I’m going to come right out and say that I’m mystified by this style of dress. Advertised as a 1930s era bias cut silk wedding dress on Dirty Fabulous, I can see how it might look sharp on someone who was quite thin – the way most clothing looks good on people who are quite thin – though it always seems to make brides look short. As it stands, I’m in the hate camp for this particular style of gown. BUT I know that I have some amazing readers who know a thing or two about vintage fashion and I’m hoping hoping hoping that you’ll weigh in to change my mind. My question is really what body type is most flattered by this wedding dress – what bride is going to look her best in it?

Scowls and duckfaces and sneers, oh my! How many times have you come across what would otherwise be a beautiful wedding photo… were it not for the fact that the bride is doing her best runway model impression? Personally, I love to mug for the camera, but when I try to play it serious, I end up looking constipated, not sexy or edgy. And I know there are others like me out there, who just can’t pull off the stern, smoldering look that is oh so popular nowadays. I mean, if you happen to look great with a frown on your face, then fantastic. But the fact is that most brides look more beautiful when they’re sporting a smile – my apologies to model Sasha Pivovarova.

But maybe you’re wondering just how to smile in wedding photos so you look your best. I know it’s something I’ve wondered about, since there are way too many photos of me showing giant tracts of gum or looking like I have no upper lip. It just so happens I found some great advice on StyleList that has helped me look better in most photos.

According to Dr. Golub-Evans, to look your best and most natural in photos, “Smile with your teeth slightly parted, as if you’re excited about something,” he says. “You’ll show more white teeth because the lower teeth won’t be hiding behind the uppers, and your smile won’t look forced.”

“keep your lips at rest as much as possible,” says Dr. Golub-Evans. Smile enough to show your teeth, but not too much to thin the lip. “The moment full lips are moving in an animated fashion, they look thinner.”

But the best advice I’ve ever received on how to smile in wedding photos is think happy thoughts! Of course you’re happy – it’s your wedding day after all – but maybe your feet are a little tired after the ceremony or you just found out that the caterer brought food for 80 instead of 100 and you’re totally stressing. Before you pose for your pics, take a moment to think about why you married that wonderful wo/man of yours. You’ll look (and hopefully feel) a lot happier and more beautiful for having done so!

When it comes to bouquet alternatives for the bride or for the bridesmaid, fans tend to pop into my head first – mainly because we gave our wedding guests fans as favors at our summertime Florida wedding. Yes, I know it’s the dead of winter – at least here in frigid MA – but that means it’s the perfect time to be thinking about (or losing ourselves in thoughts of) summertime weddings!

Fans for the bridesmaids can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. Some brides choose rather plain sandalwood fans dressed up with ribbons or lace or even basic paper fans in pretty colors. Others go for something a bit more outrageous, like peacock feather fans or butterfly fans. Sound sweet? Under the cut you’ll find a taste of inspiration to help you choose the perfect fans for your bridesmaids.

(more…)

If you, like me, love wedding fashion, you just have to check out the Victoria and Albert Museum‘s growing database of photographs of clothes worn for weddings between 1840 and the present.

Browsing the collection as it currently stands is the best part, but you can also participate in building the wedding fashion database by uploading your own images of weddings (and civil partnerships) from the past or the present. All they ask is that you include the year of the event and the names of the participants, along with the location of the wedding, if possible. You can upload up to three images, with at least one that focuses on the details of the bride’s dress or the groom’s attire.

Who knows, you might just find – or give someone – the inspiration necessary to plan the perfect period wedding!

It isn’t often than I love everything about a wedding dress, but I have just been staring and staring at this beautiful gown from Papilio every since I first laid eyes on it. Papilio is a Russian wedding dress designer that has come out with some gorgeous and original ideas in the past few years. Looking through their catalog, I was struck by how many of their wedding dresses didn’t fall into the standard white strapless ballgown trap. But this one is definitely by far my favorite model among their 2010 offerings.

Hey everyone!

It’s been too long since we played Twistie’s Sunday Caption Madness. You all remember how this works. I post a picture that’s desperate for a good caption. You all provide your best shots via the comment function, and next saturday I declare a winner, whereupon we all head out for virtual victory pizza.

This week’s image comes to you from the crinolines gone wild file and it looks something like this:
Ready… set… snark!