To-Die-For Frocks

As an unmarried person who adores weddings and all that comes with getting married, the idea of wedding dress shopping both intrigues me and freaks me out.... a lot. Sure, I've had many friends find The Perfect Dress. I've watched Say Yes To The Dress plenty of times, and have yelled at the bride on TV because why can't she understand that the first dress she tried on was THE ONE!?! ...or, you know, whatever.

But then I saw these awe-inspiring dresses from Quail Bridal. How cool is this Parisian Gown?


The peony chiffon skirt detaches! I have only one word for my feelings about this: Love.

Quail also has some stellar bridesmaid dresses. And I'm not talking about the kind you can shorten and wear again. I'm talking about the kind you can just wear.

What about you readers, any wedding dress shopping secrets you want to share?

History of the Wedding Dress

This is not going to be as boring as it seems because this brief wedding history is going to be presented in pictures!

To start things off, here's replica of a 1799 wedding dress.


Back in the day, i.e. the late 1700s, it was common for brides to wear gowns in practically any color. This was true especially for brides in the middle and lower classes, mainly because of the cost of a formal dress. So the young maiden lucky enough to wear a dress like the one above probably came from some serious moo-lah.

It was actually Queen Victoria who changed the game, wearing a white satin dress in 1840. Check her out:


Not my style but apparently it was all the rage at the time.

Meanwhile in America, the 1860s brought the Civil War (known by Southerners like my former history teacher as "The War of Northern Aggression") and dresses like this. Imagine wearing one of those for a June wedding... I do declare!

Luckily, the turn of the 20th century brought the beginning of today's silhouettes. From the various websites I've read, it seems like a full-length white gown became the norm around the 1930s.

Here's an adorable vintage wedding photo from the 1940s:

How romantic! And I love the woman in the background in her striped suit and hat.

The 1950s saw a lot of ballerina length and tea length dresses:

Then the 1980s brought the wedding of Prince Charles to Princess Di...


And that brings us (roughly) to today's wedding dresses.

Modern dresses have a lot of embellishments and asymmetrical necklines, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues in decades to come.

Short Wedding Dresses

What do you think about wearing a short wedding dress as opposed to a floor-length gown? It seems like short dresses are all the rage these days, and as a small person myself, I like the idea. Although, us petite girls need to find the right cut and length so as not to appear even shorter... Anyway, here are a few looks I like.{source}
The gathering, the embellishments... to me, this dress is glamorous even though it's not full length.

And what about this one??{source}
This dress comes from a custom dressmaker in London. It's so 1950's and would be perfection with colorful shoes and a birdcage veil, don't you think?

And how about this dress found on Etsy:

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The ruffles make a dramatic statement and the dress is quite formal even though it's knee-length.

Have any of you out there on the world wide web worn a short dress? Or would you? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses

For those of you who have expensive taste without the matching budget, here's a website for you to look at: PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com.

This website provides an outlet for brides to sell their wedding gowns ~ some haven't even been worn once! If you're looking for a designer dress for less, just take a look at some of the finds I've seen today:

$750 BRAND NEW, NEVER WORN Monique Luo (Size 6) Strapless, Sweetheart neckline, Mermaid silhouette dress (Listing # 5101)

$1,000 Melissa Sweet (Size 6) Spaghetti-strap, Trumpet skirt, Light Ivory dress (Listing # 3068)

$1350 SAMPLE Reem Acra (Size 10) V-neck Ball Gown dress (Listing # 4763)

This dress costs $3500 full-price!!

Spring 2009 Bridal Gown Trend

Over my lunch break today, I decided to click through the wedding dress gallery on Brides.com. I narrowed my search to view only the Spring 2009 collections and saw some repeating trends across designer dress lines. One trend I really liked was bust/waist embellishments. Ruffles, bows, cinching, pleating... all draw your attention upward. Here are some of my favorites:

Giambattista Valli

Christos

Jim Hjelm Bridal

Lela Rose

{All images from Brides.com dress gallery}

Nordstrom: BCBG & ABS

A recent new love of mine is BCBG dresses. I've admired them for a while now, but I don't actually own a BCBG dress. Everytime I see their line of dresses, I want to snatch up almost the entire line! It's as if someone made an entire dress line with my body type in mind. BCBG dresses are so flattering! BCBG also makes short white dresses that would be excellent options for a bride wishing to change into a second dress for her reception...

I went to Nordstrom's Dress Shop online (Indy has a new Nordstrom on the north side @ Keystone at the Crossing) and saw some excellent white dresses, one of which is a non-BCBG gown (it's ABS by Allen Schwartz). Enjoy...

This dress has been ALL OVER the internet because it is just that adorable. I covet this BCBG dress: The Strapless Applique Dress.

This is another possible reception dress option from BCBG: The Floral Burnout Dress. I just love the back!



And next we have a short white dress from ABS by Allen Schwartz: The Chiffon Babydoll Dress. This dress has a retro 60's feel to it, which I find extremely charming!



I'll leave you with this last final BCBG dress that I believe would make a wonderful wedding gown: The Strapless Crinkle Satin Gown.

Jovani Dresses ~ Swoon!

Get ready for a picture-laden post, because I found the most stunning collection of gowns on dressmaker Jovani's website.

As previously posted, I challenged myself to find prom dresses that could pass for wedding gowns, and to also include some colorful gowns in the mix. Prom dresses are generally less spendy than wedding gowns, so buying a prom dress could save you some cash! Even if you're not on a tight budget, all brides should check out their options because you might just find the most perfect gown where you least expect it!

I must comment about colorful wedding gowns before I move forward. I think it is so cool when a bride goes untraditional and wears a gown in her favorite non-white/ivory color, but I know I am speaking to the minority here. Not many brides opt for a gown other than white or ivory. It takes some guts to go colorful but definitely makes a statement! However, in my humble opinion, not just any colorful dress will do. If you're going to go with color, I think the silouhette of the dress should still be bridal ~ I like dresses with trains or full skirts ~ so that the bride stands out against her bridesmaids. I will make an exception for tea-length gowns ~ I think shorter gowns are adorable and you can still achieve the bridal look by wearing a chic birdcage veil. The following gowns are colorful knock-outs and have the same silouhettes as many bridal gowns on the market today.

Here are some FIERCE "wedding gowns" by Jovani (if you are a traditional white-dress-bride ~ like I was ~ keep an open mind!):

I'll start with the lighter colors...



{Picture sources: Light pink tulle, white & gold, gold stripe}

Now for the pinks... If you're gonna go pink, go bright pink! Pink was one of the main colors in my wedding, so I LOVE all of these dresses...


{Picture Source: dark pink ruffled dress with jeweled belt, bubblegum pink layered dress, fitted hot pink dress with train, light pink strapless dress with dotted embellishments, bright pink goddess dress with circular embellishments}

I'm not normally a fan of forest or army green, but these dresses are changing my mind...



{Picture Source: green mermaid gown, dark green strapless gown with tulle}

Now for my favorites out of the whole bunch! The plaid pink dress is absolutely fabulous! I could totally see a fun bride rocking this dress. The tea-length sparkling halter is like a retro Marilyn Monroe dress and I love it! Finally, the white dress with black polka dots is so perfect for a bride who still wants a white dress, but wants to go a bit against the traditional grain.



{Picture Source: pink plaid gown, sparkly halter gown, black & white polka dot gown}

Jessica McClintock Prom Dresses

As promised, I went searching for prom dresses that could pass as wedding gowns, and I was successful! When I was in high school and needed to buy a dress for homecoming or prom, I always had a lot of luck with Jessica McClintock dresses. I loved her designs, so I started today's wedding gown search on her website.

I hit the jackpot! Whether you are looking for a white dress, champagne-colored dress, a white dress with a splash of color or a brightly colored wedding gown, Jessica McClintock has something for you...

Just look at this white PROM dress! It could easily pass as a wedding gown and is exquisite, to boot! If only I would have been so savvy when I was picking out my gown... I totally would have bought this one.

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I am totally enamored with these white & black dresses. How cute is the one with the ruffle tiers at the bottom? You could make an entire wedding's theme around black & white polka dots... How adorable is the one with the empire waist & flowy layers?? Your bridesmaids would love you if you told them to find a little black dress of their choosing to wear as their dresses (maybe they'll actually wear it more than once!).



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Here are two of my favorite Jessica McClintock colored dresses... The bright pink dress seems so festive and reminds me of an Indian sari. Just gorgeous. The ice blue dress looks so delicate - almost like a nightgown!



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Winter Wedding Idea

I just created this little collection over on Polyvore, and I'm loving it more and more!


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Clockwise from top-left:
Diamond Necklace in Platinum by Lussori; Tabitha t-strap heels by J. Crew; taffeta trumpet wedding gown by David's Bridal; Louisa bridesmaid dress by J. Crew; diamond bracelet by Ice; diamond stud earrings by Lussori; Satin Fleur Clutch by J. Crew

I'm In Love With...

J. Crew Wedding Gowns!

[10.10.08 NOTE: I had to modify this post due to broken links on J. Crew's website!]

I have always loved the elegant simplicity that is a J. Crew wedding gown. In the many wedding magazines that I pored over even before I was engaged (yes, I was that girl), I would dog-ear the pages that contained wedding dresses I might possibly want when I eventually walked down the aisle. Never once did I see a page-sized ad from J. Crew touting their wonderful gowns ~ they are too modest! ~ but their dresses were always included in the magazine's gown photo shoots. You know, the sections of the magazine where all of the models are wearing beautiful wedding dresses and climbing a tree or doing something else that is absurd and artistic. These photoshoots made me fall in love with J. Crew wedding gowns.

Here are my favorites this season:

Meet Lucinda...

And meet Nathalie (love the berry trimmings!)...

Although Lucinda is $2k+ and unaffordable to anyone with my budget (but splurge-worthy nontheless), Nathalie is less than $1k!