How to Choose the Best Sage Bridesmaid Dresses

Sage has consistently been a top choice for bridesmaid dresses. It continues to be a favorite, particularly if you’re having a bohemian or outdoor-themed wedding. These themes are also popular, so choosing sage dresses makes sense.

It’s important to understand how shades of sage affect your wedding palette. You’ll want to achieve a look that’s cohesive. The right color aligns with your overall wedding theme and preferences.

In this article, we will share with you the best tips for choosing fashionable sage bridesmaid dresses.

Understanding Sage Green

Sage green is a shade of green with a subtle gray or silver undertone. This makes it so that the shade can almost perform as a neutral. It is a light shade of green, not richly saturated like jewel tone shades.

Sage green, like many other shades of green, promotes calm, represents growth, and inspires tranquility. If you are interested in the symbolism of color, the symbolism of sage green can be another reason to wear it for a wedding event!

Consider the Wedding Theme and Venue

Another thing that you should think about when picking a bridesmaid dress is the theme and venue of the wedding itself. Certain colors and styles of dresses will not work with certain venues– or weddings in certain seasons!

For example, a strapless dress will not be a great choice for a winter wedding, unless it is taking place in a warm locale. Sage green as a color is popular for different seasons, but it is not a popular choice for fall and winter.

The style of the wedding is important to consider, too. If it is a very natural or bohemian wedding, sage green styles will be a great choice because it is a shade of green. However, for a black tie wedding in a ballroom or another very formal location, sage green may not be the best choice.

All of these factors have a hand in deciding what color and style of bridesmaid dress is the best fit for that special day.

Coordinating with the Bride’s Dress

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If you know what the bride’s wedding dress looks like, then you can choose your bridesmaid dress to coordinate with that.

Bridal Dress Color

First things first, you should ensure that the shade of sage green you choose will coordinate properly with her dress color– if she is going with a colorful dress— and the details of the dress. You want the color to complement her dress, rather than clash with it!

Another factor is the fabric of your dress. Is your dress satin and the bride’s dress is tulle? This may not be the best match.

Complementing the Wedding Dress

The bride may also have some special design elements on her dress. These could be appliques, a backless silhouette, an off the shoulder neckline, and more. You will want to choose a bridesmaid dress that looks good with these design details.

The bride may even want you to choose a dress with matching details— or choose a dress without them so that her dress looks more unique! Either way, it is an important consideration you’ll need to take into account when you pick out your own dress.

Style Options

There are plenty of styles of bridesmaid dress out there. What is most important is finding one that will flatter your body type and go well with sage green!

Popular trends right now include a mermaid silhouette dress, often accented with ruching, straps, or an off the shoulder neckline. Draping is another popular design detail right now. This is great because draping is flattering no matter your body type!

There are also silhouettes like A-line that have a bit of a fuller skirt than sage. They allow for more movement and can be more flattering for body types such as apple or pear.

On-trend Fabrics

Common fabrics for bridesmaid dresses include satin, chiffon, and velvet. Certain meshes and luxe ponte knits can also be seen for bridesmaid dresses on occasion. Chiffon and satin are especially popular choices for sage green bridesmaid dresses at the moment.

Other Wedding Elements

Just as you should choose a bridesmaid dress that matches the venue or bride’s dress, there are other sage wedding accessories you can consider, too, when selecting your perfect dress.

Bouquets

For instance, it is common to try and complement the florals on a wedding day. Bouquets are often made to match the bridesmaid dresses and wedding colors. If the color scheme is muted, such as pastels or pale colors, then sage green can be a great color choice for a dress.

Alternatively, if the florals are bright tropical flowers, or shades of orange, fuschia, or red, sage green may not be a cohesive choice. This light shade might pale in comparison to such a bold color palette! It might look out of place on the big day.

Accessories

You will also want to make sure sage green matches with your accessories for the wedding. Shoes, handbags, and jewelry should all be coordinated properly. You may want to choose accessories in neutral or muted colors to match your sage green dress.

An important tip is to take advantage of color swatches when making these decisions. You can get swatches of fabric before ordering your bridesmaid dress. Then, use the sage green swatch to compare it to your accessories or any other colors that may be present during the wedding— such as the florals.

This will help you to ensure you choose a shade that is harmonious with all of these other elements.

Finding the Right Shade of Sage

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As you shop for a bridesmaid dress, you may notice there are different shades of sage. This is especially common when you are shopping across different retailers.

Some retailers may use different dye lots, which can mean that one sage green dress is a slightly different shade than one from another shop.

Different fabrics may also make the color look slightly different. For example, a shiny fabric like satin might make sage look lighter than a solid, matte fabric like chiffon.

You will want to make sure that the shade of sage you end up with matches the wedding colors. If all bridesmaids are supposed to be in the same shade of sage, it will really stand out if your dress is not the correct color.

However, some weddings now incorporate different shades of a color into their wedding party.

If this is the case, then you can easily do this by choosing different fabrics that will showcase the color differently, or by choosing shades that are in the same color family— like cool toned greens— but will still stand apart.

Budget Considerations

Weddings can be expensive, but luckily, these days, there are many cost effective options for bridesmaid dresses. There are different online retailers that sell bridesmaid dresses in many colors, styles, and fabrics for prices at and under $100.

These online shops, like ChicSew, can be great for finding an on trend bridesmaid dress without having to compromise style for cost!

Potential Additional Costs

When you are budgeting for your bridesmaid dress, you should also remember that you will likely have to have alterations done. Even if you are only having the dress hemmed, this will incur an additional cost.

Your alterations are safest in the hands of a seamstress who is skilled at working with bridal dresses. However, they can be more costly. If your alterations are very minor— such as having a hem shortened— then it is possible to save money and go to a local tailor instead.

Shopping Tips and Recommendations

These days, one of the biggest considerations when choosing your bridesmaid dress is whether you will shop online or in store.

Online Store

If you shop online, you often have access to larger retailers and can get a better deal on the dress. Shopping online does mean you can’t try on the dress in advance or see the color in real life. Sometimes, colors look different on screen than they do in person!

Physical Store

Shopping in store means you can try on a dress, see the colors in real life, and choose one that is flattering on your body. You may even be able to walk right out with the dress instead of waiting for it to ship in the mail! However, this is often the more expensive option.

When you shop in store, though, you can also look at the quality of the dress before you buy.

Some of the factors to look at include:

1. Fabric quality. Is the fabric cheap and thin? Are there any pulls, holes, or snags?
2. Stitching quality. Are there missing stitches? Are stitches popping out or coming undone? Are there areas with messy stitching?
3. Fit. Is the dress twisting or fitting strangely? Are you comfortable in the garment?
4. Color consistency. Is the color consistent on all areas of the dress? Are there any marks or stains?

This is a helpful checklist to bring with you when you do any bridesmaid dress shopping or try-ons.

Customization and Personalization

Some retailers will even offer the option to order a custom made bridesmaid dress. Most often, this is an existing style that is made to your exact measurements, rather than buying a standard size and having to have it altered afterwards.

Custom Sizes

Custom sizing can be very helpful, depending on your body type. It is a good choice if you are in between sizes, for example— if your bust measurement is one size but your waist measurement is another size, according to sizing charts, this would make you a candidate for custom sizing.

Customized Styles

You can also customize style details on a dress. If this is something you want to do and the retailer you purchase from does not offer it, then you can bring the dress to a different seamstress.

For example, if you love the silhouette of a dress but want to change the straps, or want a tea length dress rather than floor length, a professional can customize the dress to your requirements.

It is similar to having alterations done for fit— and your seamstress can probably do both of these at once!

Personalized Dresses

Another trend we are seeing is personalizing bridesmaid dresses with a unique detail. This ranges from embroidered names or initials to features like beading, appliques, or other special embellishments.

All of these are ways that you can ensure that your bridesmaid dress is one of a kind— and that it is more in line with your style, too!

Finalizing the Decision

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Choosing a bridesmaid dress is no small feat! Once you have taken all of these factors into consideration, it is time to make the final decision.

Make sure that the dress you are choosing fits into the budget, fits with the wedding theme and colors, and is of good quality. You should also ensure the color matches the color chosen by the bride and coordinates well with the style and fabric of the bridesmaid dress.

Prepare in Advance

When ordering a dress, we always say “the sooner the better”! You will need to make sure there is enough time for the dress to be altered after it arrives. A general rule of thumb, though, is to order bridesmaid dresses around six months prior to the wedding.

That way, you have more than enough time for alterations and have a built in bubble in case there are any issues with the dress.

Consult the Bridesmaid’s Opinions

Many brides will also involve their bridesmaid by letting them choose the dress, as long as it follows a few key rules— such as color, fabric, or certain style details.

This is a great way to get bridesmaids involved and make sure their dress is actually one they will like. Plus, it makes one less thing the bride has to do when going through all of the wedding planning!