She’s a Texan, she’s a friend of the Bush family, she has designed daywear and gowns for the Bush twins in the past. So it was only natural that designer Lela Rose would get the nod to design the bridesmaid and maid-of-honor dresses for Jenna Bush’s wedding in Texas May 10 2009.

Working with Jenna, Rose came up with striking choices: in keeping with the outdoor theme, Rose designed knee-length chiffon dresses in seven styles and colors for 14 of Jenna’s closest friends, affectionately referred to as the “house party.” The colors are inspired by the state’s native wildflowers, ranging from bluebonnet blue to a shade of Indian paint brush red.

Jenna's bridesmaids' dresses by Lela Rose

“They have an ethereal quality, but they’re not so drape-y — there’s some structure,” says Rose, who will be among the 200 guests attending the outdoor, Texas-nature-themed wedding at the Bushes’ ranch in Crawford. “It will be beautiful. The fields will be filled with wildflowers in full bloom.”

The dress styles vary from sleeveless to boat neck to halter-style, but all are above-the-knee, she says. “With a group that big, it should not be limited to one style.”

Twin Barbara Bush, who has been interning with Rose in New York and is of course Jenna’s maid-of-honour, will be wearing a long, shimmery dress with a low back and dyed “moonlight” blue to match her “brilliant blue” eyes, Rose says. Rose also designed a white silk dress with an antique sash for the flower girl.

Lela Rose with her new bridesmaid collection

Lela was so happy with how the dresses turned out, she decided to launch a range of bridesmaids dresses with the Dessy group - and we have the whole collection, exclusively in Wales! Click here to see some of them! For original article, click here.