Wedding Gowns & Bridal Gowns

I’m not actually the biggest Audrey Hepburn fan but you can’t deny that she’s a timeless style icon that so many women look up to. Today, we’re taking one of her dresses into centerstage: the Givenchy wedding dress she wore in the 1954 flick Sabrina. I’m not sure if this was the first wedding dress to make use of black lace embellishments, but that’s just the thing with Audrey Hepburn: she can take something old and wear it with so much grace, its style and class factor instantly transcends time.

Since Sabrina, a lot of designers took their cue from Audrey Hepburn and started including black lace embellishments into their white wedding dresses. Check out these some Audrey Hepburn-inspired wedding dresses for ideas on how to incorporate elements from the iconic Sabrina dress onto your wedding dress.

(more…)

For as long as I can remember, June has always been the best time of the year to get married. The origins of June weddings date back to the time of ancient Romans, when June was the month they paid obeisance to the goddess of marriage, Juno. But it wasn’t all just religion and superstition that made people prefer June weddings – there was a practical side to it as well. If a couple holds a June wedding and the wife conceives a child shortly after, she’ll have given birth and gotten well in time for the harvest season.

Personally, I think the preference for June weddings has a lot to do with the gorgeous weather, especially if you’ve got your heart set on a garden or beach wedding. This period is sandwiched between spring and summer, meaning it’ll be green, pretty, and warm enough to swap vows outdoors, but not oppressively hot as to make everyone faint during the ceremony.

Of course a June wedding wouldn’t be picture-perfect without the appropriate wedding dress. Unlike winter wedding dresses with their intricate beadwork and statement details, June wedding dresses are characterized by light, breezy fabrics, simple embellishments, and minimal accessories. Take a cue from these lovely summer frocks fresh from the runways.

This soft A-line gown by Priscilla of Boston is made of silk chiffon that will move like a dream against the early summer wind. A silk satin band adorns the simple bodice.

(more…)

The romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is opening this week and is certainly not like a lot of romantic comedies out there. The story is about notorious bachelor Connor (Matthew McConaughey) and how he encounters the ghosts of three ex-girlfriends the day before his brother’s wedding. Costume designer Denise Wingate was in charge of picking out what everyone would wear to the movie, and her approach was very down-to-earth. Rather than having designers create custom dresses just for the film, she went around shopping like a real bride looking for great deals. The result is a mix of well known wedding dress designers like Amsale, and insider favorites Jenny Lee and Jenny Yoo.

(more…)

That designer wedding dress from the latest collections of Vera Wang or Monique Lhuillier could be yours – if you know where to look. Sample sales are when fashion designers sell the production samples they used to show fashion buyers. Sample items are essentially overstocks, and are sold at huge discounts. So not only will you get to wear the designer wedding dress of your dreams without breaking your budget – you’ll be right in fashion when you do it! Read on to find out how to buy a wedding dress at a sample sale.

Before anything else, you need to know when and where the sample sales are going to take place! Sign up for mailing lists like DailyCandy.Com, Top Button, or New York Magazine to receive listings and schedules of sample sales.

Sample sales are usually held in season. For instance, sales on fall and winter wedding collections are generally held from September to November, which means you can wear your fall and winter wedding dress right when the season rolls in.

Although some sample sales will ask you to make an appointment, very few sample sales are private. Once you’ve selected which sale to go to, make the right calls to get added to the guest list, if there are any.

You can either go early in the morning or towards the end of the sale – both have their advantages and disadvantages. If you show up early, you’re going to have the best picks and get to have first dibs. Towards the end of the day, discounts increase because manufacturers don’t want any leftover merchandise after the sale. Personally, I wouldn’t mind waking up early and paying a little extra if it means I have a wider selection and a higher chance of finding my dream designer dress.

Whatever time you decide to go, do NOT go during lunch hour (11:30 til 2 pm). This is when sample sales are at their most crowded, with New York office workers on lunch break trying to get the best deals.

You’ll be spending a whole lot of time on your feet, so it’s best to wear comfortable shoes. Wear an outfit you can easily change in and out of, such as a t-shirt dress, so you don’t spend too much time unbuckling buckles, zipping down zippers, and undoing buttons. Some sample sales don’t have dressing rooms, so if you’re a little shy about having strangers see your underclothes, you might want to wear a leotard underneath.

Make sure you bring cash! Although some sample sales accept credit cards and checks, most like cash transactions.

All sales are final, so make sure you inspect your wedding dress for any loose beadwork or defective zippers before taking it to the cash register.

Good luck, and happy shopping!

Photo credit

Classic ballgowns and princess silhouettes define Priscilla of Boston’s spring 2010 wedding collection. The A-line skirts are more fuller than their previous collections and other wedding dresses for the season, but the good thing about this collection is that these dresses will transcend the spring trends and won’t look out of place in a fall wedding. Look under the cut for my favorite picks from Priscilla of Boston’s spring 2010 wedding collection.

A feathered band accents this strapless, empire-cut ballgown. Made out of rich cascading satin, it looks to be fit for a princess.

(more…)