.

Sequin, at around a quarter, is the fabric to think about carefully. Sequins catch on tights, scratch when sat on, and can detach. For a young child, sequin detail at the bodice is more practical than an all-over sequin skirt.

Satin appears throughout and shows every mark, which at a wedding involving food, grass and other children is worth weighing.

Coordinating With the Wedding

Around four in ten listings mention weddings directly, and the coordination question comes up in most of them.

The convention is that the flower girl echoes the bridal party rather than matching it exactly. White or ivory with a sash in the bridesmaid color is the most common approach and photographs cleanly.

A full-color dress matching the bridesmaids works too and reads more deliberately styled. What works less well is a shade that is close to but not the same as the bridesmaid color, which reads as an error rather than a choice.

If the flower girl is in white and the bride is in ivory, or the reverse, that difference is visible in photographs. Matching the tone rather than assuming both are white is worth doing.

Shoes and Accessories

Shoes matter more than they look, because a child in uncomfortable shoes will be unhappy regardless of how good the dress is.

New shoes need wearing in before the day. Ballet flats and Mary Janes in a soft leather are the most reliable. Anything with a heel is unnecessary and adds a tripping risk on a long hem.

Hair accessories should attach securely, since anything that shifts will be pulled at. A flower crown that has been fitted and tested is better than one that arrives on the day.

Petals, baskets and hoops are frequently more trouble than they are worth for a child under about five. Many weddings now skip them.

A Practical Note on the Day

Bring a change of clothes for the reception. Most flower girls are more comfortable, and considerably happier, out of a formal gown once the photographs are finished.

Bring a stain pen, a spare pair of tights, and a cardigan for the evening. None of these are the dress's fault; they are the reality of a small child at a long event.

Related Collections

For sleeved styles, see long sleeve flower girl dresses. For the youngest attendants, browse infant flower girl dresses. For the full range, see flower girl dresses.