Manolo for the Brides

If you are designing your own wedding gown or just trying to create a mental image of the perfect gown, don’t miss A Designer’s Book of Bridal Gowns. My copy came in the mail this afternoon and so far it looks like a fantastic resource for go-getter gown shoppers.

Written by artist, fashion designer, and seamstress Debby Roosa, the book outlines a variety of dress styles as they relate to body types and formality levels. Additionally, it deconstructs the elements of a dress, giving examples of different sorts of sleeves, necklines, bodices, skirts, and so on. Brides-to-be can trace individual elements using tracing paper and then mix and match until they’ve found the style that suits them best! How cool is that?

I think I’m in love. Even though this Joan Gilbert creation makes the model bride look a bit like she’s wrapped in a shroud, there is just something about it that tickles me pink. The gauzy sleeves give a bit of coverage without being overbearing and the naked shoulders make the whole look sexier than it would have been with a more conservative neckline. It just…comes together somehow. Even the somewhat messy ultra long sleeves look refined rather than unkempt.

Of course, this is not some off-the-rack piece of taffeta. This is a dress made to your measure (in Paris or Italy, no less) and designed to compliment your most stunning features. A certain Pam, who I imagine was a Joan Gilbert client, gushed that Gilbert’s atelier produces “sensuous designs with the cut and feel of European couture [that] appear to be spun out of silk, organza, satin and a bit of magic.”

What more could a bride want?

EDIT: The wonderful Sherry correctly pointed out that Joan Gilbert owns the salon in which you can order this Le Spose di Gio creation! My apologies to all those confused by my error!

There is the monarchy you know and the monarchy you don’t know. I, for one, didn’t know jack about Prince Louis Xavier Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg until a news brief about his recent wedding reached my inbox this morning. Though the ceremony, held on September 29, was quite low key, hundreds of royalty-philes gathered at the church where Prince Louis wed his long-time sweetie, twenty-year-old Tessy Anthony Hansen. The pair apparently met while serving in the Luxembourg army during a mission to Kosovo in 2004.

Their bouncing baby boy, Gabriel, was in attendance at the wedding, wearing what some news outlets described as a “smart white coat.”

According to Prince Louis’ wikipedia entry, upon his marriage, Louis gave up his succession rights and those of Gabriel, and any of the couple’s future children, although Louis retains his title of Prince of Luxembourg and the style of Royal Highness while Tessy and Gabriel (and any of the couple’s future children) hold the surname de Nassau with no titles.

Bummer! Titles are cool!

When I think ‘bridesmaid dress,’ the first thought that pops into my brain is not ‘nylon mesh.’ Visions of Duchess satin and various silks dance in my head. But there is no rule stating that bridesmaid dresses have to come from bridal salons or stores that deal specifically with wedding accoutrements. In fact, one can whip up a lovely bridal party using dresses from a variety of sources, including department stores, outlets, and fancy dress shops.

Case in point: The sassy black and tan nylon mesh dress above came from Newport News and would make a lovely bridesmaid dress. All I’m saying is that brides (and clothes conscious grooms) should never limit themselves by only browsing those products specifically designated for weddings.

When you’re of a certain age, you get invited to five to ten weddings every year. Seriously. One friend gets hitched and then, like dominos, the rest succumb. While you’re waiting for that cascade of matrimony to reach you and your honey, your only nuptial task is to dress nicely, show up, and buy a gift. Sure, you can grab a prezzie off the inevitable registries. In fact, that’s the best option when you’re attending the wedding of someone you’d define as ‘acquaintance.’ But if you know what your loved ones like (how about iPods?), there is no reason not to get creative.

When fabric artist Emily Sessions of technocutie received three wedding announcements in a row, she began looking for unique wedding gifts for the happy couples. After looking at numerous tea towels and toaster coazies, she recognized the need for more interesting presents for today’s brides and grooms. And thus, her ‘Just Married’ iPod cases were born.

Each hardy fabric case is handmade and unique (i.e. you likely won’t see your neighbor hoofing down the street with one). The Just Married iPod case for brides (or, as Sessions notes, the groom who likes white and flowers) features bright blue flowers in two shades with petal details and hand-sewn blue glass beads on a pure white shell. The case for grooms (or the bride who’s not so into all the white and the flowers) is black and embellished with starburst details, in two shades of grey, topped with hand-sewn white glass beads. Both cases feature a vivid red heart on the back that has “Just Married” written across it, in letters protected by a layer of clear vinyl.

For five dollars more than the usual price of $25, Sessions will make you a custom case that will wow your friends…or your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Just make sure they have an iPod first.