Dear ladies, it is important to practice wearing your specialty/special day dresses and underpinnings, so that you’re comfortable and happy on your wedding days. However, as Pencils reminds me, there’s many a pet (including my Domino), who would regard your strange and wonderful garments as an invitation to play – climb, pounce, batter, swing, and otherwise mutilate your unfamiliar splendour – or your exposed flesh, for that matter.

Do consider wearing something over your clothes to protect them! It may mean that you look a little funny in your lace boots with the sweat socks over them, but they will be preserved for The Big Day; ditto with any difficult-to-replace hose – they should be protected by something more durable, whether it’s a robe, or sweatpants, or jeans. As for the gowns themselves, I would actually consider the possibility of buying, or making, a robe big enough to protect the dress. I do understand that that’s not possible for a lot of ladies, which is why I suggest that, if you cannot wear the gown itself – say a big poufy crinoline dress – you should practice moving around in the big poufy crinoline petticoat and the corset – with whatever can be practically managed over them to protect them.

SterlingSpider, as far as the mermaid dress goes, it’s meant to have the majority of the emphasis at the bottom. In truth, it’s only necessary to “balance” it at the top if you’re set on creating an hourglass silhouette. I’ll share a secret with the ladies: Not every shape has to be an hourglass to be attractive. If you are thinking of beading, etc., to reflect light on your face and upper body – that would, I think, be very pretty; but I would be a little dubious if you were thinking about adding much in the way of volume up at the top.

Of course, my dress is a copy of an Alvina Valenta from her fall 06 collection instead. In pink. Even if I’m not really a pink girl, it’s so much better on me than white.

And NtB–thank you, I loooove my gown. I even went to visit the sample at the bridal salon yesterday, to study the beading so I could figure out what jewelry and tiara would look best. Planning a wedding is fun! A few years ago, I would have never imagined that I’d be getting married in 2007 in a beaded wedding gown and a tiara!

My main worry with a fit and flair mermaid style like the above would be the fullness at the very bottom. I’m fairly small on top and to balance out that sort of flounce is going to take a lot of embellishment near my face. I would LOVE to see something like the bottom finish on the alvina valentina gown (I’m really so taken by that scallop/ruffle combo) applied to a late bustle overskirt which was draped more like the TV 225 natural form fantail skirt with that lovely columnar front profile and gathered train.

NtB, you are so right. I wish folks would take a minute to think that maybe the flaws they’re trying so hard to cover up … aren’t flaws at all. It’s something to think about.

And SterlingSpider, I’ll second La BellaDonna when she says smokin’ in a fit and flare mermaid style dress. She’s an uber-smart lady.

Finally, La BellaDonna, you are so right when you say this:

It’s always my own personal inclination to suggest that the ladies who are looking for wedding dresses to flatter their bodies should first look at the dress styles popular when their own body types were in fashion. This is always my first choice, rather than suggesting how the bride can “correct” her figure.

I just wish more people looking for their wedding gowns felt the same way. So many people I know are obsessed with finding a gown that will hide flaws when they should be searching for the gown that will compliment them best.