Wedding Planning Ideas

GONE are the days when the second time bride known as the “encore bride” has to settle for scaled down ceremonies with fewer guests.

With over 45% percent of all weddings today involving one or both partners who have been married before, it’s difficult to tell from the attire whether the modern bride is marrying for the first or umpteenth time. In fact, the modern bride who is lucky enough to find love again is trampling on the old traditions. Now their wedding is based on their taste and their budget. With the motto being: “This is the last time, and it’s got to be the best.”

The “encore bride” is in a different place than when she had her first wedding. They are confident, they have more money to spend, and they know what they want. Their focus is on “simple elegance”.

Whether it is your first, second or third wedding the focal point is still the wedding dress. These brides are seeking dresses that are tailored rather than poufy – a sexy, sophisticated look with the emphasis on quality fabrics.

Today’s trends in bridal gowns are all about you. Your second wedding gown should reflect your personal style, your fashion sense and what kind of wedding you want to have.

When shopping for that perfect dress it helps to know your body type so you can choose the gown that highlights your best features and downplays the areas you wish you could forget.

Here are some of the latest fashion trends to help get you started:

Trains are fine, but keep them simple, again matching the formality and style of the wedding.

Show some skin: At this year’s runway shows, many designers decided to go bare. Creations featured mostly strapless gowns that place the emphasis on the bodice: gently weaved, beaded, or simple with demure jeweled straps.

Body-Conscious: Designers are very body conscious these days, with shape taking precedence. This is good news for any bride: most of these dresses have a slimming effect. The ever-popular A-line (also known as princess) is a long cut that draws the eye downwards, and often has a built-in train. This does not mean that designers have abandoned the classic traditional gowns…the skirts still float but the cut is meant to flatter the body.

Embroidery and Lace: These two mainstays of bridal fashion never go out of style and let’s not forget beading. Today’s bride wants the opulence in beadwork with many designers choosing crystals over glass beads.

Color: This component of a gown has never been so popular. Brides are actually thinking outside the box these days choosing jewel tone gowns in gold, silver, and a variety of pearl tones. However, second time brides still are confident enough to wear white, after all “white symbolizes commitment and faithfulness” so why not!

Where to Look: Magazines are the traditional way a bride begins her gown search, but why not look for a gown online? Most designers now have WebPages, and a collection of name gowns can be found on a number of websites. And if you’re wondering, “Will the gown of my dreams fit me right?” there’s help to be found on a multitude of websites which determine your body type and then suggest the dress type that is best for your figure.

Finally Hit the Runways! The latest fashions needn’t remain a trade secret. Bridal shows, which feature live runway presentations of the current trends and designers, are an excellent way to view a variety of gowns.

A wedding is a celebration of love so indulge and take your time finding that perfect gown. The number one comment I receive from second time brides is…”this is definitely it, I’m not getting married again”.

Gail Young is a co-founder of The Bridal Chalet, an online bridal boutique selling designer style couture and traditional wedding gowns and bridal accessories. A second time bride herself, Gail combines her extensive knowledge of the industry with her passion for designing couture bridal fashion. The Bridal Chalet has a collection of exclusive designer wedding gowns geared to the second time bride – the Sara Houston Collection.

Visit her website at: http://www.bridalchalet.com

As she patiently awaits for her queue to step through the doors into the isle where every single person in the building is half turned to the side, equally excited to see the bride emerge as she is to make the last walk of her single life, the bride is ready and waiting in her beautiful wedding gown. As the infamous music begins to play, she begins to walk. The audience gasps at her beauty as she makes her way to the love of her life awaiting his bride at the front of the room. Everything is perfect, the flowers, music, brides maids, and her soon to be husband standing in front of her. Her father gives away his little girl, and the ceremony commences.

Each person has their personal favorite part in a wedding but one of the most memorable and possibly most talked about is the brides dress. It has always been tradition to wear white, even though some brides choose alternate colors. These days, some brides often venture outside of tradition and wear something that is not so standard such as tea stained dresses or other alternate colors. Sometimes brides choose to wear a gown that fits their personality or hobby such as bikers and gothic for example. The fact of the matter is that a brides dress is extremely important and more often than not ends up being passed down to later generations. Therefore, it must be perfect!

Thomas Fite is well educated in wedding ceremonies and has overseen many of them for friends and part time work. For a great site regarding wedding dresses, go to http://www.theweddingdressinfo.com where you can find extensive links, articles and information about wedding dresses and wedding services.

One of the first things you notice when shopping for your winter wedding is that some designers seem never to have heard of the North at all. (Some can be forgiven, since they live in more temperate climates.) To them, every dress is a summer dress, with variations based on the level of pomp and circumstance, not the weather.

But if you happen to fall in love with a summery design despite the fact that average temps for your wedding day hover around 20 below, never fear — you still have options.

One gorgeous look for the winter bride is a strapless gown topped by a faux fur-trimmed, hooded cloak. Throw back the hood, wear your hair in a sleek, tiara-topped chignon, then warm your hands with a luxuriant fur muff. Of course, this combo won’t quite work if your dress is made of a delicate chiffon, so to be sure to choose a gown that’s substantial and lined, made of satin, brocade or any other heavy fabric.

Another popular choice is an asymmetrical faux fur wrap that rests on one shoulder, or the fur or marabou shrug that covers both. These styles are the perfect finish for a strapless gown with minimal beading.

Capelets and stoles are more substantial faux-fur accessories with a dramatic, ice princess look, but they obscure more of your dress.

She Was Nice in Ice
Wintertime isn’t only the perfect season to bring out the “ice,” it’s also ideal for wearing strong colors under that snow-white cloak or shrug. A bold red gown will take your guests’ breath away, and would be especially nice for a Christmas wedding. Other brides may find that pale blue gowns suit their winter wonderland fantasy to a ‘t’, while this season’s trend toward bold black beading complements almost any wintertime affair.

Winter is also a terrific time to go all-out with ball gown, princess or A-line silhouettes, cathedral-length veils and trains (make sure they’re detachable), sleek formal updos, and plenty of glittering jewelry. St. Pucchi’s Classics line has some wonderfully lacy, lined, trumpet-sleeved gowns that fit the bill perfectly.

For the more daring bride, Monique Lhuillier offers a few offbeat gowns with a vintage touch that also suit the winter months, with their long sleeves and illusion lace bodices. If you go to a major couture clearinghouse and search for long-sleeved dresses, you might find season-appropriate gowns by Reem Acra, Paloma Couture and Carolina Herrera, for starters. But if your budget’s not up to the occasional $5,000 price tag, see if a local seamstress can’t copy the dress you desire for a much more palatable price.

And while we’re talking tailors, remember those gorgeous winter wedding gowns you saw in the magazines — the ones with dramatic faux-fur trim sewn right into the sleeves and neckline? The ones that, alas, are impossible to find? See if your seamstress couldn’t pull that off herself.

As for the shoes — well, you could wear something practical and change right before you enter the chapel. But winter brides have the perfect excuse to wear those beautiful lace-up wedding boots … an opportunity not to be missed.

Blake Kritzberg is editor of FavorIdeas. Stop by for continually-updated celebrity
wedding news, remarkable beach wedding favors, exclusive hairstyling articles and gorgeous and unique wedding favors.