When Choosing Your Wedding Gown

There are thousands of wedding gown fashions to choose from. Brides can choose a wedding gown with traditional embellishments like the bell-shape skirt with lace and a train, or a modern form-fitting wedding gown made of satin and decorated with sequins. Whatever the bride may decide, she will eventually have to visit some type of wedding gown dealer.

Selecting Your Wedding Gown
When you visit the salon of your choice, make sure that you have a clear vision of your wedding’s theme. Do not hesitate to let the salon know what you have planned for a budget. Bring magazine clippings of wedding gowns you like, and see if they have those styles or something similar. Keep in mind that with most bridal salons, you get some consultation for free. Take advantage of the advice you receive. The consultant will be able to offer suggestions on fit and style based on your age and body type. A wedding gown may look wonderful in a magazine (and most do), but it may not look good on you. Your consultant will help you find the right gown at the right price. You should visit a bridal salon even if you do not plan on purchasing your wedding gown through one. The advice you receive will more than pay for your time.

The Wedding Gown Costs
Don’t purchase a wedding gown that is out of your price range. Bridal gowns can range in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Take some time to think about your selection. It may help to sleep on the idea and make a commitment on a different day. Remember that bridal gowns come with many unforeseen expenses. Don’t spend all of your allotted money on the gown itself. Save a little for alterations and accessories. Plan to spend approximately 5.5% of your total wedding budget on your wedding gown and accessories.

Get Fitted For Your Wedding Gown
When you go to get fitted for your gown, make sure that you bring your mother or maid of honor with you. If neither of these people can be there, take a friend whose opinion you trust. If nothing else, this friend can provide some moral support if you are in doubt. You should plan on at least six months to decide on and fit your wedding gown. It will take at least three months for your order to be placed and your wedding gown to be made by the manufacturer. Then you can plan on three fittings. The first when your wedding gown arrives. The second to correct any mistakes, and the third to verify that everything is perfect. You should expect your wedding gown to be perfect. After all, you will only wear this wedding gown once. If you do not have six months, relax. You can still get everything done in time. It will just cost a little more to rush your order.

Your final fitting should take place a few weeks before your wedding. The last thing you should worry about on your wedding day is whether or not your gown fits. So make sure your wedding gown is ready early. Your salon should hold your gown until the week before your wedding. They are better equipped to store your wedding gown than you will be, and proper storage is essential to prevent your wedding gown from wrinkling.
It would be a good idea to bring your maid of honor to your fittings. She will be able to learn her responsibilities for the wedding day. Sometimes, small emergencies come up right before the wedding is about to begin. Your maid of honor should know your wedding gown, and she should also know how to perform small alterations in a pinch. If your mother would handle this situation better than your maid of honor, you might want her at the fittings as well.

Finding Your Dream Wedding Dress

The pre-wedding task most Brides look forward to is choosing a Dress. You may have fantasized about the creation from the moment he popped the question, but the chances are you probably haven’t yet considered the practicalities of actually finding your Dream Dress.

So, whether you have a clear idea, or your spoilt for choice and don’t know where to start, get loads of inspiration from Wedding Magazine fashion pages and use this guide to ensure that what should be lots of fun, is lots of fun.

Spend a day shopping for ideas, set a budget and then make sure you stick to it.

Allow plenty of time to find your Dream Dress - it may take you a while and most shops expect you to order at least three to four months before your big day.

Try on as many styles as you can. Lots of dresses have zero hanger appeal, but look great once you put them on.

It’s a good idea to start out with a general idea of the kind of dress you like: traditional, straight, empire line, princess line, etc.

Remember to look at your rear view! Your Guests will have an uninterrupted view during the ceremony, so it’s got to look good.

Think about whether you want a theme to your wedding (color, period, style) as this will make your choice of dress easier.

Be practical - a huge skirt will be hard to maneuver in a tiny Church.

Consider the season of your wedding. Late Spring or Summer Ceremonies call for cool silk, chiffon, pure cotton or lace. Late autumn and winter weddings demand warm, heavier fabrics such as brocade, velvet and duchess satin.

Don’t dismiss man-made fabrics - a good quality dress is a cost-effective option which travels well (synthetic fabrics crush less) - important if you’ve a long trip to the ceremony or are getting married abroad.

Generally, a pure white dress looks better on brunettes, while ivory and cream flatters the traditional English Rose.

If your budget is limited consider hiring you dress. You can pay about the same to hire a designer dress as you would to buy a mass-produced frock.

You could recoup some of the cost of a designer dress by selling it after the wedding (if you can bear to part with it). There are several agencies and exchanges that will help but your gown must be in pristine condition.

Make the most of your natural assets. Tall, slender brides look stunning in long, lean silhouettes, while shorter brides should avoid full skirts and trains, opting for smaller details and trims. A V-shaped waist makes you look taller, you can emphasize a neat waist with a sash, show off good legs with a short skirt, hide plump arms under long sleeves and bony shoulders under high necks. Finally, bustles are a definite no-no for the pear shaped!

Always take at least one other person with you (two is best) when shopping for your dress, so that you know what your wedding finery looks like from every angle.

Ask to try on a veil with the dress so you can get an idea of the complete look - a short veil may well turn a dress from ordinary to special, while a long veil might not work at all.

Choose your Bridesmaids’ outfits to match detail or color on your dress. And if you have a theme, make sure you tie in with your maids.

Think about the style of your shoes: whether or not you want a heel may affect the whole look of your dress.

Consider any other accessories that you may need to set off your wedding dress - jewelry, gloves, bags, scarves etc. will all add finishing touches and complete your look, but will they bust your budget?

After the wedding, preserve your dress by having it expertly cleaned and boxed.

Wedding Gown Fabric and Decorations

In order to make your wedding gown truly yours on your wedding day you might want to have a wedding gown custom made for you. This gives you the option of choosing your own fabrics and having a say in the detail such as bead work, netting and ribbons. With so many different materials and shiny little things to choose from, it is really easy to lose track of what goes where, and end up with something that people need to wear sunglasses to look at.
There are also factors like the time of year and the weather conditions. No one wants to trudge down the aisle in the middle of a heat wave swathed from head to toe in chiffon and crepe.

Cost, unfortunately is usually an issue. You might love the softness and feel of a material, but if it is made from the hair shed by andalusian mountain goats once every 10 years and costs thousands of dollars per square inch it might not be feasible. If cost is really an issue then you might consider buying a relatively simple type of dress and smarting it up with some custom decorations such as bead work and other decorations. Adding details to the dress is therefore very pocket friendly, it allows you to buy a much plainer dress for less and then customize it to your liking, making it spectacular!

Decorations can be a lot of fun. Have a look at the decorations and bead work on pictures in expensive wedding magazines - these are a greate source of inspiration! If you are having the dress made from scratch ask your dressmaker if she can match the decorations and bead work on some of the pictures that you really like. If she really knows what she is doing, she should be able to give you something similar.

There are so many different ways of making your wedding gown beautiful but bead work remains a perennial favourite; a bead work design on the bodice of the dress is both elegant and contemporary. The other advantage of bead work is that it does not take too long to put in, so if you change your mind, your tailor can always take it out again with very little effort.

All in all, finding the right decoration for your dress can be a lot of fun. Take your friends along and make a day of it. Do not be afraid to ask questions of the shop assistants, that is what they are there for, besides, everyone wants to help with a wedding. This is your opportunity to really express yourself through your dress and we recommend that you take full advantage of it.

My Wedding Dress

As a girl, I dreamt of a grand wedding. It will be attended by our whole family and lots of friends. There will be lavish foods and drinks will flow. All of our guests will say to themselves that that was the best wedding yet that they have attended.

Of course, they will all die with envy just looking at my wedding dress. With a train that stretches long and a design so unique and beautiful, women at the church and reception can’t help but wish they are in my shoes.

Years later, there I stood on my wedding day. Sure, our respective families were in attendance. Some of our friends came to. Actually, we had to cut down on the number of guests to accommodate just the closest ones. Our food was indeed delicious and was provided by a famous restaurant. There was no party anymore because we were pressed for time.

The wedding dress I wished of wearing did not come true. Instead, I just bought a powder blue colored ready-to-wear cocktail dress while my husband to-be donned the same shade of suit. Instead of a church wedding, we got married in civil rites.

Though it was very far from the wedding of my dreams, I was nevertheless happy. In fact, the happiest I have been. I realized it doesn’t matter what I wore, or who came, or what we ate. As long as I married the one I love, it’s more than enough.

Wearing White

I know that virginity is pretty much a thing of the past and there aren’t many women who get married these days who are still virgins. Wearing white on the wedding day has always been a symbol of purity. I know some people don’t think much about it, but I always thought it was kind of odd to see someone wearing white who:

- already has children
- was married before
- has lived with the person they are marrying for a long time

I guess if you take out those three equations there wouldn’t be much of a market for the traditional white wedding gown.

When I went to get my wedding dress for my second wedding, the first thing I insisted upon was I only wanted ivory - no white. It just didn’t seem proper to me. That’s my own personal opinion. What are your thoughts?

Plus Size Wedding Gowns

It used to be that when you walked into a bridal boutique all you would see were racks and racks of size 8 or smaller dresses. Times are changing and finally a plus size woman can find something to try on at some of your larger wedding dress boutiques. The fashion and wedding industry still has a long way to go to accommodating plus size women but things are getting better. While some stores, such as David’s Bridals, are carrying samples of plus size gowns a lot of your bridal boutiques are still only carrying sample sizes, which are usually a size 8.

How humiliating it can be for someone who is a size 20 or 22 to not have any larger sample to try than a size 8?

Just because a lot of women are plus size it doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve to be treated special when they walk into a boutique to find a wedding dress. Approximately 30% of the U.S. is obese and 70% of women are size 12 and over so the bridal industry has had to start creating larger sizes to keep up with the demand.

Some other places plus size women can get their wedding gowns besides David’s Bridals is Lane Bryant, Plus Size Bridal and House of Brides.

Maternity Wedding Dresses

It used to be a hushed topic to tie the knot during pregnancy. You hear all the old stories about shot gun weddings. Today, however, there are some gorgeous maternity wedding dresses to choose from. Here are a few tips to help you make the perfect selection.

Choose a dress that will allow you to expand. You will not be the same size a month from now for the wedding. You can also select your dress closer to the time of the wedding, instead of early own.

Cotton fabrics breathe well. This will keep you from getting hot during the ceremony in a roomful of people. Cotton is also very flattering and has some gorgeous maternity wedding dress patterns.

Choose a maternity wedding dress that flows from the waist but has puffy sleeves and a low back line to accent other parts of your great figure. It’s a time to celebrate the union with your partner and the upcoming birth of your child.

Stop Making the Bridesmaids Wear Bad Dresses

I know. With the big day coming, it is easier to pick out something that you think fits into the theme of the wedding for the bridesmaids. It is even easier to pick something that is in budget and is simple to put together. Before you start deciding and spending a budget - have some mercy for some bridesmaids.

Most of you girls who are getting married and have been bridesmaids know that you should never have that kind of wedding. However, for those who are more old fashioned or forgot that the side people matter a little bit too, it’s time to remember all of the girls of the wedding.

There are plenty of options for finding simple cuts and fits for those that are going to be in your wedding - without the fluff or bad skirt styles. You can easily find classy dresses out there - from halter tops to bows that don’t look repulsive and to sleek looks that the girls can wear more than once and won’t mind putting on for your wedding.

One approach that can be taken is to not worry about everyone matching exactly. You can still keep the same colors, but they can be displayed in different ways, depending on the size and shape of the girls who are by your side. It is even kosher now to not have matching colors among your girls to give some variety to your day.

So, before you start playing Barbie, or letting someone else play Barbie, try and find something that fits who is there. You will find that there are some options that are much better than what you may have had to wear.

Wedding Dress Red Wine Stain Removal

There is no worse feeling than to be enjoying a nice glass of red wine and have some spill on your beautiful wedding dress. Months have gone into planning your wedding and finding the perfect wedding gown. First thing, do not panic if you get a small red wine stain on your wedding dress.

Ask the caterer for a couple of clean white napkins. Lightly moisten the cloth with clean water or with club soda. Dab and blot the red wine spot. Switch parts of the napkin and keep dabbing and blotting. Do not rub the red wine stain on your wedding dress. Dab and blot until the
majority or all of the stain is removed.

Use talcum or baby powder to lightly cover the stain. This will disguise the stain on the dress so that you can have a great time without a lot of worry and fuss.

How to Find Your Perfect Plus Size Wedding Dress

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, and so do beautiful brides. Plus size brides may have to look a little harder but the perfect dress is out there for us too. When shopping for a plus size wedding dress there are just a few things to keep in mind.

Taking your time is the first important step. Don’t feel like you have to settle, and don’t get discouraged if the first shop you visit has limited selection. Taking the time to research shops beforehand can save some frustration. Some bridal shops specialize in plus size dresses, while many only carry plus sizes to 14 or 16.

If you find a shop with limited size and selection let the employees know about their lost sale. The more plus size women make our buying power known the more choices we will have.

No two women are shaped exactly the same. Take your measurements and compare them to a standardized size chart. Bridal shops will often offer this service, but it’s easy to do at home. Are you more of a size 22 in your chest and a 20 in your hips? That may indicate a need to choose separates, or to consider an empire waisted wedding dress that will flow with your beautiful curves. Accurate measurements are also vital if you decide to shop online.

If finding a dress locally is a hassle, buying plus size wedding dresses online is a dream. Online is where you will find the best selection and range of prices. Be sure to place your order far enough in advance to make returns or alterations. Wedding forums can also be a good place to check for advice on designers and online retailers.

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