Bridal Fashion for Every Season

There is so much pressure on a bride. Being a Perfect Bride has become an industry. Apart from your high school ball and any unlikely events of marrying princes this is as good as it gets and as close to being a princess as most of us will see.

It’s a fallacy that all brides –like all babies- are beautiful, after all the television show Bridezilla thrives on when Brides go Bad. But far and away the majority of weddings bring out the beauty in the betrothed and make a star out of the standard. There’s little dispute that Camilla Parker–Bowles looked the best we’ve ever seen her in her designer coat over dress and chic feather hat on her wedding day, inversely proportionate to Diana’s wedding dress horror that she improved upon for the rest of her fashionable life.

Wedding dress trends change about as often as those in denim; not a seasonal change as in high fashion stores, but much more slowly, in cycles of a few years. “Ban the Meringue” was the catch cry a few years ago, with a backlash against the full skirted, mutton-sleeved Diana Dresses and the trend turning to sleek slim-fitting dresses.

Then cowl-necks were all the go with acres of bias-cut drapery pushing brides to the gym. Then strapless dresses were the ubiquitous style and to be honest didn’t suit everyone. Halter neck dresses brought a 1950s flavour to wedding dresses after the turn of the millennium but again you have to be careful, as I attended a wedding with a fuller-busted bride in no bra clearly visible falling out of the sides of her halter dress. Your wedding day is no time for a Janet Jackson-esque wardrobe malfunction.

So what to wear to your wedding?

First weddings
You really are the star of the day- it’s all about you, and it needs to be congruous with the style of the actual wedding and the venue. What is your style? Traditional church. Princess. Hollywood actress. Casual beach. Contemporary cool. Classic chic. No good wearing a full train onto a beach, and a modern outfit would look inappropriate walking the aisle of a cathedral.

Second weddings
A woman told me yesterday, the first wedding is for your family (mostly your mother) and the second wedding is all about you- what you REALLY want. You can fix everything you didn’t like the first time around, and not just the choice of husband. Second weddings tend to be more relaxed, smaller affairs -especially if the father of the bride isn’t shouting the bill again- but mostly because you want to be intimate with true friends and not every cousin.

The most popular styles today are a slim fitting bodice with either spaghetti straps, halter neck or strapless, with a sleek waist falling into a full skirt. Ivory is far and away the biggest selling bridal colour, with secondary sales of traditional white, thick creams and a smattering of pale golds.

What fabric to choose? The style of the dress will determine the fabric used; cowl and bias dresses require soft fabrics such as silk or satin to provide drape. Corsets with skirts suit winter weddings and require a heavier fabric to provide structure to the garment, and suit brocades and embossed heavy satins. Sheer fabrics such as crystalline organza give a floaty look ideal for spring weddings and have a feminine, ethereal look and need to be layered over a lining fabric.

What shoes will you wear? Whatever shoe you’ll be wearing, wear it to the dress fitting so it’s the correct length; too short will show ankle, and too long you’ll trip up (bride comes before the fall, perhaps?). Stiletto heels are no good outdoors sinking into grass or sand; I saw a gorgeous beach bridal party perfect in gold satin flip flops.

Also give some consideration to your wedding handbag, as you definitely can’t carry your black leather office handbag to the reception, so plan ahead and get a small metallic purse for tissues, lipstick, powder and your mobile phone for brides who can’t resist not receiving the modern equivalent of the wedding telegram- the wedding text.

Above all the key is to be true to yourself and your own style. Take a good honest look at your body shape and what will look and feel good to wear and don’t be swayed into buying the latest wedding dress trend. If it’s a style of top that you would never be seen dead in normally, then don’t choose it for your big day. There’s nothing worse than brides nervously pulling up a strapless gown or fidgeting with a low-cut dress, or not being to walk in too-high heels. Sure you want the photos to look stunning but the bride needs to shine too and have great memories of a perfect day.

So bear in mind your venue, your wedding style, your body shape and how the photos will look in future years. Now go forth and shine- it’s the bride’s day and you should enjoy it, looking as beautiful as possible, because you know the best accessory to a wedding dress? A genuinely happy smile.

Article:www.thread.co.nz

Summer

Lots of little girls dream of being married on the beach, on a mountaintop or in a meadow. As summer arrives, exotic outdoor locations become extremely popular. Lots of brides insist on seeing those little girl dreams come true.

Whether you are the bride, a bridesmaid, a mother, the groom or a guest, the eternal question becomes: What will I wear? We'll begin with the bride. "Right now, the hottest gown is bias-cut, with crisscross straps. It's as sexy as they come," remarked Nancy Aucone, owner of The Wedding Salon of Manhasset, and a bridal expert for 25 years. "I'm also selling lots of very simple, strapless bridal gowns. Bermuda weddings, Vineyard weddings, Hampton weddings, Hawaiian weddings. The look is plain, plain, plain."
Unless you are actually in the sand, white silk organza is a gorgeous choice. A little newer than tulle, this fabric offers that airy, island, beach feel. Crunchy lighter-than-air tissue taffeta works well, too. Close your eyes and picture the Estée Lauder "Beautiful" perfume ads, with bride Elizabeth Hurley running through fields, the breeze gently blowing her dress. That's the look.

Keep it light. That includes your veil. A long veil is fine, just be certain it won't drag on grass or sand. Look for airy, not pouffy. Try a style called angel wings, which falls back, rather than full around your face. Hair jewelry may work better than a traditional headpiece.