Finding Your Perfect Wedding Dress: Tips and Trends for the Modern Bride
Helping you pick your perfect outfit your perfect day
[IMAGE: Breezit]
Weddings are grand occasions, and as the bride-to-be, all eyes will be on you when the big day arrives. This means that your wedding dress will play a big part in your ceremony and reception.
This requires a lot of thought and consideration to what you decide to wear, even if you decide to wear two different outfits during the course of the day.
In this article, we unpack everything you need to know about choosing the perfect outfit for your big day - this includes your budget, your theme, the weather, and all other important aspects that can influence your decision.
Considering your Budget
For all weddings, there is a budget that you need to work with. Usually, you have a designated amount allocated to your wedding attire. Sometimes budgets are tight and you need to be strict about what you’re going to spend the money you have on. You have to remember your budget when you go dress shopping. If your budget is more on the flexible side, then you can splurge on your dress.
When you’re concerned about budgets, some of the angles you can look at include hiring a dress for your wedding, buying a dress off the rack, sample sales, thrifting and upcycling, or wearing an heirloom dress from a beloved family member.
Following your wedding theme
Most weddings have in place a theme that sets the tone for the entire aesthetic that the formalities will follow. Themes can influence aspects like the decor, the venue you choose, and even the food that you have catered.
When you go dress shopping, you can use your theme as inspiration for the type of wedding dress that you eventually pick out. For example, if you decide on a forest-themed wedding, you may consider a dress that is fairy-like, with bits of wispy lace tendrils, and subtle crystals adorning it so it will sparkle in the right lighting.
Don’t be afraid to be bold with your dress colors, modern brides tend to drift away from the traditional white dress, and many cultures around the world encourage the use of bold colors during nuptials. A dress with pops of color can tie into your desired theme better than you may expect it to.
How the venue and landscape can play a part in your outfit choice
When you pick out your dress, you have to keep more than your theme in mind. Considering your venue also plays a big part in choosing your wedding dress. You need to be able to move smoothly over the terrain you choose, and this can cause some minor inconveniences to you if you decide on a destination wedding.
Let’s just say that you decide to have a wedding on a beach, then the dress you choose needs to be easy to walk in while not getting sand in the pleats and lace of your wedding dress.
Or if you decide to get married in the mountains or at a forest destination, you need to have a flowy dress in case you need to hike and walk a little bit to get to the wedding aisle.
Seasons and weather can make a difference in your options
When you go about picking your dress, you need to work in tandem with the season you’re having your wedding in.
For example, if you opt to wear a sleeveless wedding dress, this would not be suitable to wear during the winter season. You will end up feeling cold, however, you can consider getting an additional accessory like a coat, shawl, or a cropped jacket to wear for most of the nuptials and remove it just for the ceremony.
On the other hand, if you want to have a summer wedding, wearing a long-sleeved dress may cause you to feel hot and uncomfortable during the day’s events. Unless you have booked a venue that is air-conditioned, then there isn’t much you need to be worried about, as you won’t feel too hot in the venue.
The weather on the day of the wedding can be unpredictable, so you just need to make sure that you can maneuver to and from the venue without your dress getting caught in the rain, or an altar that is covered so that you will be protected from intense sunlight.
Dress Fitting for Your Wedding
When you buy a dress or have one custom-made in advance, it’s important that you are still able to fit properly in the dress a few months later. It’s unfortunately a real concern because picking up and losing a drastic amount of weight can affect how your wedding dress will look on you.
If it does happen, there are ways to work around this, you can have your dress altered to fit you better. If you end up needing to tailor your dress at the last minute, the result can not be what you hoped for your dress. You also need to give your seamstress enough time to work with the changes you require.
In order to maintain your weight, It’s important that you eat well and stay healthy. Be careful of what you eat, as you don’t want to look and feel bloated on the days leading up to your wedding.
What you need to know when hiring a dress
What we all know about renting a wedding dress is that you keep it for a certain amount of time, and return it once the wedding is over. It is a cost-effective and sustainable way to acquire a wedding dress.
A little bit of research will point you in the direction of the nearest boutiques that offer dress rentals in your area.
• Accidents can happen, that is why they’re called as such. However, you need to do your best to make sure that the dress you hire is kept in great condition while it is in your care, otherwise, you will be liable for any damages that arise.
• Do a thorough once over of the dress you’re hiring with the boutique assistant, so you both are aware of the condition the dress has been hired in. Do this once again upon returning the dress.
• If you’re hiring a dress, it would be better to visit in-store rather than hiring it online.
• Familiarize yourself with the rental company’s terms and conditions for hiring a dress. Not all companies will follow the same set of rules. There may also be costs that are not mentioned upfront.
• Inquire about the company's washing policy. While it might seem like the ethical option to have the dress professionally cleaned before returning, some companies may have their own way to process the cleaning aspect, and would rather prevent any issues occurring during the washing process.
• While you may know your exact sizing, some dresses may not follow the exact sizing guide that you used. This is why it is a good idea to try on the dress before renting it out.
Buying your dress
With all the external factors addressed, you can now focus on getting the actual dress of your dreams.
When you go out dress shopping, take along a few trusted people to get a second opinion on your choices.
Visit a few boutiques with an idea of the dress you would like to try on. Tell the assistant your ideas, like the color you want, the silhouette type, and options that you think will flatter your body type.
Dress styles that you can discuss are ballgowns, A-line, mermaid shapes, sweetheart necklines, corset, bohemian, strapless, and slip dresses are just some of the options that you can try on in order to find the perfect one.
Tag-alongs during dress fittings
If you’re taking an entourage with you to try on potential dresses, you may think that the more the merrier, but this isn’t always the case.
Everyone has their own style, likes, dislikes, and opinions, and this can influence their decisions instead of keeping your preferences at the front of their minds.
Ideally, you should take your maid of honor, close family members like your mother and sisters, your future mother-in-law, and a few trusted friends. Basically, all the people who have your best interest at heart. If someone else is paying for your dress, it is good etiquette to allow them to have an opinion on the dress you plan on wearing.
Remember that this day is about you, and not to let others derail your ideas. Be firm when disagreements happen, and compromise only if necessary.
Putting your outfit together
In addition to choosing your wedding dress, there are other factors that you need to consider to make the overall outfit perfect. These factors include makeup, the accessories to wear with your outfit, the shoes to match, your hair, and the bouquet of flowers that you will be carrying down the aisle with you.
Deciding on your makeup
There are a lot of back-and-forth discussions about the right amount of makeup one should wear on their wedding day, and ultimately, the decision is up to you. But is important to realize how makeup actually translates into high-quality photography.
You should speak to your make-up artists about the different looks that you like to try and the look you would like to have for your big day. You could opt for bold eye makeup or rather a bright lip colour. You can also play around with graphic eyeliner if you are willing to try something a little different
How to wear your hair
Similar to makeup, you should chat with your hairstylist about different options to try for your wedding. You can either have your hair styled tied up, or left loose depending on what you’re more comfortable with. Your stylist will advise you on whether you should get hair extensions or hair clip-ons to make styling easier.
Make note of whether you are wearing a veil, a tiara, or any kind of head covering, as this can affect the result of the hairstyle you want.
The accessories for your outfit
The jewelry and accessories that you wear on your wedding day are there to accentuate your outfit without overpowering it. Wearing more or less is up to you and the dress that you pick out.
If you opted for a glitzy dress, then fewer sparkling jewels will be a better option, and if you’re going for a subtler dress, then you can pick it up with some jewelry with gemstones.
When you’re picking out your jewelry, you have a few main options for the tone that you can choose to wear - yellow gold, silver, platinum, white gold, and rose gold. These are just the base options, you can then choose any type of gemstone to match it up with. You choose gems that either match your theme in color or if you would rather it can match your makeup or eye color.
When looking at specific pieces of jewelry, they tend to come in either sets or single pieces that match each other.
• Necklace: You can use a thin chain with a pretty pendant. There are also options for thicker intricate chains that have a drop to them. You can layer necklaces, or choose a choker with a pendant that sits on the dip of your collarbone. When choosing a necklace, keep in mind the neckline cut of your dress and how the piece will sit on it.
• Earrings: If your ears are pierced, you can wear simple studs, or an earring with a small drop. Keep in mind if your hair is styled up or let loose, it may end up covering the earrings.
• Bracelets and bangles: These are optional, but they can add to your outfit nicely.
• Rings: These are optional as well, considering that you will have an exchange of rings on the day of your wedding.
• Other jewels: If you have a facial piercing, it is up to you to you if you want to wear it or not. You can use smaller studs so that they are subtle. Many cultures wear large nose rings for their wedding day as part of their jewelry ensemble.
Hiring a stylist
As one hires a planner to keep their wedding on track, you can hire a professional stylist to help you make your outfit choices for the wedding. They will help you make decisions based on what is currently trendy and what suits your body type. They will be able to take into consideration your personal style and use it to find a middle ground that will result in you feeling like royalty on your wedding day.
Outfit Changes and other events
The dress you are wearing to your wedding ceremony is not the only dress that you need to be concerned about. There are other important dates from the time of the proposal to your honeymoon that require you to make big decisions on what to wear.
Reception
It is not uncommon for brides to switch up their outfits for the reception after the main ceremony for the wedding. As it is still part of your big day, you would need to follow most of the same requirements that you did for your wedding. This includes matching jewelry and hair to the second outfit of the day. You still need to be the center of attention. The dress you choose needs to make you stand out from the crowd in a good way.
Engagement Party
This is the first event following the proposal, you will need a special outfit for this day. While not as grand as the wedding itself, it is still important for the future-bridal couple to be the most important person at the event, and your outfit needs to reflect that.
Rehearsal Dinner
This is a more subdued event that focuses on how staple moments on the wedding day will pan out. While it’s not a very grand affair, you still need to keep this in consideration when planning outfits.
Wedding rituals
For weddings in different cultures, there are several rituals that are performed leading up to the wedding day, these require outfits that are befitting for a person about to be married.
Honeymoon
Despite it being a casual affair, if you are having a honeymoon send-off, you will want to remember the occasion, you can pick out an outfit that is great for the event.
Last Thing,
As a bride, everyone’s focus will be on you for the big day. That means you need to pull out all the stops to make sure that you feel like royalty at your wedding. When choosing your dress for the day, there are several things you need to take into consideration when picking it out - this includes the season of your wedding, the theme, and most importantly, the budget allocated for the dress. With all this in mind, shopping for your wedding dress becomes much easier.
