THE SHAPE OF YOU

You THE SHAPE OF

KNOWING YOUR WEDDING GOWN SILHOUETTES

By Lisa Beth Miller

So, you are engaged and ready to shop for the perfect wedding gown. You arrive at your very first appointment at a bridal boutique and the consultant suggests that you try on classic wedding gown silhouettes. I know…you are thinking, “Ugh. I already know what I want! Look, I have a huge pile of pictures of my favorite dresses!”

Your best bet in this situation is to trust your bridal consultant! She knows exactly what she is talking about and will show you options that may not have occurred to you. Since most women do NOT try on formal wedding gowns throughout their lives, most do not actually know what gowns will work with their body type. As you look through your huge pile of pictures of gowns that appeal to you, try to keep in mind that the model wearing the gown in your beloved pictures is most likely almost six feet tall and around a size 2. Be sure to give yourself the chance to find a dress silhouette that is perfect for your own size and shape!

Let’s look at the four silhouettes that your consultant may show to you:

A-line

This style is slim on top, fitted through the waist, and softly flares away from the body. This style tends to be universally flattering, as it creates an illusion of a small waist!

Ball Gown

The fullest, most formal style—a traditional ball gown features a boned and fitted bodice and a full skirt supported by layers of crinoline. The shape here is similar to A-line but is fuller and more structured. Extremely petite brides could be overwhelmed in this style.

Photo by Rachelamp Garrenbull Photoand - Film

Sheath

A sheath gown has a narrow and straight cut that flows straight down from top to bottom without a defined waist. This style skims the body.

Photo by Sven Studios

Mermaid

This style hugs the torso then flares out from the knee or just below. This style works well for short-waisted brides.

Photo by The Studio at Daisy Hill

BRIDAL ATTIRE CHECKLIST

Bridal attire is more than just a gown. This Bridal Attendants: handy checklist, courtesy of Trousseau Ltd., o Foundation will keep you – and the ladies who play a key o Dyeable Shoes and Handbag role in your wedding day – looking great from o Jewelry head to toe. o Hair Ornaments

Personal Attire:

o Tiara, Hairpins, Headband or Comb o Bridal Veil o Bridal Jewelry o Garter o Bridal Foundation Bustiers and Shapewear to Look Your Best! o Hosiery o Shoes o Handbag or Make-up Pouch o Handkerchief o Gloves o Wedding Night & Honeymoon Lingerie o Get fitted with Trousseau’s Bra Expert

Mothers of the Bride and Groom:

o Foundation o Dyeable Shoes and Handbag o Jewelry and Hair Ornaments

Stationery:

o Save the Date Cards o Wedding Invitations o Thank-you Notes & Personal Stationery

Bridal Accessories:

o Guestbook and Pen o Ringbearer Pillow o Cake Knife and Toasting Flutes o Lucky Sixpence

YOUR WEDDING PARTY IS BIGGER BETTER

By Lisa Beth Miller

Remember the movie 27 Dresses? As a potentially creates a lot of unnecessary drama? wedding fanatic, I loved this movie (and Recent trends say that the latter may be true. still watch it every time I am channel surfing and come upon it unexpectedly). Anyhoo, In countless blogs and articles, experts have the film tells the story of Jane, who has proclaimed the death of large and extravagant somehow ended up serving as a bridesmaid wedding parties. This is happening for several on twenty-seven different occasions. The final reasons. For starters, couples are waiting a scene of the movie depicts Jane’s wedding, bit longer to get married. With age comes where all twenty-seven “friends” serve as her the wisdom to recognize true friends. Older bridesmaids, each wearing the delightfully (well…in their 30’s) couples are more apt to awful bridesmaid dress from her wedding. scale back and only get people involved in the wedding ceremony if they are appropriate While the movie fulfills all of the standard choices. requirements for a fun chick flick, it also made me think. What exactly are we doing when we Younger brides and grooms are often still in are deciding to have a huge bridal party at a “people pleasing mode” and are terrified of wedding? hurting anyone’s feelings. This seems to be how over-sized wedding parties consisting of Is the fanfare of having a large gaggle of girls grade school friends, cousins, college friends, dressed in the same ensemble an asset to the co-workers, pen pals, and gym buddies came wedding day events? Or is it a distraction that into existence.

In many instances, collecting characters from different stages in one’s life results in total disaster. Bridesmaids compete to see who knows the bride best (kind of like in the movie Bridesmaids) and none of the characters truly bond with one another.

While having lots of different friends is undoubtedly a beautiful thing; they do not all need to be directly involved with one’s wedding ceremony. Some couples are even opting to have no bridesmaids or groomsmen to keep the focus on what is essential: the love

that the bride and groom feel for each other.

My advice? Select a few bridesmaids and groomsmen. But select them with care. Be sure they are excited about the wedding and know both the bride and groom reasonably well. Don’t just select lots of friends to create colorful and dramatic wedding pictures, as those pictures may remind you of the drama involved in having an over-sized wedding party.

Oh, Baby! How to Dress A Pregnant Bridesmaid

By Lisa Beth Miller

You are planning your fabulous wedding when you find out that one of your cherished friends that you selected as a bridesmaid is pregnant. What should you do? First of all, congratulate her! Do not look at this as a fashion nightmare. This is not a difficult situation to handle!

If you have not yet selected dresses for your girls, you need to do a little pre-planning before your big shopping trip.

For starters, figure out how far along in her pregnancy she will be at the time of your wedding. If she has been pregnant before, maybe take a few notes on her weight and size fluctuations throughout that pregnancy. Keep in mind that this will not be an exact science; every pregnancy is different!

Next, select (with the help of your girls) the bridesmaid dress that you wish for them to wear. Pay close attention to the cut of the dress. If the dress is an A-line or empire-waisted style of dress, your expecting friend will be just beautiful. She may need to go up a few sizes, but the dress style should be ok in terms of comfort and fit. There are a few bridesmaid dress designers that do cut maternity dresses, but most do not. Be sure to ask your bridal consultant about this, though!

If the dress is a straight, fitted cut (like a sheath or mermaid style of dress), talk to your bridesmaid who is expecting. Give her the option of selecting a looser style in the same fabric if that makes her more comfortable. Keep in mind that she may want to wear the fitted dress in a larger size, and work with a seamstress to create a look that flaunts her tummy!

The important thing is that your bridesmaids all feel good about how they look for your wedding, so be supportive of her dress decision.

If you already ordered dresses for your bridesmaids, you may need to contact your bridal shop for some creative solutions. They may be able to change the order and obtain the dress for your pregnant bridesmaid in a larger size. If it is too late to do this, ask the bridal shop to order some extra fabric. A skilled seamstress will be able to alter the dress appropriately if the material is provided! This may cost a few dollars, but it will probably be less expensive than ordering a whole new dress!

Wedding Hair Trial

Otentimes, something that gets overlooked while prepping for your wedding day is your hairstyle. While you may be combing Pinterest and finding cute ideas from our “Real Brides & Weddings” features on the blog, you may not be thinking about a wedding hair trial. Talk with your stylist ahead of time and plan out a trial appointment to try different looks. You may be surprised to find that the style you choose does not look like you expected! On the day of your hair trial, bring anything you think will help your stylist understand the looks you love or the style of your wedding. Bring the veil or any hair accessories you plan to wear. Have a friend take a photo of you in your dress at a fitting. Bring a color swatch if you Photo by Melody Cook Photography have it and even bring the style you are wanting your bridesmaids to have. All of these things can effect the overall look of your bridal beauty plan.

Your Hairstyle Should Complement Your Overall Look Look for options that complement your neckline and bodice of your dress. Also, don’t forget to wear makeup unless your stylist will be doing that in the trial as well. Not only do you want to see your hair and makeup together, but you will be staring at yourself in the mirror for a couple of hours and will want to put your best face forward!

Bring Accessories There are so many great hair accessories available now to add a gorgeous accent to your wedding hair. It will depend on the look you’re going for. For a more classical look, you might want to wear a Swarovski crystal brooch. Jeweled barettes can be great as well. Some trending items at the moment are floral crowns, headbands and pearl pins.

Try Multiple Styles or Something New Your hair trial gives you the chance to live with a look and discover whether you feel comfortable with it. If your hair artist suggests looks that you hadn’t considered before, don’t feel pressured to follow their advice — but while you have their expertise at your fingertips, you may as well give it your consideration. Make Sure Your Bridesmaids Match Tell your stylist the options you are planning for LaBelle France Photographic your bridesmaids if you are doing matching hairstyles. This will help determine the best look for your style. If you want all your wedding party to have the same look, you may want yours to be the opposite.

Document the Day Be sure you have someone taking photos of the styles so you can reflect on them later. A lot of planning and decisions will happen in between your hair trial and the actual day of! You don’t want to forget your perfect hairstyle!

Rescue TO THE N o matter how organized you are and how much planning you’ve done before the wedding, you should always expect the unexpected. And an emergency kit for your wedding day is the best way to prepare. If building your own kit, start at least two or three months before the wedding so you can gather the items over time. This allows you to consider the possible needs of your close friends and family. Designate someone to be responsible for the emergency kit, bringing it from location to location and keeping it readily available. Suggested emergency kit items:

Band-Aids

Blotting papers

Bobby pins

Bottle of water

Clear nail polish

Deodorant

Nail file

Feminine products

Hairspray

Hand lotion Hand sanitizer Lipstick or lip gloss Mints Pain reliever Q-tips Safety pins Small lint brush Super glue Tissues • Tums/Rolaids • Sewing Kit with scissors • Granola bars or other easy-to-carry snacks • Straws (you don’t want to mess up your lipstick) • Chalk, tied for easy packing, hides scuffs and marks on white leather and fabrics.

You will also want to make a list of items to carry in your purse. • Cell phone • Mirror • Handkerchief or tissues • Nail file • Lip gloss or lipstick to match makeup • Perfume

One of the great advantages to hiring a day-of coordinator is the extensive emergency kit this professional brings to every wedding. Your coordinator will carry glue and staple guns, floral wire, hundreds of safety pins, fasteners, packing tape, lighters, scissors and more – there is nothing the kit can’t handle!

So remember, either put your emergency kit in the hands of a professional or start putting yours together early and you’ll be prepared for anything!