Wedding Party

Best fabric for cowgirl boots

Hello, I am planning a barn wedding for next September. My color scheme is very neutral (ivory and other shades of off white), however I was hoping for my bridesmaids to wear a blush color or some shade of champange. They love the idea of brown cowgirl boots, but I can't find a dress that I think will look really good with them. I also cant figure out what type of fabic looks best with boots. My dress is a silk taffeta in ivory with a dark ivory bow in the back. I'd really appeciate any feedback! Thank you! :)


Thank you ladies! I guess I wasn't being too specific. It is a brunch wedding in a barn. We are planning to wear neutral shoes for the wedding (nude heels) and the boots are for the reception only. I also didn't want their dresses to be too formal. I'm going for a very casual family oriented wedding, and wanted them to be able to use their dress again.

Re: Best fabric for cowgirl boots

  • Frankly I don't think any formal dresses look good with cowboy boots.



  • hmmm, I don't think a taffeta or satin would look good.  I think chiffon might look nice, or if you are doing a little less formal a cute jersey material.....like one of those convertable dresses.

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  • Cotton dresses look cute with cowboy boots, but like PP said, it's not that dressy.

    If they're wearing dressier dresses, they just look better with dress shoes.  Cowboy boots are not formal attire.
  • I say go for it, the girls will probably be more comfortable. You can either opt for a fun long dress and they can shoe off their boots for photos ops & dancing or if you really want to show them off then to find the right look have one or more of the girls get the boots and bring them with them when you go dress shopping. Good luck & have fun!
  • More comfortable? Cowboy boots are not remotely comfortable, IMO, and I at least would be especially uncomfortable wearing them with a pretty dress.

    And OP, it really sounds like your dress is too formal to go with cowboy boots and your bridesmaids should be similar in formality. I think the nude heels will be lovely and perfect. If they wish to change shoes for the reception, they can bring whatever comfy flats or flip-flops or whatever that they would like. There probably won't even be any pictures at the reception that really show their feet anyway.
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  • Your bridesmaids are off duty at the reception, OP, so they can wear whatever shoes they want, including (but not limited to) cowboy boots.  Let them decide for themselves.  

    In the future please do not change your original post.



  • Sorry about that I'm very new to this. I only have two women standing up with me and both want to wear the boots.
  • Honestly I would stop worrying about coordinating with the boots.  Since they aren't wearing them for the ceremony and pictures I would be more concerned about finding a dress that fits within the level of formality of your wedding rather then whether or not it goes with boots.

    If your girls still want to change into boots or sneakers or flip flops or whatever other kind of foot wear for the reception then that is fine and it shouldn't matter whether or not that foot wear goes with the dress because at that point their "job" is done and they are just a guest of the wedding.

  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_best-fabric-for-cowgirl-boots?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:37Discussion:112996b2-5b88-4db4-9cfb-aae358ffd954Post:a7a394a8-4891-4f7b-9f9a-80669ff97b50">Re: Best fabric for cowgirl boots</a>:
    [QUOTE]Just have to chime in that I've bought 7 BM dresses, all of which I was assured were able to be worn again, and never worn a single one of them.  The only time I've reused a "BM" dress was when I was told any knee length black dress I wanted to wear, and then it was something already in my closet. It's great to be contientious of your BMs, but seriously the "wear again" BM dress is a myth so I wouldn't stress too much on that point.
    Posted by StageManager14[/QUOTE]

    My sister got married 2 yrs ago and I was a BM in her wedding. I had a friend get married a couple months later and I was an usher and was told to wear whatever I wanted. The BM were wearing periwinkle halter dressers, so I shortened my dress and wore it. It is a halter style dress in Clover. I literally got home from that wedding and got a phone call that my best from high school was getting married, she LOVED the dress I wore in my sister's wedding and planned her wedding colors around it(she did Clover, Cognac and Black for a fall wedding) and wanted me to be MOH and wear that dress. I was invited to 8 weddings this year(once all weddings are done, we will have gone to 6 of them as 3 were on the same day) and I plan on wearing that BM dress to one of the last weddings(it all depends on when my jewelry comes in if I wear the BM dress this weekend or in Nov to the last wedding). I had only previously reworn a BM dress when my oldest sister got married while I was in hs and wore that dress to prom. I will say, that when my sister was planning her wedding the BM's were going to buy a dress they wanted/felt comfortable in and I wasn't keen on this dress but I have gotten alot of use out of it.
    You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back. - Barbara DeAngelis
  • I think of the standard BM dress materials (think: DB) a cotton sateen would look more natural with cowboy boots than satin, chiffon, or tafeta.  It sounds like it would fit the formatily of your wedding nicely, IMO.
  • I've reworn the dress I wore for my sister's wedding several times. She told me the color and the length, then left me to my own decision. Bless her. Now i'm returning the favor with my BMs, and they all love their dresses.
    Don't make me mobilize OffensiveKitten

    image

    Anniversary

  • I think that cotton would look best with cowboy boots, but since cotton is not overly formal, this may not be the direction you want to go.  My sister wore cowboy boots with a chiffon dress to our rehearsal dinner and pulled it off, but she may be an exception to the rule.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_best-fabric-for-cowgirl-boots?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:112996b2-5b88-4db4-9cfb-aae358ffd954Post:bd0d6ca7-3b49-4c34-a541-471332668165">Re: Best fabric for cowgirl boots</a>:
    [QUOTE]Your bridesmaids are off duty at the reception, OP, so they can wear whatever shoes they want, including (but not limited to) cowboy boots.  Let them decide for themselves.   Incorrect. The reception is part of the wedding, and the wedding is formal.  No one, wedding party or guest, should dress inappropriately for the occasion.  (In this case, pairing casual footwear with formal clothing at a formal social function). Question for the members:  why do the same folks who scream about a Mother of the Groom or guest showing up at the wedding in overalls think it's okay for the wedding party to change into flip flops?
    Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]
    I disagree.  Their only duties are ceremonial; at the ceremony they are guests just like any other guests, and like any other guests they get to decide what they want to wear.  A lot of guests change their shoes for dancing, for example.  This also doesn't sound like a formal wedding.<div>
    </div><div>I don't remember seeing anyone scream about a guest showing up at the wedding in overalls, so I have no idea what you're talking about.  People who are worried about how their guests showing up dressed appropriately are told that they cannot dictate attire unless it's a black-tie wedding or the venue has a dress code, and that anyone whose clothing does not fit the formality of the occasion will be the ones who look bad, not the bride and groom.  The same logic applies here.</div>



  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_best-fabric-for-cowgirl-boots?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:112996b2-5b88-4db4-9cfb-aae358ffd954Post:0de74ecb-da1a-452e-9495-899e0496e6d7">Re: Best fabric for cowgirl boots</a>:
    [QUOTE]The bridesmaids, on the other, hand, KNOW not to dress inappropriately for the occasion.
    Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]
    Obviously not, if they all want to change their shoes for the reception.  How does this address what I said in my post?



  • Cowboy boots can be really cute with dresses. I'm a horsey girl so I love that. I also loved your pics in the link you posted. I personally think it's best to keep the dresses short for boots. 

    I had thought about doing boots for my own wedding, but decided against it. I think you really need to think about your girls. My BM's are not horsey girls so they would have to buy boots, which can be expensive. A pair of ladies cowboy boots cost at least $110 normally - depending on the brand they get on up to about $200. 

    Another poster said that boots are uncomfortable. This can be true sometimes. My boots are my most comfortable shoes, but I wear them almost everyday. If they are not broken in, they can be pretty uncomfortable. Especially since you need to buy them a little tight so that when they stretch out, they fit right and aren't too big. 

    I couldn't afford to buy boots for all of my girls and I didn't think it fair to require them to buy expensive shoes they wouldn't wear again. Your girls may wear them again or they may have boots already in their closet and broken in - I don't know. But you're also talking about just getting them for the reception. So, if they don't already have them, they would be buying 2 pairs of shoes with at least one of them being quite expensive.

    Anyway, I may have gotten way off topic for your question. I apologize if I have. I'm not much help on specific fabrics, but I found some pics of examples that I thought were really cute. Here you go!




    Anniversary
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_best-fabric-for-cowgirl-boots?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:112996b2-5b88-4db4-9cfb-aae358ffd954Post:fdfc07da-e754-4b30-b58d-7b2f2a02e4c1">Re: Best fabric for cowgirl boots</a>:
    [QUOTE]Oh, I am sorry. I thought the point was easy to understand. The bridesmaids and other members of the wedding party should not put on attire considered inappropriate for anyone else (such as the guests)  for a formal occasion during the event. There are standards of dress that are not acceptable for certain occasions - hence the term "formalwear" for "formal" occasions.  Flip-flops and cowboy boots are worn at casual sites and events, and at work (and in some occupations those would be considered unprofessional). It is therefore not appropriate to "change into them" while the formal event is still in progress. This falls under Etiquette - aka accepted standards of behavior. If a guest shows up inappropriately dressed, a bride is obliged to politely ignore the matter. <strong> The wedding party and the bride, however, ARE aware of appropriate standards of dress for a wedding, and are held to an even higher standard than that of the guests - making their behavior that much more egregious.</strong>
    Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]
    AGAIN, obviously not, since the bridesmaids in this case would like to change into cowboy boots at the reception, and the bride is fine with it.  And frankly, while I can't stand cowboy boots, they might actually be the most appropriate footwear item at a reception in a barn.  The bridesmaids are just guests once it gets to the reception, and as guests they can choose whether to change their shoes, change their dress, go barefoot, etc.  Whether or not you agree with them doing so because you think they should know better is irrelevant.  



  • IF the BMs already own boots (and/or want to purchase boots) and they want to wear them, then I think it can be really cute. Take it at face value: I grew up riding horses and hanging out in barns, I own several pairs of boots (everyday boots and dress boots), and regularly go line dancing.

    I chaged into a pair of boots at my best friend's wedding (I was MOH) for the reception. She had initially told me that the other 3 BMs were planning to do the same, but it turned out that they all opted for flip-flops instead, so I was the only one (though all 4 GM and the groom wore dress boots for the ceremony and reception). I got a lot of compliments from her guests that they looked cute with my (chiffon) dress.

     


    But, FWIW, I also changed into boots for my own reception because my heels were killing my feet after being in them for 5 hours (and standing for most of that).

     

  • edited September 2012
    Nvm, got mixed up by OP edit.
    Don't make me mobilize OffensiveKitten

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    Anniversary

  • im planning on wearing my cowboy boots. I love mine to death and i think something with lace would be very cute. just a thought.
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