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Try bringing along pictures of wedding gowns you like to show the bridal consultants and then ask their advice. Your bridesmaids can go with you on various exploratory trips to the bridal stores and to watch you try on the dresses. Ask your mother or maid of honor to take notes on everything you try on. You may also want to bring along a digital camera to take pictures of you in the dresses so that you can go back over the photos and your notes later.
You've been planning for the big day since your soon-to-be husband popped the question. You've booked your venue, you've picked out your bridal dress, you've selected a menu and you've gone over budgets and more. It's important to remember that a lot of time and care went into planning the wedding, so you want to follow a simple prescription to take care of the bridal dress, especially before the ceremony and reception. These tips apply to your bridesmaids and anyone else who is going to be coming in contact with you while you are wearing the dress before it's time to walk down the aisle.
Protect the bridal dress on the big day by:
Bridal jewelry should accompany the overall wedding attire, and not overwhelm your look. Keep your hairstyle and dress style in consideration when picking out bridal jewelry. For example, if your hair is long and down, you will likely want to go with small stud earrings. If your hair is up and pulled away from your face, longer earrings are a good choice. If your face is square, avoid wide earrings, whereas if you have a narrow, angular face, wider earrings are a good addition.
When you are selecting the flowers for your bridal bouquets, it's important to explore your floral arrangement options. There is no hard and fast rule that says your bridal bouquets must be made of fresh flowers. However, you do need to be prepared for the elevated cost of that might incur. So here are some tips for choosing your bridal bouquets:
Selecting bridal jewelry is a part of wedding planning that is rarely talked about or shown. The jewelry is considered an accessory to the bridal clothes. Some brides may feel a bit overwhelmed at all of the little details that make up choosing their bridal gear, and picking out bridesmaid jewelry can increase that anxiety. Bridal jewelry may seem like a complicated series of decisions, but you can simplify the process by kepping the following thoughts in mind:
Planning to get married? Have you started shopping for your wedding gown? Shopping for wedding gowns is not an activity that you put off to the last minute. For the bride who wants to custom order her dress, most designers take 12 to 24 weeks to fill a special order. The minimum time before your wedding that you should begin shopping for your wedding gowns is 6 to 9 months ahead of time.
When shopping for wedding gowns, if you feel completely out of your depth – find a bridal consultant at a wedding dress shop and put them to work for you. Pick up copies of bridal magazines and flip through them. Look for ideas that you like and ideas that you don't. Your wedding gowns may look nothing like what is in those magazines, but by going through them and cutting out pictures, you may very well discover what you don't want - and that's a great place to start.
Don't be surprised if you don't find the wedding gown you like on the
first trip. Once you know what your wedding dress is going to be it
will be time to start looking into bridesmaid dresses; once again –
take your time and remember, this is your day. If you decide to special order the wedding gowns, be prepared to put down a significant deposit to begin the process. It's also worth mentioning that special orders are generally non-refundable or returnable so be sure that it's the dress you want when you make your order.
When it comes to selecting your bridal jewelry, the type of hairstyle you will be wearing, whether or not you will be wearing a veil and even the shape of your face will play a large role. If you are wearing a headpiece such as tiara or crown, then your earrings and necklace should coordinate with those pieces. For example, a pearl necklace and earrings will complement a pearl headpiece.
When it comes to choosing the necklace, you want to pay attention to style of the gown and its neckline. A high neckline won't require any type of necklace. A V-neck will enjoy a drop necklace. Off the shoulders will be complemented by a choker or smaller necklace that enhances the shape of the neck. The more elaborate your gown, the more elaborate the jewelry should be to accent it. If your dress is simple
with few accents, complement it with simple jewelry.
The color of your wedding will also play a part in the selection of the bridal jewelry. White wedding dresses look great with pearls. Off white dresses look better with white or yellow gold. When choosing your bridesmaids' bridal jewelry, it is important that it is complimentary to what the bride is wearing, but in simpler format. For example, if the bride is wearing a choker of pearls, then bridesmaids may also wear pearls, but perhaps only two strands instead of three. Also, if the bridesmaids are all wearing identical dresses, be sure to put them in identical jewelry. If they are wearing different styles of dresses and different colors, you can mix and match their bridal jewelry as well.
Bridal bouquets are as much a part of the wedding ceremony as the bridal dress. Planning for the bridal bouquet is a unique part of your wedding planning and requires time and commitment. No matter where you decide to host your wedding - whether it's on a beach, in a Church, or standing on the deck of a cruise ship - it's important to plan and select the flowers that will make up the bridal bouquets.
Bridal bouquets can have meaning. They can have depth of emotion. They can be very romantic and they can be sentimental. The florist and the bride should work together to create a bouquet that features the bride's likes and wedding theme, but also works well in pictures and can be put together nicely in a bouquet. Listen to the advice, read up on the ideas and then choose for the bouquets what speaks to your heart.
If you aren't sure about putting together the bridal bouquets, then hiring a professional florist may do more than provide you with beautiful flower arrangements. A good floral designer can help you create some amazing bridal bouquets, while at the same time incorporating your wishes into them.
A professional florist can take your very ordinary spray of flowers and create something extraordinary. They can also give you good advice on whether or not the flowers you want in your bridal bouquet are going to stain, or if they will hold up during the course of the wedding. The last thing you want is for your bridal bouquets to be wilting while still taking pictures.
Talk to your friends and your family about the florists they have used in the past. If you have a wedding planner handling the details of your wedding, he or she should be able to provide you with a list of recommended florists and even help you discuss what you want with the florist. If you are shopping florists on your own, visit a few and then to narrow down your selection by asking them to put together flower arrangements for you.
When you decide on the florist you want to use, you'll want to provide that florist with as much information as possible including floral preferences, colors chosen for the wedding, where the wedding is going to take place, any wedding themes and the style of dress that you will be wearing. The bridal bouquets are important elements of the wedding and a professional florist can make that happen.
Choosing your wedding dress is one step, but deciding on the accents to your wedding dress is the next. Wearing gloves is an option for many brides and gloves can certainly add to the romance of the bride's appearance. There are many different glove styles out there to choose from. The style of gloves should complement your wedding dress, but they should also flatter the bride.
When choosing your gloves for your wedding dress there is four basic glove lengths and styles to choose from:
Choosing a glove as an accessory to your wedding dress is an elegant addition, but it's one that should be made with care. The gloves should also allow for slipping on the wedding ring to the ring finger. The shorter gloves are easier to remove during the wedding reception for eating. It's also worth mentioning that the elegance of gloves are usually reserved for formal weddings
Always pay for your wedding gown with a credit card. If something goes wrong with your dress order or with the bridal salon, you'll have recourse via the credit card company.
If you want to save big bucks on your wedding dress, try calling local bridal shops in your area and asking if they have any clearance dresses. Often they'll be clearing out past season's dresses, demos or gowns with tiny mistakes and selling them for low prices.
When shopping for your wedding gown, even if you have an idea of what you want, be sure to keep an open mind. The styles that you like in photos may not look good on you. Many brides later say that the dress they ended up choosing was one that they never would have thought to try on!
Take the weather into account before disaster strikes! If you are planning a winter wedding, make arrangements to dress at the church or venue to avoid slush and salt stains on your gown. Enlist the ushers to shovel the entry way prior to the guests' arrival.
When designing your bridal bouquets, consider the flowers that are the most important to you and then consider the look and feel of your wedding. Talk to your florist about your favorite flowers, and let the florist make recommendations on how to use those flowers in a bouquet that fits your wedding scene. Romantic bridal bouquets are those that mix color, scent and appearance in combination to accent the bride.
If you're going to be doing a lot of dancing or moving around at your reception (which you probably will), you might want to consider getting a detatchable train or one that will bustle.
When you are getting ready on your wedding day, put your dress on at the very end, after you've done your hair and your makeup and had a bite to eat. You don't want to risk getting any food or makeup on your gown.
When selecting bridesmaids' gowns, get your choices narrowed down to six or seven dresses and have the store(s) write down the style numbers. Gather your bridesmaids together (maybe after a luncheon) and have them try on the various dresses so you can get a better idea how each dress looks on each maid.
If you're a crafty sort of gal (or have a friend who's good with artsy things), you might consider making your own veil. You can buy a wedding veil kit, usually for less than 30 dollars, from most crafts stores. These veils are very easy to assemble, requiring a glue gun and other basic tools.
When you order your wedding gown be sure to get a copy of the order form, complete with the following information:
-style number and manufacturer
-your measurements and the corresponding size for that manufacturer (they differ amongst companies)
-color
-any other special instructions
When you're planning shopping trips to look for a wedding dress, consider going during a weekday rather than on a Saturday, especially if you're going to a large discount store. Often you'll have to wait several hours on the weekends and you may not receive as much attention as you would during the week.
Be sure to ask the store where you order your gown who they'll communicate with on matters concerning your order. Even if someone else is paying for the dress, you should have the final say in any decisions. One bride had to put this policy to the test when her mom tried to call and cancel the order without her daughter knowing it!
If you want to make your own wedding dress, the first thing that you'll want to do is buy a pattern. Simplicity has many patterns in their “It's Sew Easy” line that are great for beginners. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, even if you've never sewn before. On the back of the pattern, you'll find a list of all of the things you need to buy to make your own wedding dress, including how much fabric, a zipper, buttons, and anything else you may need for that particular dress. It's a good idea to make a sample of the dress in a simple fabric to make sure that you get the fit right.
That said, it can be quite costly and time consuming to make your own wedding dress. Wedding dress fabric is often expensive and may actually cost more than buying a pre-made dress. It also can take many hours of time that might be better spent with other wedding preparations. If you are new to sewing, it's probably a better idea to get your dress from a discount retailer, such as David's Bridal, or even Ebay.
Bustling a wedding gown is a science: there are rules to follow and they have to be followed carefully in order for your dress to be bustled correctly. You can make sure this happens by bringing two people to your final fitting for your wedding gown (your maid of honor, your mother or a bridesmaid) so they can get instructions and practice how to bustle your gown.
If you're going to wear a blusher veil over your face during your wedding ceremony, be sure that it's long enough to flip back over your head for the 'kiss the bride' moment.
When shopping for your gown (or bridesmaids' dresses), consider wearing a strapless bra. You'll get a better idea of what the dresses look like if you don't have to worry about covering up your straps or baring it all in a communal dressing room.
If you want to take off your veil after the ceremony, make sure you attach it to your headpiece with Velcro for easy removal.
If you want the back of your dress to show, you might want to consider wearing a shorter veil or a veil with just one very sheer layer.
When you go shopping for your wedding gown, take along photos and pictures of dresses that you like, from books, magazines, catalogs and the internet. The salespeople will be better able to help you if you have at least a general direction in which to go.
Want to wear a veil but afraid of having a poufy lampshade look? Try a veil with an edging, such as pencil-rolled ribbon. It adds a touch of definition to the veil and also weighs it down so it's not flying all over the place.
If the bride's gown or bridesmaid's gowns show any part of the shoulders, you'll want to check with the church to see if there are any guidelines against baring shoulders.
Is there part of your dress that you'd rather not accentuate? Keep the trimmings and decorations on that part of the dress to a minimum. Want to keep the focus off of your waist? Do away with the beads and sequins. Don't want everyone looking at your rear? Get rid of that big bow.
If you're wearing a very ornate dress with lots of beads and lace, then pair it with a relatively simple veil---you don't want the two competing for attention.
If you're getting married outside in warm weather, or inside a church without air conditioning, don't forget to take the fabric and style of your dress into consideration. You want to be comfortable, and some fabrics/styles can be too hot. Stick with strapless, strappy, sleeveless or short sleeved gowns, and stay away from heavy material such as velvet or brocade.
My wedding budget was very tight. The bridal stores were all far too expensive, and I didn't have the experience needed to sew my wedding dress, so I checked out some antique stores. I found a beautiful 1940's gown in pristine condition. It needed a small amount of alteration, but the gown and the veil which accompanied it were far less expensive than I could have found anywhere else.
What color a bride wears is not important, the fact that she's getting married is. As long as she likes what she's wearing and it isn't inappropriate in the 'flashy' sense (cut too low, etc.), then her dress is fine. Plenty of brides get married in colors other than white; many bridal gowns come in shades of pink, blue, green, yellow and just about every other color of the rainbow.
For a formal wedding, the bride traditionally wears a full-length gown and the groom and groomsmen wear tuxedos. The bridesmaids' dresses should complement the bride's gown.
To outfit your self for a winter wedding, consider fur trim, long sleeves, and heavier fabrics like brocade or velvet. A cape, cloak or velvet, silk or satin jacket with fur detail can also be a practical addition.
Yes, you did read that title correctly. According to the editor-in-chief of Brides magazine, one of the most highly anticipated trends of 2014 isn't a wedding dress, but is indeed a wedding jumpsuit. This unconventional wedding day look is reportedly popular among brides who are walking down the aisle for the second (or whatever number) time and those hosting destination weddings. J. Crew seems to be able to claim responsibility, at least partially, for this daring new trend after they debuted a white lacy jumpsuit with a plunging v-neck and a back adorned with bows.
However, don't fear if you are a bride who was planning on a more traditional look there are plenty of other trends that you can check out:
This year's trends show a serious turn toward gowns that range from romantic to whimsical to jumpsuits. If there is one thing we can count on from this year's new styles, it's that there is something to make every blushing bride happy.
It's no secret that weddings are expensive affairs. If you can save money without cutting corners or sacrificing quality, you should take advantage of the opportunity. If you're savvy enough, you can actually find plenty of ways to save on the price tag of that beautiful dress of your dreams. Here are five ways.
A wedding dress is more than fluff for the bride and all her friends to fawn over. Every bride wants to look her best for her special day. Dresses, however, can get very pricey when looking through magazines and books for a specific design or detailed gown. A bride on a budget can look into second hand stores or consignment shops and get a great deal. These dresses will range from a little under $100 to $2,000. It all depends on how much detail is in the dress, how much yardage there is to the dress, and whether or not it comes with embellishments.
Having a wedding gown made can get pretty expensive. There are dresses or gowns that will cost well over $9,000. Those dresses are made specifically for the bride by the designer and are ordered straight from the designer. The details of the gown are discussed between the two parties and ultimately a dress fit for the bride on her special day comes about fully put together and beautiful.
Normally, a wedding dress will cost a bride or her parents somewhere between $1,000 and $1,400. This is an average, of course, and will not diminish the beauty of the dress or the bride in any way. Remember, it doesn't have to be expensive to be the right dress. Always take a second look at the dress on the rack. It might just be the perfect one for that momentous and exhilarating day.
Choose a wedding dress that fits your personality and style and then accessorize with gloves and jewerly. There are unique wedding dress designs from vintage to gothic available on the market. Take some time to shop around for the perfect wedding dress.
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Shirley Tan |