With the holiday season quickly approaching, many churches and civic organizations will be having Christmas plays to celebrate. These plays usually require the actors and actresses to be dressed in full costume. This means there will be a need for someone to make costumes for Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three wise men, angels, shepherds, and even barnyard animals. The designs for these outfits are usually simple. However, there are some ways to adorn an angel costume to make it really shine.

The Halo
The halo is one important part of the overall costume design that deserves a little bit more attention. The halo is the defining piece of the costume that should stand out a bit. One way to make the halo really shine is to use gold glitter. The glitter on the halo will catch the light and shimmer beautifully on the angel’s head throughout the play reminding everyone of an angel’s bright light.

Trim the Gown in Fur
An angel doesn’t have to be draped in a white sheet. Her gown deserves more embellishments and detail work to make her shine. Add a piece of white fur trim around the edges of the fabric. This way the dress will be lined in white fun around the bottom, around the neckline, and around the cuffs of the sleeves. This one detail will add depth to the gown.

Sew on Sequins
Sewing on sequins can add another dimension to the costume to make it shimmer during the course of the play. Use small, silver sequins as beautiful accents on the gown. These can be sewn on the sleeves, on the bodice of the gown, or even around the costume’s waistline.

Use Another Color
Certainly white is the traditional color for angels to wear, but this can change. Use another color for the fabric of the gown instead of plain white. A pale blue or a pale pink fabric could be used to distinguish boy angels from girl angels in the play. Soft yellows also look good under bright lights during a play. Shy away from bold or vibrant colors, but try exploring different muted shades to see what works best.

An angel costume doesn’t have to be traditional in this year’s Christmas play. Try adding a few embellishments or maybe even a splash of color to make the role of the angel stand out in this year’s holiday performance.