Manolo for the Brides

Need it even be said? Brides with buns in the oven want beautiful wedding dresses, too. Maternity wedding dresses, however, aren’t always as lovely as they ought to be. Maybe it’s because there isn’t a giant market for frocks that fit around fetuses so there isn’t as much competition among designers and dressmakers. Perhaps there’s even a contingent of people who think pregnant bride shouldn’t flaunt her “delicate condition,” and thus think that maternity wedding dresses should look like muumuus.

To that I say “Whatever, fool.” Maternity wedding dresses should be as lovely and as flattering as standard wedding dresses, which is why I’m loving Maternity Bride by Jessica Iverson Couture. The fit, construction, and quality of the gowns is just as good as those in the regular bridal market. The prices are easy on the wallet, at least as far as wedding dresses go. And amazingly, these maternity wedding dresses are available for rental… the hope being that you won’t need to wear yours twice.

They say: Light chiffon maternity wedding dress with draping, features pearl edged neckline and sleeves. Sweep train. Perfect for brides seeking a little bit of coverage and a hint of modesty.

They say: Pure silk charmeuse scoopneck maternity wedding gown with intricate and luxurious beading across waistline, front and back. Slightly gathered waist, bubble hem.

They say: A sexy, strapless maternity wedding gown with an intricately beaded bust and layered skirt with crisp pleating. Features a sweep train and detachable beaded straps.

They say: Taffeta maternity bridal gown with shirred waistline and v-neck. Corset back. A sophisticated and classically styled maternity wedding gown that looks flattering on every shape and size.

The best part is that these maternity wedding dresses aren’t just for itty-bitty mommas-to-be! Maternity Bride’s standard collection goes up to size XXXL and they can custom create gowns in even larger sizes, so plus size brides with buns in the oven aren’t left wanting.

Lucky me, I have recently come into possession of not one, but two $25 Kohl’s gift cards! Instead of spending them on myself like a selfish witch, I’ve decided to give them away to two lucky readers who can spend them any way they want. My contests always get a little theme-y and this one’s no different. The theme this go around? It’s trashy, skanky, or otherwise extremely fugly wedding dresses or bridal accessories.

To enter to win one of the two $25 Kohl’s gift cards, leave a comment on this post describing the trashiest wedding dress or bridal accessory you’ve seen. Better yet, include a link to the offending gown or shoe or jewelry. Comments will be closed at noon on Friday, November 27, and the contest winners (chosen by our friend the Random Number Generator) will be announced shortly thereafter.

I can’t enter myself, of course, but to get you into the spirit of things, here are two pairs of bridal sneakers that you will not find at Kohl’s:

Yes, that’s a bridal sneaker with a four inch heel and a bridal sneaker wedge with a three-and-a-half inch heel, both of which feature a plasticized finish for durability. According to the Lovely Bride web site, these bridal sneakers are meant for the reception… so I suppose if the bride was wearing high heels, she could change into sneakers without stepping all over her hem? Personally, I think that if you’re going to change into sneakers, you could at least make them cute sneakers instead of shiny bedazzled monstrosities.

(via the lovely Lise who sent me a link to Tackyweddings.com)

Um, hmmm. Not sure why this post reverted back to an older version… anyway

I like Rosa Clara. There’s a little something for everyone, as the About page notes: “The collection is inspired by two trends: One, simple lines with close-fitting gowns. And the other, spectacular volume.” With the first, come feminine and modern wedding dresses. With the second, you see voluminous silk taffeta and silk organza paired with simple bodices.

Hellllooooo, Audrey Hepburn fans and lovers of all things vintage. I’m not crazy about the pleats on this wedding dress, but I adore the fact that it has pockets… and doesn’t show huge amounts of cleavage. This is, I think, my favorite wedding dress in this super image heavy post.

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I personally am not an advocate of cowboy boots for everyday wear — unless one earns one’s bread ropin’ and ridin’ — but I have to admit that they do look rather cute on bridesmaids all lined up in a row. Finding shoes for the bridesmaid isn’t easy since you’re already asking three or ten or fourteen chicks to buy matching dresses and now you’re going to request they find matching shoes, too? Even shopping for shoes as a bridesmaid kind of sucks unless the bride specifically wants dyed strappy sandals or, better yet, doesn’t care what shoes you wear.

The only real issue with asking your bridesmaids to wear cowboy boots is that nice ones can be ridiculously expensive and some people simply cannot stand them at all ever. Of course, you could say that about pretty much everything even remotely associated with weddings.

So, cowboy boots for the bridesmaid… First off, cowboy boots do not have to superrustic. For real, they don’t.

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We hear so little about the trials and tribulations faced by the tall bride because most of us had to strip fabric from our wedding gown hems instead of adding more. Questions like “I’m short and curvy — what wedding dresses will flatter my figure?” are far more common than “What can a tall bride wear?” But while the 5′4″ bride dominates, the tall bride is nonetheless out there shopping for her gown and her bridal shoes, and perhaps wondering just how she can make herself appear that much more petite in her wedding photographs.

Ages and ages ago, before the advent of the Never teh Bride, a reader wrote to inquire “whatever is a tall bride to do?” and our esteemed head of state, The Manolo, rightly recommended that the tall bride should not attempt to camouflage her height with flats — especially, I might add, considering that her intended probably already knew she was tall when s/he proposed. Though all you tall brides out there may feel like you’re going to end up looking like this as you walk down the aisle…

…I can promise that you won’t. The perpetual middle schooler that lives inside your brain and whispers that you’re still a gawky and ungainly girl is wrong, wrong, wrong. Unlike us shorties, you tall brides can often look effortlessly elegant. Your height gives you a certain presence that has to be faked by the rest of us. You may be willowy and graceful, in which case you can probably wear any wedding dress you like. Or perhaps you are as rubenesque as you are statuesque, in which case you should probably wear any wedding dress you like. Maybe you’re sporty and lean, built like a stringbean, which means you can definitely wear any wedding dress you like because, come on, you’re the closest thing to a runway model on this list!

Above we have a tall bride, who also happens to be a friend of mine. Gawky? Anything but! Ungainly? Certainly not! Still, the tall bride does have to take some things into consideration that other brides can take for granted. Here are just a few:

• Don’t think you HAVE to wear flats or low-heeled shoes on your wedding day, particularly if you usually tower over the world in 5-inch heels. At the same time, don’t wear heels *just because* if you spend your life in flats.
• You may need to order a wedding dress with custom measurements or, if you’re buying online, make sure you specify “long” when placing your order. Don’t forget to consider your heel height and petticoat bulk when ordering.
• Tall brides with tall torsos may need to take that into account, too, when buying a wedding dress. Remember that it’s better to get a gown that’s too long, as too much fabric can be removed easily while too little may mean your full-length dress becomes a tea-length dress by necessity.
• Be bold when choosing your wedding dress, since tall brides can frequently pull off styles that brides of average height cannot. Full skirt? No problem. Lots of embellishments? If anyone can wear it well, you can.
• The same goes for accessories! A larger frame means you can wear larger accessories, whether that means chunkier bridal jewelry or a huge hat or a tremendously long veil. This is one case where more really is more.
• Tall brides are also blessed in that they can carry bigger bouquets if they so choose. Cascading styles and across the arm styles both look great on tall brides. Just remember to scale your bridal bouquet to your frame — too small a bouquet can look odd in pics.
• Finally, stop worrying about looking too tall in photos! If you’d really like a wedding portrait where you and your new spouse are the same height, take one where you’re sitting with your heads together. Otherwise embrace your tallitude since you’ll be wearing it for a very long time!

(Image via Monsters vs. Aliens)

For some, being asked to serve as a bridesmaid is both an honor and a burden. Time spent assembling complicated wedding invitations or funneling candy into favor boxes is one thing; money spent is quite another. I’d wager that most of you reading this would be happy to accompany a friend as she shops for her wedding gown or samples wedding cake. Would you be as pleased if you found out this same friend expected you to pay $600 for bridesmaid attire? Or if she made it clear that her idea of the perfect bachelorette party is a week in Cancun paid for by her attendants?

It’s not uncommon for bridesmaids or a maid-of-honor to accept a wedding party post without knowing what they’re getting into. That’s why there are books like Everything Bridesmaid: From Planning the Shower to Supporting the Bride, All You Need to Survive and Enjoy the Wedding and The Bridesmaid Handbook and The Bridesmaid Guide: Etiquette, Parties and Being Fabulous and even The Quintessential Wedding Guide … Maid of Honor.

In other words, while first-time maids and MOHs may not know quite what’s expected of them, there are plenty of how-tos out there ready to help. Get your dress on time, they say. Throw a bridal shower. Bustle the gown. Herd the groomsmen. Hold the bride’s bouquet. Give a speech. And so on.

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Can I confess something? I never once considered any wedding gown that didn’t grow substantially wider from the waist down because I wanted to hide my tummy and my hips. I’m slightly ashamed to admit that, since I’ve been telling y’all to forget the body type rules for, oh, forever, but I just couldn’t let go. From sheath dresses to mermaid gowns, I ignored them all, assuming that covering my butt and belly was a core part of Bridal 101.

How very wrong I was is driven home by this photo of an absolutely stunning bride from Ashleigh Taylor Photography:

Gorgeous, no? This bride is by no means fat, but neither is she as skinny as the dour-faced models one finds in bridal magazines. She looks healthy and lovely, and most importantly, she looks her size. I can’t imagine that she starved herself before sliding into her mermaid gown. I’d wager that the thought never even crossed her mind!

My hope is that by posting her image here, I can inspire brides-to-be shopping for their wedding dresses to consider gowns that hug the physique, however lean or large that physique might be. I can’t promise that every wedding dress will flatter you or even that you’ll like the majority of those that do flatter you, but you never know how good you’ll look in a particular style of wedding dress until you give yourself permission to try it on and, more importantly, to love yourself in it.

Veils are uncontestedly the go-to accessory for brides-to-be, even if they later decide to walk down the aisle bareheaded or wearing a hat or hairpins. At the same time, as beautiful as bridal veils are, they can also be heavy (in the case of cathedral length veils) or unwieldy (in the case of shoulder length veils and fingertip length veils that catch on necklaces and earrings or blow wildly in wedding day wind).

L.A.-based stylists Jen Gotch and Jamie Coulter crafted these gorgeous bridal headpieces using materials sourced at swap meets and estate sales. Their creations are inspired by everything from seriously old school Parisian fashions to the classic 1960s flower child, and prices start at $75, which isn’t bad for something being marketed toward brides.

I’m just going to shoot my mouth off and say that I LOVE these bridal headbands brought to my attention by Glinda of teeny Manolo fame. Love love love. Gimme diamonds or gimme rhinestones, I don’t care which. Put them on a well styled headband and I’m pretty well immediately sold.

What say you?

There are a lot of guides out there that speak to what the bride and/or groom need to do in the week or so before the wedding to ensure that things go smoothly. These are full of great advice like “Pick up your wedding dress from your seamstress” and “Make sure you have the marriage license application.” And of course it’s all great advice, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Brides and grooms also need to think about what not to do before the wedding because one can follow all the DOs and still get stung of one doesn’t avoid certain DON’Ts. It might sound self-explanatory, but the reason don’ts are don’ts is because they’re often very tempting! So here’s a short guide of activities to avoid in the week leading up to your wedding day.

Do not, under any circumstances:

• Drastically change your hair cut or haircolor (unless you’ve had that style or color in the past and know you adore it AND you are going to a trusted stylist). Remember that your wedding photographers will hopefully last a lifetime. As tempting as it is to channel all that pre-wedding stress into a fresh new look, that fresh new look may become the stuff of nightmares when you’re hating it six weeks later. Or worse, on the eve of your wedding!
• Wax something you’ve never had waxed before. If you’re a seasoned and experienced waxer, then by all means visit a salon to get de-fuzzed. But if you’re a novice and don’t really know what to expect, I suggest staying away. Need a reason? Just imagine yourself standing at the altar in your wedding finery… coping with a bikini line that feels like an itchy firepit. Oh, and the same goes for things like Botox and facial fillers.

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