Tips on Choosing and Grooming a Flower Girl

A flower girl is a young girl, usually a niece, cousin, or a family friend of the bride or the groom, she walks behind the brides maid, or around the maid of maid of honor, ceremoniously scattering flowers from a basket along the aisle. Alternatively, she may spread flower petals before the bride or carry a bouquet of flowers or thorn less roses. If the wedding ceremony is not scheduled to last very long, a flower girl may stand quietly at the altar, otherwise, she may take a seat for duration of the programme.
It may be worthwhile to be considerate of a few thoughts in choosing a flower girl as well as her attire. The recommended age for a flower girl is between four and eight years or even slightly older. It is not unusual for there to be three or four flower girls. It is necessary though, for the sake of maintaining the beauty of a wedding procession ceremony, that they appear well dressed, attractive, and exude confidence and happiness. It is advisable to not choose a very young flower girl as she may feel and appear scared, confused, and bored.
Although historically, the clothing of the flower girl was paid and provided for by the families of the bride and the groom, of late, modern brides and grooms expect the parents of the flower girl to bear the cost of her attire, as well as that of other activities involved in her participation at the wedding.
One wise idea is to buy your flower girl / girls a book on the subject itself, that conveys the role that she is expected to play at the wedding. This may inculcate a sense of enthusiasm and excitement as well as allow her time to gain confidence. Additionally, a bridesmaid may be tasked to look after her, or her parents may be ask to sit on the aisle where she can see them while she walks down herself in the bride groom procession. It is best to generally let the flower girl conduct herself naturally – ‘If she dumps all her petals at the start of the aisle, runs instead of walks, or even starts to cry, guests will think it's cute.’ (http://weddings.about.com/od/theweddingparty/a/flowergirl.htm)

On the subject of attire, a flower girl usually wears a mini version if the bride’s dress or one that is white in color. In the latter case, she may wear a sash that matches the bride’s dress. It would not be odd however, if you chose a dress of a completely different color, as long as it blends in well with the ambiance of the wedding. Preferably, of course, a flower girl would want to feel comfortable in order to have the necessary confidence and enthusiasm that should be evident on her face and movement. Her dress should be well fitting, not too long, in case the young flower girl trips down the aisle! Alternatively, if the flower girl does not like dresses, a formal pants outfit will also suffice for the occasion, as long as it does not stand out from the exquisiteness and formality of the bride’s own dress!

Flower girl dresses are generally available at bridal shops, as well as at children's clothing and department stores. Some famous and popular places where good quality clothes can be purchased for a flower girl include US Angels, J. Crew, and Little Flowers. Flowergirldresses also offers some nice less expensive choices.