Flower Girl Dress

You can try Etsy.com - they have some great flower girl dresses, but I do think it is too soon to buy for a 3 year old. Also, you can get children's books and coloring books on Amazon.com that describe their roles in the wedding. Have fun!

Wait till after Easter when Dillard's and Macy's puts their "fancy" clothes on clearance. You might be able to snag one for about $15.

I would find the dress and store, but wouldn't make a purchase. They do grow way too quick. Talk to the store and find out if they keep that dress in stock and how soon you should order it.

To prepare, haver her practice 123, step, 123, step, 123, step and toss silk flower pedals.

My daughter has been a flower girl twice and both times I was lucky that the dress was a good deal. The first dress, when she was 2.5 was a white easter dress that we found at JCPenny in the spring. This past fall, when she was 5, the bride found dresses at a wholesale bridal shop. Each time, we bought them about 6 months in advance, one size larger than her current size at the time. Like someone else said, a tie around the waist is very helpful, and the length can vary a little bit. We did not need alterations on either dress.

I'd wait another few weeks. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great dress around Easter time at a fraction of the price you'd pay at a bridal store. Also, by waiting you'll get a better fit.

If you buy the dress in April, make sure it's a little roomy.

As far as preparing, again it's too early. I'd wait until at least April. Maybe you could borrow a wedding cd to show them, or simply play wedding.

Do you have a JCPenny's by you???? That's where we found the one my daughter wore last May. Regular price was only like $40! (We only paid $20!) Have her try them on even if you don't think they look that cute on the hanger. They look MUCH cuter on! Ours was floor length with pearls on a decorative bodice and a ribbon design along the bottom.

Or try craigslist. (Or even garage sales come Spring.)

I just can't see paying the $150+ that the bridal stores wanted for those little dresses!

My daughters had to have lilac ones - one in a little girl size and one in a toddler size. We were going to order from www.flowergirldressforless.com, but I found a really good deal on line at J C Pennys, so we got them from there. I would try to wait another month or so. You can look at the Easter dresses to see if you can find a great deal. Also, always buy bigger than smaller. You can alter, but you can't add more material to it. Have your kids practice walking at the correct pace around the house with the wedding march or some classical music playing. Watch a wedding video so they can see what their roles will be.

Get an Easter dress or First communion dress, if they come that small, and doctor it up with flowers ribbon, etc.
My SIL got married in Sept, my girls had their dresses in August and we had purple sashes for them. They were bought at a bridal dress shop, on the discount rack.

My own neice had a white dress from Marshall Fields with red flowers sewn on it, and a red and white tiara with flowers and babys' breath.
I just bought my 4 yr old son a white suit and he wore a red bowtie.

It doesn't hurt to let her start looking ~ just to get an idea of what she wants her to wear, but I would hold off on purchasing. I bought my SD hers right after Easter and you can find some great deals at places like JCPenney. With Easter toward the end of April I think it would be perfect timing.

When my daughters were flower girls last May for my sister, we bought the dresses as soon as she found what she liked (she was VERY picky!). My girls were 2 and 3.5 at the time of her wedding and growth spurts were a 'fear' of mine.

For the length, my sister didn't care, so we just made sure the hem was way below the knee so if they grew (or didn't) it wouldn't matter SO much. The dresses also had a tie waist which was a GREAT feature because that sizes the dress for you!

As for preparing your kids, Practice, practice, practice!! Have them walk up and down the hall in your house, tossing 'petals' and holding a pillow. Once the bride decides on which song they'll be walking to, get a copy and play it for your kids so they're familiar with it.

EBAY!!! I bought my niece's flowergirl dress for our wedding off of ebay for $30. I bought it 1 size bigger than she wore and figured we could have it altered if it needed to be

When our friends married we were lucky enough to find a beautiful dress on the clearance rack at david's bridal. It was a floor length white dress with beautiful beading. We purchased a sash to match the color of the attendants dresses and had it altered at the dry cleaners. Way cheaper than alterations at a bridal store. I would check your local consignment shops. They usually have beautiful dresses that have only ever been worn once for around $10. You should be able to find something suitable there for a fraction of the price and just have it altered at your dry cleaners.

Like one said go to ebay. Much cheaper. You could also wait until the Communion dresses come out. If they insist that you buy now. Buy one size bigger. You can always have it altered if needed. You can go to a dry cleaners. Most do alterations. Would save alot of money rather then going to a bridal store.

My daughter was a flower girl twice last year and both times we were able to dress her inexpensively. In both cases, I went with the next size up from what my daughter was currently wearing. It gave her breathing room and room to grow. It doesn't hurt to look now. You can always hold off purchasing until closer to the wedding date. You have gotten some great advice here already for places to look, sizing and preparation. Just make sure that they know what to expect and that you simply want them to do their best and have a good time doing it. Address any concerns that they may have. It will take the pressure off and I think they will respond positively. I'm sure that they will rise to the occasion:) Here is another place to take a look at: http://www.myangelickids.com/. Best wishes!

We purchased the little flower girl dresses for our wedding at the Bazaar on Harry Hines (a big building with predonimantly Hispanic merchants and vendors - you'll know it when you see it). Our flower girls were sisters with a single dad, so we took it upon ourselves to "help" him out (he was my best man, too). Our thinking was that the little girls in the Hispanic community need pretty little dresses all the time - church, baptisms, quinceneras, etc. We looked in the mall stores with no luck or they were too expensive - especially for a one-shot deal. There was a store in the Bazaar with hundreds of them - and good prices, too!.

My BFF is getting married in June as well. We actually just ordered my youngest the flower girls dress. I ordered it a little to big but not an entire size. We went to Davids Bridal and spent $60.00. They dont order by size they will measure you and order the dress from that. But if all else fails you can have it altered. Good Luck and have fun. Dont wait to long to order because it can take up to 3 months to come in. WE ordered bridesmaid dresses at the same time and and 1 came in 6 weeks later and the other 3 we are still waiting for.

You can also check out Craigslist. We found a dress on Craigslist for $20 but when it it got to us it was white and we needed ivory. Our fault for not asking. It looked ivory in the pic. So you might try your chances with it.

Look at the Easter dresses. Most department stores have them out right now. There are so many gorgeous ones out there right now, I'm sure you'll be able to find something. Same with the suit for your little guy :)

As for as looking, it might be a little early but you don't want to wait too long either. Try the dresses on her and see how they fit. If the next size up is a little long, but looks ok go with that. On my own kids, I prefer too long over too short.

First of all, looking for a dress is not the same as buying it yet. What would typically happen is you would go and pick out a dress that you will later go back and have your daughter fitted for. Starting now gives you time to find a dress that works for both the bride and you. It also allows you time to know how much the dress is going to cost and put aside the money now.

As for preparing them, you just let them know what they will need to do and remind them that there will be people there. They can just look to ...(whoever will be at the front waiting for them). Then, at rehearsal, let them practice more than once. At there age, be prepared for anything.

If you wait until Easter you should be able to find lots of dresses for her. I found one for my grand daughters at Sams warehouse( not where I expected to find one) and it was perfect for the wedding

There is a kids formal wear store next door to Sam Moon near 635 and 35...the prices were pretty good with several options. I just can't recall the store's name...sorry.

I don't think it's terribly early to find a dress. When she tries one on, if it's really tight, don't get it. If it's a bit big, great! There is a store next to Sam Moon on 635 that sells great dresses for $45-$55 each. I've always been able to find my daughter cute, nice, and age appropriate dresses there. We are usually buying for a daddy daughter dance, but they have white dresses as well. You can also try Strausburg Lace in the Galleria in Dallas, and I even found a flower girl/jr. bridesmaid dress for my daughter online at David's Bridal.com...you can return it if it doesn't fit well, but since it was on clearance, you only had 14 days to return. That worked for us!

I work in a clothing store that sells lots of gymnastic stuff but also little flower girls dresses and First communion dresses, you know the kind, they could even be worn in some glamor pageants. I think that so many of the little dresses you'll be looking at will have sashes and be able to be worn either tea length or floor length. For instance, if the bride picks a dress out and your little one grows and gets taller the dress can still be worn because it can be worn just a bit shorter and still look correct.

And truthfully, a 3 year old is not going to jump from a, say size 3 formal dress, up to a 6 or 7. She is likely to grow maybe up one size. I would look at the 3's and 4's and not much bigger unless she is a big girl to start with.

Formal dresses tend to be looser that the normal sizes. My friend's brother is getting married at the end of July. Her daughter is the flower girl. She wears a 7 or an 8 dress and medium to large girls clothes because she is all legs and arms. The dress they picked out at the store is a miniature wedding dress that is a size 5, yes, I did not type that wrong. It is a little girls size 5 dress. At this time it fits okay around and the length is just above the ankles. She is thinking it will be tea length by the end of July when the wedding is. The girl will be a full 8 years old at that time.

My friend is confident that it can be altered if it no longer fits around. It has very wide seams under the arms and the trim is placed so the side seam can be opened up and altered. Most wedding clothes are going to be made like this. They can usually be altered with a little work.

I think it okay to look now and maybe even go ahead and buy the dress. If you have to choose between two sizes go with the one that is just a bit too big and not huge.

I might wait on the shoes or think about how her growth spurts have been. If she has worn the same size shoes for a long time I might wait until later to get them or buy a pair that is just too big now and maybe a pair that is actually a size or two up.K wore a size 9-91/2 shoe for over two years. It was the oddest thing but she wore the same shoes that long.Then she went up two sizes in a couple of months and has been there for over a 1 1/2 years. Well, the shoes I am buying her now are actually 12 1/2. They are a bit big but still wearable.