A Perfectly Polished Wedding

We all know that true perfection is an impossible dream for a wedding. However, there are many, many things which a bride can do to ensure that her wedding is as polished and pulled together as possible. This is a list of what wedding insiders recommend doing to achieve the goal of a perfectly polished wedding.

Prep Your Wedding Gown. There is nothing to ruin a beautiful wedding photo like seeing a big gap between the top of a strapless gown and the bride within. Your bridal gown needs to be fit to perfection before the ceremony. The last fitting should be no more than a few weeks in advance in case you lose a couple of pounds at the end, as many brides do. Something else which is frequently overlooked is to steam the crinoline underneath the fabric of the bridal gown. The crinoline itself does not show, but if it is bumpy the skirt of the gown will not hang smoothly.

Perfect Your Accessories. Most brides know that they should have their wedding gown steamed or pressed before the ceremony, but to achieve a perfectly polished look, give your accessories that same care and attention. Personally, it drives me nuts to see a bride wearing a creased or rumply veil, when it is so easy for the bridal shop to steam it before the wedding. Your bridal jewelry deserves some pre-wedding tlc as well.  Have your engagement ring cleaned by a jeweler a day or two before the ceremony. It only takes a few minutes, costs nothing, and makes a huge difference in the sparkle of your gem.

Hand-cancel Your Wedding Invitations. Most brides put thought into selecting the right stamps for their invitation envelopes, and some even go so far as to create custom stamps. But if you really want your wedding invitations to arrive looking their best, take the time to hand-cancel them yourself at the post office. This avoids having a messy smudge of a cancel ruin your carefully chosen postage stamps. Even more than that, hand-canceling spares your invitations the rough treatment of the automated canceling machines, which can be very important when you have a bulky double envelope with enclosures or a ribbon inside. It is a little detail, but attention to detail is exactly what it takes to pull off a perfectly polished wedding.

Bridal Gown Tips to Hide Your Hips

Every bride has some part of her body that she does not love. For those brides for whom the trouble spot is their hips, rest assured that with the right wedding gown you can make your problem area virtually disappear. These are the top bridal gown tips to hide your hips.

One: Avoid fabrics that cling. A bridal gown made from a more structured material will always be more forgiving than one made of filmy material. When you are trying to downplay your hips, avoid bias cut gowns like the plague.

Two: Try an empire waist bridal gown to conceal a pear shaped figure. The empire waist hits just under the bustline at the narrowest part of the ribcage. This draws the eye to the smallest part of the body, which is always flattering. A generous A-line skirt is ideal, as it will gently skim the hips, neither clinging tightly nor adding extra fullness.

Three: If you are a true pear shape with a smaller bust than hips, choose a wedding gown which has a lot of embellishment on the bodice above the waist. Details such as ruffles, pleating, and ruching can add volume to a smaller chest, which will help to balance out your figure.

Four: Don’t assume that a very full skirt is the best way to hide your hips. In many cases, adding a lot of fullness on your lower half will actually emphasize exactly the parts you want to minimize. Pleats may not lay smoothly over fuller hips, which will only make the effect unflattering. A generously cut A-line skirt is almost always the most attractive bridal gown silhouette.

Five: Draw attention to your assets. If you don’t want people paying attention to your hips in your wedding gown, be sure to draw the eye upwards. Choose a gown with a pretty beaded bodice, add sparkle to your face with gorgeous Swarovski crystal earrings, and wear an elegant crystal tiara to complement your Swarovski earrings. With so many beautiful details above the waist, the lower half of your body will be de-emphasized.

David’s Bridal or Local Bridal Salon?

With brides looking for ways to have a beautiful wedding on a budget, more of them are considering shopping at discount retailers like David’s Bridal instead of their local bridal salon. After all, the idea of getting your wedding gown for only $99 sounds pretty good! But of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to most things in life; to help you sort it all out, here is what you need to know about the differences between shopping at a bridal warehouse versus a smaller bridal salon.

Certainly the number one reason to shop at a place like David’s Bridal is price. There is no doubt that they will have some of the lowest prices in town. However, that is not to say that you will get the best value for your money. They are not selling top quality gowns like you would find in a local bridal shop. When shopping at a wedding warehouse store, you are not getting the same gown for less, you are getting a totally different type of dress. This may be just fine for some brides, but for others it will not be.

Of course, there is one advantage to mass produced gowns, which is that there will be a full size range available in the store. Plus size brides in particular appreciate being able to try on the wedding gowns in their own size. Designer bridal salons only carry one sample size in each style, and it can require a lot of imagination to picture how the gown would look when it does not come close to fitting you. However, with that said, all made to order gowns can be ordered in every size, and a good consultant will know which gowns will look best when they fit properly.

One of the intangibles is the level of service that you will get at a small local salon as compared to a mass merchandiser. At a discount bridal warehouse, you may be able to get help, but many brides end up in a self service situation, which can be a very challenging way to shop for a bridal gown. In the end, it all comes down to what you want in terms of a wedding gown and a gown shopping experience. If you want to be pampered, and have a personal consultant who will help you with everything from picking out your gown to suggesting styles of bridesmaid jewelry gifts, a bridal salon is for you. Brides who are perfectly comfortable picking out their own gowns may be happy with a bridal warehouse which has a large number of dresses in stock. And then there is the matter of finding the right balance between quality and budget, which is a decision that each bride has to make for herself.

Hit the Road With Your Wedding Gown

Planning a wedding far from your home? Then you will need to know how to select a wedding gown that travels well and what to do to make sure that it arrives at the wedding destination looking great. These are the top tips on how to hit the road with your wedding gown.

Lightweight gowns will be the easiest to carry around, and they also are among the nicest options for destination weddings at the beach. Lighter-than-air fabrics like chiffon and tulle will be much easier to gently fold in a carry on bag if you are flying than a heavy or stiff fabric like satin. Never ever check your wedding gown! It must always be carried aboard the plane, even if you have to stuff it into a tiny duffel bag. That is one reason why a filmy chiffon is preferable to a bulky satin wedding gown with a big crinoline and a long train. If you wish to make a lightweight gown more formal, simply layer on special custom bridal jewelry and an embellished veil.

Another fabric which might not initially come to mind as one that travels well is lace. An all over lace gown will show very few creases and holds its shape very well. Lace wedding dresses can run the range from traditional Alencon to filmy Chantilly, so there is really a style for almost any bride. If you like sparkle, choose a beaded lace. Just be careful when the gown is packed that the beads won’t snag the lace if the dress shifts in the bag en route to your destination.

Travelling by car is significantly easier than by air when your wedding site is within driving distance. The most important thing to remember is to pack your gown into the car last. You don’t want a big suitcase on top of it crushing the bodice! With a little advance planning, you will be able to get your bridal gown to your wedding site in tip top shape.

Nutrition Tips for Brides

The months before a wedding can be loaded with potential dietary pitfalls. There are engagement parties (around 100 calories per glass of Champagne), bridal showers with cakes and pastries, food tasting sessions with the caterer and baker, bachelorette parties (600 calories in a big frozen margarita!), not to mention meals eaten on the run. If you happen to be a stress eater, too, you can suddenly find your wedding dress getting tighter and tighter at each fitting. So what is a bride to do? Follow these simple nutrition tips for brides, of course.

Knowledge is half the battle. Once you become aware of all of the extra calories that are lurking in your celebrations, you can plan ahead. No one is suggesting that an engaged couple should not enjoy their pre-wedding parties, but if you want your dress to fit, a little caution is a good idea. When going to a party, eat a filling dinner first, and stay away from the appetizers, cheese plates, and tiny desserts at the party. It can be easy to eat way too many of those tasty little treats; each one is so small that it can be hard to realize how quickly they add up.

Alcohol is the biggest diet killer in more ways than one. First of all, it is loaded with empty calories. Secondly, after a few drinks, it is easy to lose control over your snacking in a way that you would not if sober. If you are at an engagement party with lots of Champagne toasts, remember that etiquette says that the person being toasted should only raise their glass; you do not actually drink to yourself. Once you realize that you don’t have to drink along with every toast, you can nurse one or two glasses of Champagne all evening long. As for those wild and crazy bachelorette parties with the margaritas, try a light beer or a glass of white wine instead to cut the calories in each drink down to 100 or less from 600 or so for the big frozen cocktail.

For those brides who like to reward themselves with food, find an alternative indulgence when you are looking for a little pick-me-up. A piece of jewelry from your favorite bridal jewelry set is not going to put weight on your hips like an ice cream sundae. Anything that makes you feel beautiful is good, whether it is bridal jewelry, a makeover, a manicure, or some sexy new lingerie for the honeymoon. Stay away from the kind of treats that you will regret later. Keep your wedding goals in mind to help keep temptation at bay.

Preparing Your Gown for Your Wedding

Your wedding day is right around the corner, and you want to make sure that everything looks picture perfect. There are some easy steps that can be taken to make sure that everything you wear for your wedding is in tip-top shape. This is what you need to know about preparing your wedding gown, veil, and jewelry for the big day.

When you are working with a bridal salon near your wedding location, you should plan on having the dress freshly pressed the week of your wedding. It will come to you on a bust form over a hanger, with tissue stuffed into the sleeves to help hold its form.  Give some thought to where  you can hang it up when you get home. If the gown has a train, you will want to open the bag to let the train unfurl. Hang the gown from the highest possible place (plant hooks on the ceiling are great for this), and spread a clean white sheet on the floor under the train. Be sure to protect your gown from wandering pets and fiances! Brides who will be traveling with their gowns will need to make advance arrangements to have them pressed or steamed when they arrive at their wedding destination.

Don’t forget about your accessories; you will want them to be in top form for your wedding, too. Your veil will need to be steamed, and if it has a ribbon or lace border, that should be gently flat pressed. Ironing a veil is a very delicate operation, because it is easy to melt the tulle with too much heat or tear it with the tip of the iron. It is best to have this done by a professional, but if you must iron your own veil, be sure to use a low heat, and to over the veil with a press cloth for protection.

The rest of your wedding accessories might need a little sprucing up as well. Silver wedding jewelry should be polished according to the designer’s instructions. Pearl bridal jewelry can be gently wiped with a soft dry cloth, and diamonds should be cleaned so they shine like the sun. After all, you will want everything  in your wedding to look absolutely beautiful on your special day.

Saving on Wedding Attire

Every bride wants to look as beautiful as possible on her wedding day, and yet doing so need not mean going deep into debt for a designer gown with all of the trimmings. It is definitely possible to find affordable wedding attire for both the bride and her attendants while keeping the budget in check. Here are some suggestions on the best ways to save on your wedding attire.

One of the best ways to keep your expenses under control is to think creatively. For instance, if you are a bride who is seeking a simple but elegant gown, you may find some fabulous choices available in the evening wear department of your favorite boutique or department store. There will often be some stunning styles available in many of the most popular bridal fabrics like wispy chiffon or flowing charmeuse. Not only will you pay less, but you will have access to all of the latest trends and styles.

Bridesmaid dresses are not just for bridesmaids any more. Did you know that many bridesmaid dresses can also be ordered in white or ivory? You can find a huge array of styles and fabrics, including satin, organza, or crepe. Bridesmaid collections are also easy to order in virtually any size, and take much less time to come in that wedding gowns. This means that you can save both time and money!

Of course, since you are working to save on your attire, you will want to find great accessories that will not break the bank. This can actually be easier than you may expect. Swarovski crystal bridal jewelry is a great option. It will definitely help to transform your dress into one that says, “bride”, and yet it is also quite affordable. Choose a sparkling crystal headpiece, dramatic bridal earrings, and finish off your jewelry set with a pretty necklace and a bracelet or two. Top with a simple veil, and you will look every bit the beautiful bride.

Should the Groom Get a Say in the Gown?

Tradition holds that it is unlucky for the groom to see the bride in her wedding gown before the ceremony. However, more and more couples are bucking this custom. In some cases, the groom even gets to help pick out the bride’s dress! This got me to thinking, just how much say should the groom have in selecting the wedding gown?

When the young couple is paying for the wedding themselves, they will need to come up with a detailed budget. This means that even traditional brides who intend to keep their gowns a surprise until they walk down the aisle may still have to allow the groom a voice when it comes to the price of the gown. Now personally, I frown on this, because most men have no clue about how much it costs to look fabulous, but in the interest of fairness, if joint funds are being used, the groom should probably get at least some say on the appropriate price range for the bridal gown, veil, and handcrafted bridal jewelry. Of course, if you do not want your fiance to have even this much influence on your gown selection, you might want to set aside your own separate funds beyond the general wedding budget so that you can spend whatever you feel is necessary to get your dream gown.

It is very important to most brides that their future husbands will be wowed by them the moment that they walk down the aisle. To this end, they are often very nervous about picking a gown that he will like. One way to get some input without giving everything away is to ask him his general likes and dislikes about dresses. Of course, you may not get very far with this, because a lot of men do not have strong opinions when it comes to ladies’ fashion! But if you think about it, you probably have a pretty good sense of his taste. Does he always compliment you when you wear a certain dress? Then you can use that as your jumping off point.

For those who are very concerned about the groom loving the wedding gown, the final step is to actually take him dress shopping. To be frank, I am not a big fan of this, as I think that it takes away from the bride’s big reveal on wedding day, but more and more brides do choose to go this route. This is especially true when the couple is assuming joint responsibility for the purchase of the gown, and she wants to make sure that he is happy with their investment (particularly when the gown is a costly designer one). I suppose that one advantage to this approach is that when the groom goes shopping for a gift of handcrafted bridal jewelry for the wedding present, he will know what will look best with the gown! In the end, as long as it works for you, it is fine to let the groom have a say in the bridal gown.

Get a Perfectly Fitting Bridal Gown

Finding your dream wedding dress is only the beginning. After that you have to worry about how to accessorize it and how to make sure that it looks right on you. Here is what you need to know on how to get the perfect fit from your bridal gown.

Different styles of dresses should fit differently, but the one thing that they have in common is that you should not see the fabric pulling tight anywhere. Take a spin in a three-way mirror; do you see a taut area across your bum or hips? Does a strapless gown have horizontal pull lines across the waist? These are all signs that your gown needs to be let out a pinch. (And often it is only a minor adjustment that is needed; you would be amazed at the difference as little as a half an inch can make.)

Strapless gowns are known to be the most tricky to fit. They need to be snug enough to stay up, and yet loose enough that the bride can breathe. In addition, if the gown is too tight across the top, you will end up with the dreaded “back cleavage”. There are times when that back squish is unavoidable, but if you choose a strapless gown with an inner corset, it will be much easier to get a perfectly smooth fit.

To ensure the ideal fit of your special gown, expect about three appointments with your seamstress. It is a good idea to put together your entire bridal ensemble at least one of your fittings, including your veil, jewelry, and gloves. After all, it is good to make sure that everything looks perfect all together, so you will be thrilled when you get dressed on the morning of your wedding.

Finding Your Bridal Style

In the wedding business, like all others, there are trends that come and go. While no one wants to be caught looking outdated or “so last year”, at the same time, you do not want to become one of those fashion victims who hops onto the trend of the moment. The key is to find balance, and to have the confidence to express your own personal style as a bride.

One of the key elements of having your own style is to be aware of trends without slavishly following them. For instance, one of the hottest looks for brides right now is the one shoulder gown. It is a great way to make a statement that you are right on top of the latest fashions, and it can be very beautiful. However, if asymmetry has always driven you crazy, it would nuts to go along with this particular trend. No matter how beautiful the gown, if it does not feel like you, you will look and feel uncomfortable in it all day.

For brides who have no clue about their personal style, a good starting point can be your own wardrobe. Think about the clothing and accessories that you are drawn to day in and day out. Perhaps you reach for your favorite crisp white blouse each Monday morning. Then a tailored gown with classic lines will be the wedding dress equivalent. Maybe you don’t care what you wear, as long as you can layer on some funky necklaces. Then make shopping for great handcrafted bridal jewelry a central part of your mission.

If you are still feeling stumped, think about what you truly dislike (this is one of the first questions a good bridal consultant will ask you). Maybe you are very sporty, and shudder at the thought of being made to wear a frilly lace dress. Perhaps you are afraid of looking like everyone else; for you a gown handcrafted by an up-and-coming designer paired with unique bridal jewelry may be just your style. Once you start making a list of your dislikes, your preferences will quickly become easier to see.