Wedding Gowns & Bridal Gowns

Payless ShoeSource is a godsend for thrifty brides who can’t afford to splurge on expensive shoes, and recently their wedding line got even better. Several months ago, NYC fashion designer Lela Rose launched Unforgettable Moments, a new line of bridal satin shoes that can be dyed in 64 custom colors, as well as matching handbags – all under $50! I’ve always loved the look of bright colorful shoes against an all-white dress, and the range of colors available at Unforgettable Moments will make your head spin if you haven’t quite decided on your color scheme yet. All shoe styles and handbag styles are based on Lela Rose’s wedding and bridesmaids collections, but for a fraction of the prices.

The Unforgettable Moments dyeable shoe line is available at all Payless ShoeSource stores.

If you thought origami was just something you do in grade school art class, then clearly you haven’t seen the photos from Chanel’s Spring 2009 Haute Couture show. I know these have been around since March this year but I saw the photos just recently and fell madly in love with the stunning profusion of origami roses and Marie-Antoinette inspired headpieces. Then I realized how lovely these would look on a bride and her attendants, and figured some of you would appreciate the inspiration.

For this collection, Designer Karl Lagerfield declared that bling is “so over” and found inspiration in “blank paper”. All the decor and headpieces used on the show were entirely made of paper by a Tokyo hairdresser named Katsuya Kamo. Props to Mr. Kamo for being able to hand-make a staggering 7,000 paper roses!

I imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who can create origami roses for an elaborate wedding headpiece, but you can easily borrow the look DIY-style by trying out Martha Stewart’s tissue pompoms, or grabbing an origami book and playing around with the designs. There are also gorgeous headpieces from Ban.do that look almost origami-like (see no. 8).

Photos from here and here

Hair accessories don’t always make or break the look but when it comes to weddings, they can speak volumes in terms of the image you’d like to put forward. Check out the hair trends for spring 2010 fresh from the runways, as well as our suggestions for more affordable alternatives.

This star-studded updo was spotted at the Carolina Herrera show. Lace sunburst, star diamond, and diamond starfish brooches by Tiffany & Co. adorn a simple updo. You don’t have to buy brooches from Tiffany to achieve the same effect; sparkly Swarovski hair clips will do just the trick.

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There was once a time when a woman wouldn’t leave the house without a pair of gloves on. Wearing gloves soon fell out of fashion for casual wear but in weddings – they add so much elegance and glamor to your wedding ensemble. There are lace, satin, silk, fingerless, beaded gloves – how do you choose just one pair? Read on to find out how to wear gloves during your wedding day.

Color and fabric

First, choose a color that matches your wedding dress’s color and fabric as closely as possible. If your wedding dress is made out of white lace, then pair it with white lace gloves. If you’re walking down the aisle in an ivory satin number, choose ivory satin gloves.

Length

There’s only one rule to follow when selecting gloves to go with your dress: the more formal the wedding dress, the longer the glove. The length of the glove is usually based on the number of buttons. A strapless ball gown goes best with the opera-length glove, which has 16 buttons. A glove with 8 buttons (an elbow-length glove) or 6 buttons (ends below the elbow) looks great with a short-sleeved gown. A casual wedding in a garden calls for wrist-length gloves. When in doubt, go for the 6 or 8-button gloves, as these lengths will complement most wedding gown styles.

Wearing the wedding ring

During the wedding ceremony, the groom will need to slip the wedding band onto your ring finger! You don’t have to remove your glove in front of everyone. Instead, make a slit on the seams of the ring finger of the left glove, and push the material during the ceremony. After the ceremony, you can either sew the slit quickly or wear an un-slit pair. Alternately, you can choose to remove your gloves during the ceremony and put it back on before the reception.

Consider fingerless gloves

Fingerless gloves are very popular and come in all sorts of styles. The best thing about fingerless gloves is that the groom can easily slip the wedding ring onto your finger during the ceremony. It’s also a lot easier to eat with fingerless gloves on.

Photo credit

Here’s a great idea for spring and summer brides who’d like to save on bridal accessories without sacrificing style: pick out blossoms from your wedding florist and transform them into bridal hairpieces! Getting a few choice blooms won’t even cost you P500 – and if you ask nicely, you might even get them for free. Who says you need to spend big bucks to look good? Here are some ways on how you can incorporate fresh flowers into your bridal hairstyle.

Make a grand entrance by adding body to your hair with electric rollers. Tease the hair below the crown and continue doing so until you reach behind the ears. Pin the hair into position near the ear. To keep the hairstyle in place, spray with a medium or firm hairspray. Finish off by topping your hairstyle with a large, multi-hued tropical flower accented with smaller white flowers

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