When shopping for a wedding gown there are a million details to be considered. Does the style fit your personality? Is the fit perfect for your body shape? Is it too fancy, or too simple? One of the key factors is your venue. At each appointment we ask each bride for their wedding date and immediately following.. “Where are you getting married?” Your venue can help decide on some guidelines for your wedding gown.
Formal Wedding
For a formal wedding consider your silhouette, especially if your venue is very grand. You want to be able to make a statement and have a larger presence in such a great venue. Consider a ballgown with a longer train. This doesn’t mean you have to look like a poofy princess (unless you want to of course 🙂 ). Modern day ballgowns have something for everyone, from feathers to classy satin. And don’t skimp on your veil. Make sure its cathedral length even if your train isn’t. This will create grandeur and wonderful lines to compliment your gown.
A Formal Princess Wedding
Once you decide on your silhouette, your fabric is next! Satin is the queen of formality. If you decide against a ballgown silhouette and you prefer something more fitted like a mermaid, satin still works well. Against satin? A beautiful alencon lace gown will create a timeless look. Remember Duchess Catherine? Yup! Exactly that.
A Grand Ballgown
To sparkle or not to sparkle? With a formal wedding you can go allllll out! An embelished bodice will look gorgeous, but if you just want a bit of bling try diamond jewelry, a cystal belt, a beaded bolero or a fun headpiece. There is no such thing as too much bling in this case.
Garden Wedding
Look for a gown that compliments nature and that has an organic feel. A slimmer silhoutte like a sheath, modified A-line or trumpet would be perfect. These silhouttes can compliment many body types. Try to also find a gown with a smaller train such as a chapel length or sweep train. Walking down the aisle and having your reception outside might catch on a few leaves and branches. Once you pick your silhoutte, you can choose any length veil! A longer veil will help weigh it down in case its windy, but a short fingertip length will compliment the less formal garden feel.
A Trumpet Style
For your fabric, try to look for something that has a light feel such as an organza or a soft lace, like chantilly lace. Along with being light, they compliment an outdoor organic feel. The embelishments on your gown can go in two directions depending on the time of your wedding. If it is a daytime wedding, minimize the amount of bling on your gown and accessories with sashes, feathers or fun headbands. If you are having an evening wedding a little bit of sparkle won’t hurt. The sparkle will glimmer throughout the night!
Beach Wedding
A beach wedding requires a bit of a balancing act. A gown that matches the casual ceremony might need to have a formal feel for the reception afterwards. Any A-line, sheath, empire (destination style) or mermaid can work well for a beach wedding. A flowy fabric will look wonderful by the sea breeze and it will create a light airy feel in case you are dealing with major heat and humidity.
Light and Flowy
Just like the garden wedding, the beach wedding follows similar “rules” regarding beading and emroidery on your wedding gown. Be conscious of your surroundings and time of day. A little bit of detailed sparkle will look gorgeous against a sparkling sea, especially at sunset, but an over the top beaded bodice, train, veil, earrings, etc. might overbear the casual venue.
And a Little More Formal for the Reception
What kind of venue will you have? xx
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