Let's face it. When it comes to wedding dress, most men just can't seem to understand the importance of picking the perfect wedding dress. True, you're only going to be wearing that gown once in your life, and your groom may still feel the inclination to tie the knot even if you showed up dressed in a potato sack, but you very well know that one of the most important days of your life merits an exceptionally special dress.
There are so many wedding details that you need to take care of, but it's equally important that you take the time to find the perfect wedding gown for you. To help you out, we've come up with a list of wedding dress tips for how you can look your best on your wedding day.
Unless your groom is female fashion-savvy, he's not going to be much help when you ask him about the perfect wedding dress collar or neckline for you. Find a female companion or companions that you trust enough for second and third opinions.
Wedding dress budgets are hardly ever exact. You may need to spend more or you might end up spending less than you expected. The point is having a budget in mind can help you control the urge to splurge on your very special dress. Try your hardest to follow your dress budget, and pray that you find a great wedding dress bargain that will make your groom proud.
You can stick with tradition and go for white, but if you want to add some color to your gown, then by all means, find the perfect color for you. Today, a number of modern brides are choosing colored wedding dresses instead of plain white ones. Stand out in the sea of white-clad brides by going for an eye-popping color.
You may want to take the season into consideration when picking out your wedding dress color, or you can simply go for what flatters your complexion best. Also be prepared for possible adverse reactions from your traditional guests. Console yourself with the thought that it's your wedding, and you can wear blue or even black if you want to.
wedding gowns can be short or long depending on the type of ceremony you're having and where you're planning on having it. There's a very basic rule when it comes to choosing the perfect wedding dress length, and it's to base your dress length on how formal the ceremony is.
If you're having a formal ceremony, then floor-length is the way to go. If it's an ultra-formal wedding, then you may want to add a cathedral train to your dress. For informal weddings, you can choose the hemline that flatters you best.
Much like wedding dresses, brides come in different shapes and sizes. Take into consideration your physical assets, your overall body shape and your problem areas when making your choice of skirt style and dress shape.
Remember, in the same way that you need to take your assets, body shape and problem areas into consideration when picking out dress shapes and skirt styles, you also need to look at these factors when choosing your wedding dress neckline.
A wedding train means extra-fabric and detailing, which translates to paying more for your wedding dress. Unless your wedding is ultra-formal, you're not going to need a train.
In fact, in the grand scheme of things, the tradition isn't even all that old. The white wedding dress of today is deep-seated tradition, and for many is worn to signify virtue as well as uphold tradition. Millions -- in fact billions -- of women all over the world start thinking about the perfect white wedding gown before they have even found the perfect partner.
Britain is a place that is rife with traditions and legends, so it is little wonder that the tradition of the white wedding dress was started by the English Monarchy. It was the wedding of Queen Victoria that spawned the interest and popularity of white wedding dresses as we know them today.
The white wedding dress in those days had nothing to do with being virtuous -- it was all about wealth. Getting married in a white, extravagant gown was a sign that you could afford to buy a dress that you would never be able to wear again because of its style and colour (whites were not easy to clean in those days as they are today!).
Of course, women still continued to be married in various colours and styles of dress -- it was only the vain and the wealthy that insisted on white to follow in the footsteps of the wealthy Monarch. However, during Edwardian times, the white wedding dress once more soared to new heights of popularity, as Coco Chanel unveiled its new knee-length white wedding dress, complete with extravagant train.
Did you ever wonder how the tradition of wearing a wedding dress came about? Wedding dresses have been worn by brides young and old alike for centuries. In modern times almost anything passes for a wedding dress however, in times of old, traditional wedding dresses were flowing gowns usually white in color.
Wedding dresses have changed with time much as everything in the world has. In times of old most women selected a gown based on her financial status. Women who were at an economic disadvantage usually did not have the luxury of selecting an extraordinary gown that would be worn only once. Rather, most selected something more "plain" that could be worn for church services and other occasions after their blessed day.
An old poem states about the color of a wedding dress that "Married in white, you will have chosen all right." This is not to say that all brides historically have chosen white for their wedding gown. In fact, many brides chose colors including blue, pearl and even black. Many brides believed that if they wore blue their husbands would remain true to them (also a famous line in the wedding poem). Pink was even a popular wedding gown color for a time, though its darker variant, red was often considered taboo because it was associated with "scarlet women".
Many women who did not have a large budget to spend on a wedding dress in times of old opted for fashions that could be worn any day, rather than solely on their wedding day. For their wedding day, they would dress up their gown with accessories and flowers, even bows that could be removed after the festivities.
As mentioned at the start, almost anything passes for a wedding dress today. More and more women are buying a wedding dress online, because of the wide variety and selection of unique and custom made gowns available.
Informal wedding dresses, designer wedding dresses and even discount wedding dresses can all be found online thanks to modern technology. More popular than even designer wedding dresses are discount bridal gowns online. Most brides to be can purchase extravagant looking, custom made gowns for a fraction of the cost they would find them in a department store.
Another benefit of buying a wedding dress online is convenience. With so many things to plan for a wedding (location, cake, reception, flowers, invitations, rehearsal dinner etc.etc) most women appreciate having a handy resource for buying their wedding dress. Most women also find a wider selection of sizes and custom features available when they shop online vs. when they shop in a traditional store.
Trends have changed when it comes to modern wedding attire. No longer do all brides seek out a traditional white gown for their special occasion. In fact, there is a huge selection of vintage and informal wedding dresses available, many of which don't even look like official wedding gowns.
Most dresses today focus on the unique personality of the bride rather than socially accepted "norms" when it comes to buying a wedding dress. In general many brides are looking for wedding gowns that are narrower than they have been in times of old, and those that offer clean silhouettes. These types of dresses usually lengthen the body and provide a slimming effect.
Most brides-to-be start dreaming about the ideal wedding dress long before they are even engaged. Choosing the ideal wedding dress is crucial because it is perhaps the only day that all eyes will be looking at you. A dress that is beautiful whilst remaining tasteful and also flattering to your figure will ensure that you look your best on your wedding day. With so many style, color and fabric options available, choosing the ideal wedding dress can be a daunting task. However, most brides simply know when they have found the ideal wedding dress. From the moment they put on the dress, they instinctively know that this is the ideal wedding dress for them.
The most important thing when searching for the ideal wedding dress is to begin looking at least six months before your wedding date. Finding the ideal dress will most likely take quite some time and once you find the dress, it could take up to four months for the dress to be ordered and shipped to the store. Once the dress arrives in the store you most likely will require several fittings to ensure that the dress fits absolutely perfectly. You should take your time and enjoy looking for your wedding dress so it is crucial that you begin the process in good time to avoid feeling rushed and overwhelmed.
Another useful piece of advice for finding the ideal wedding dress is to try on many different styles of dresses. Even though you may be certain that you want a particular style you may find that the style that looks so appealing in magazines does not suit your body type. You may also find that a style that you would have never have considered before can be flattering to your figure. For this reason it is important to try on a wide variety of styles before dismissing a particular style. The old adage "you won't know unless you try it," holds perfectly true for wedding dresses. There have been numerous brides who have found that their ideal wedding dress turned out to be totally different from the one they had envisaged.
Although it may not be what you expect, the color of the wedding dress is an important thing to take into account when choosing the ideal wedding dress. The consensus seems to be that the only acceptable color for a wedding dress is a pure white. However if you keep an open mind, you may find yourself with a wedding dress that is far more flattering to your skin tone than a pure white dress. Wedding dresses come in a wide variety of colors including ivory, cream and even subtle beiges. If you are happy to consider these options it is important to try on dresses in these colors to see how they work with your complexion.
Choosing the ideal wedding dress often requires getting a few second opinions. Having a few close friends or family members that you trust come dress shopping with you can help you find the dress of your dreams. They can offer opinions on each dress that you try on and can also scour the countless racks of dresses available and choose dresses for you to try on. Many brides instantly know that they have chosen the ideal wedding dress the moment they put it on but having trusted friends and family members with you can confirm this feeling. When you first step out of the dressing room and show them the dress you are wearing you may see reassuring confirmation that you have made the perfect choice. The reactions of your assistants will indicate that you have indeed found the perfect dress.
When you have chosen the ideal wedding dress, now is also the time to buy the it. Nothing is more important than your gut feeling and the reactions of the friends and family that accompanied you so if you know you have the ideal dress in your hands, don't risk losing it by opting to think about it for a few days before you make your purchase. There is always the chance that the last available dress will be sold or that the company will discontinue that particular style so do not allow yourself to miss out on buying the ideal wedding dress by not buying it the moment you realize it is the dress for you.
Your wedding dress is likely to be the most significant component of the wedding ceremony. Everyone's eyes will be on the bride. Whatever style of wedding you settle on, you'll find that there's a lot of traditions that relate to the wedding ceremony - even with some of the more unusual themed weddings. Still, there is room for you to add your own special touches - to make your wedding uniquely your own.
If you've never thought about actually designing your own wedding dress, you should give it some thought. If you've priced wedding dresses, you'll be aware that even low-end brands may cost over 5 or 6 hundred dollars. Dresses sold by bridal shops tend to include a lot of overhead and additional costs which you can avoid by designing your own wedding dress. If you have a friend or relative who is well-skilled in sewing, you can save even more money. One of the greatest benefits of designing your own wedding dress is that you will end up with a true one of a kind, a wedding dress no one else owns.
One caution - before you start designing be certain that you have or can find a person with the needed skills to actually create your wedding dress from your designs and ideas. This is not something you can wait until the last minute to do. You'll need to spend some significant time working with this person - well in advance of the wedding - so make sure of both the person's skills and availability.
A good place to start generating ideas for your wedding dress design is to consider the theme of the wedding and when and where it'll be held. Is it going to be a summer wedding? A winter wedding? Will it be outdoors or indoors? Will the reception be indoors or outdoors? What special characteristics does the location have? This is particularly important for an outdoor wedding since the answers can have a significant bearing on the style of wedding dress you design. As an example, an outdoor wedding in Texas in the month of August requires a wedding dress design that will not leave you soaked in perspiration. You should also consider how formal or informal the wedding ceremony itself will be.
If you don't already have some ideas for a design, a good place to start may be with bridal magazines, wedding dress catalogs and even on-line bridal shops. All these can be good sources for ideas to use in designing your own wedding dress.