Wedding Gowns with Style

By Susan Lackey, Perfect Image Fashions

He popped
THE question….

...romantic, special, full of promise. You said YES! Now the planning for the perfect day begins. You and your fiancé are the stars of the event. You need to be sure that you are radiant on your wedding day, and it all begins with you.

Choosing your dress, or gown, is one of the most important decisions you will make. You will be surrounded with friends, family, retailers, magazines, all presenting ideas for that very special dress. Do yourself a favor and begin with you. Who are you? What is your coloring? What is your body shape? What are the assets of your body and face and what would you like to camouflage? What time of day do you want your wedding? Do you dream of your wedding inside a city church or outside under the sky? All of these components will help define the type and style of the dress you select.

Fashion is fun…..and fleeting!

Designers are creative beings who drive sales with change. If the “current wedding fashion” is for full skirts, round puffy sleeves, and a rounded sweetheart neckline, you will see more of this style than others. If you are a curvaceous bride with a full face and beguiling smile, you want to select a dress that balances your image beautifully. Instead of electing the “current fashion” which, in this example, will over emphasize your curves instead of balancing them, select a sleeker style with a V neckline and a shaped skirt to better enhance you. If the current fashion is long, lean, and simple, while you have a lean athletic build, you might want to consider a softer design to balance the power of your physique. There is no better current example of a perfectly designed wedding dress, for the bride who wore it, than that of Kate Middleton when she wed Prince William. A wedding is forever. Your photos and memories will be forever. Choose a gown that showcases your natural beauty, framing your assets, minimizing the areas you are sensitive to, and balancing the overall look to one that says “beautiful bride.”

How do we achieve this balancing act?

We start to balance your look by first taking a full assessment of your visual image, your appearance, posture, proportion, and coloring in the mirror. A three way mirror is best. You must look at vertical and horizontal proportions with a critical eye looking for balance. You will need to look at your face shape and your eyes, to determine how you want to frame them with the neckline of your gown. You need to determine if you need bold chalk white or if the softer more ivory whites will be more flattering for your skin tone.

Good style is timeless. Your good style is particular to you. Your best styles start with your physical attributes, and then add your personality, your lifestyle, and the staging you are planning for your wedding. Think of your wedding as a play that will be enacted with you in the starring role. The nature, setting, timing, and complexity of the set will also affect your choice of “costume” or wedding gown.

To have it all come together perfectly is not an accident.

A great script, with appropriate costume, music, and characters yields a successful run on Broadway. A well thought out plan for your wedding, with academy award-winning costumes on the bride and her attendants, ensures that no matter what small glitches may occur, yours will be the wedding you and your friends and family will proudly remember.

Here are some of the areas to consider as you look at your visual image with your perfect wedding dress in mind. Do you need to create the illusion of a longer neck, broader shoulders, more oval face? Are you perfectly proportioned (rare), or do you need to enhance one area of your body more than the other? Adding fullness and width to the upper body, by widening the look of the shoulders, minimizes the lower body. If you already have ample curves and structure on your upper body, then adding fullness or softness with the skirt and train will balance the upper body. Are you one of those women who are just not sure where her waist is? Then select balanced accents above and below the waist which will create a wonderful illusion of the perfect waist.

Remember, smooth or dark minimizes texture, pattern, bright enhances. Beading and lace create texture. Adding texture to the upper bodice draws the eye up, while smooth unadorned fabric at the midriff, waist, and/or abdomen can minimize.

An empire bodice creates a horizontal line and widens the area it defines. To minimize, the upper body, fit closely with princess seaming to bring the gown in to a well-defined waist, where ever you choose it to be.

Working with a professional image consultant is a fun and worthwhile gift you can give yourself. In two hours, she will help you discover your assets that you will want to enhance, and the areas you will want to minimize. She will help you understand construction lines, darts, pleats, gathers, sheering, sleeve length, lace and beading placement and what will work best for you before you even walk into a gown store. You should know why you would select a particular length of veil. Knowing what will work for you and why will give you confidence, and greatly streamline your shopping experience, lending to a successful purchase. Your wedding day is all about you looking your absolute best.

Also be sure to read Carrie McDougall's "Special places & best times to go! " from the Spring 2011 issue of Vermont Bride Magazine.

 

 

 

 

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