Choosing the Right Wedding Dress

A Wedding Dress is the single element of the whole ceremony which is usually wholly within the control of the bride to be. She should expect to have full say in the colour, fabrics, style, cut and fashion of the wedding dress and matching bridesmaid gown. With all that power comes responsibility and how does a new (and often young) bride make such a difficult decision?

Essentially there are three main options for the wedding dress:

• Traditional - made of satin and lace with full veil and accessories. A traditional costume is always in white and with a long train. The advantage of this is that it is always a safe bet being guaranteed to appeal to everyone but a full traditional wedding dress is heavy, prone to staining, expensive and, with a long train to drag in the mire, very difficult to keep pristine during a long and hectic day. Once worn, it will be consigned to a box in the attic and its sole possibility of future use will be as a family heirloom for a daughter should she decide a traditional style is for her, of course!




• Designer - A modern style which may be short, revealing or striking. A designer wedding dress may not even be in white and may consist of a combination of fabrics and colours. Its main advantage is that it allows the bride to fully express her own taste and also that a well-chosen designer dress will not get as dirty or hot as a traditional gown. The main disadvantage is that it is almost certainly bound to upset some of the older guests who expect to see 'the real thing'. It may be possible to get more wear out of such a garment but it is unlikely to have much value as a family heirloom.




• Off-the-peg suits - Instead of a conventional wedding dress; either traditional or designer, some brides opt for a smart suit. The advantage of this is that it will probably work out a lot cheaper and also that there is no reason that the bride cannot wear it apiece or as separates when dressing up for special occasions. The main disadvantage is, of course, what the guests will say but, then, this is the bride's day and the bride's choice and what she says must go.

Ultimately that is the most important factor - what the lady says. Remember that it is you that matters, not the wedding dress. You must feel confident and believe in yourself. Your new husband is a lucky man and he should feel that even if you turned up in a pair of old jeans!

We hope that this article has helped give you some ideas about what you will look for in a wedding dress.