Manolo for the Brides

It’s no secret that I love gathered ruched skirts on wedding gowns. Twistie, on the other hand, longs to grab the nearest iron! But my love does come with a few caveats… the gathers have to look sort of natural, rather like one has been enjoying an impromtu picnic in one’s wedding gown on the morning of the ceremony. And the skirt itself must be full enough to facilitate that aesthetic.

There is another sort of gathered ruched skirt (usually found on the bridesmaid) that I’ve come to hate, if only because it does not fulfill my requirements for a messy-but-not-too-messy full skirt. Take a gander at these bridesmaids’ dresses from Raylia Designs:

Now is it just me, or do these skirts look like someone put a tube sock on a ferret and let it roll around for a while*? You know what I mean — the ferret does a little breakdance and the sock gets all skootched up around its midsection. It’s not very attractive on the ferret or on the bridesmaid!

*Dear PETA: Don’t hurt me. I swear the ferret was having fun.

No matter what the economic situation, one thing is for certain: people will still get married, and most of them still want at least some of the trimmings. Chief among these trimmings for many brides is the wedding gown.

It’s no mystery why this should be. The wedding gown is an iconic piece of clothing filled with emotional meaning.

The fact also remains that it’s one extremely expensive piece of clothing.

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Brides looking for wedding gowns that can be described as eco-friendly have more than a few options. My favorites by far are buy a secondhand wedding dress, re-purpose a secondhand dress, or have a wedding gown made for you by a local seamstress who’s using sustainable materials. But you know what? Eco conscious though you may be, you and your perfect secondhand dress may never cross paths. For whatever reasons, re-purposing a gown or even having one made might be impossible.

In that case, there’s always shops like Green Union. In addition to a range of green and/or ethical wedding favors, accessories, and stationery, they carry a handful of very pretty wedding gowns.

Tammam White is a bridal collection handcrafted in House of Tammam’s fair trade atelier in India. The wedding dresses are made with exclusively developed fabrics including organic-certified wild peace silk, sustainable bamboo satin, and 100% organic fair trade cotton satin jacquard and linings. The two wedding dresses above are a long satin wedding coat dress with vintage button detailing and a simply chic gown with a luxe gold sash. Both could use a some alterations, but with them would look stunning on the right brides.

As much as I like the bold, bright bridesmaids dresses I featured in Inspiration for Ashley #5 — and as popular as they are right now — there’s still a huge contingent of brides-to-be out there planning weddings with predominantly pastel color schemes. And good for them, I say. While it’s not my bag, I support a bride-to-be’s choice to outfit her wedding party in any color, from black to neon green to white!

That said, if you favor a wedding color scheme that could be described as soft, pretty, and/or feminine, don’t think you have to go running straight to the bridal salon for your bridesmaids’ dresses. For the same money you’d spend at David’s Bridal or a similar shop for your bridesmaid frocks, you can outfit your best girlfriends in pretty Amsale cocktail dresses from Bluefly. True story. And none of the potential bridesmaids dresses below cost more than $180, while all of them promise to look beautiful on your ‘maids without needing all that much alteration.

How about pairing them with slightly brighter bridesmaids bouquets similar to this one from One Source Weddings:

Suggesting to my bridesmaids that they look outside of the world of weddings to find their dresses (I gave them some color and cut parameters but let them shop on their own) was something I really ought to have done. After all, I write about weddings for a living. Maybe, just maybe, they would have found their bridesmaid attire before the last possible second if they had realized they could have shopped online or at the mall.

(As always, click on any of the dresses for prices and availability)

Beach weddings are hugely popular. There’s a good reason for this. What could be more festive than sun, sand, blue water, and a big party?

But if a beach wedding is popular, it’s also a bit tricky when it comes to clothes. After all, traditional wedding clothes are all about pomp and circumstance, while beaches are all about relaxing. Yes, you could get married in swimwear. There’s no law against it. You could get married in a strapless, satin, beaded gown with a cathedral train and a big hoop.

There is, however, a path down the middle that makes for a pretty, dignified, fun, festive day and an album full of fabulous pictures. Here are a few tips on choosing just the right look for your big day on the beach.

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Finally, we come to the matter of Ashley’s bridesmaids’ dresses. She didn’t have anything to say about that, but I thought I could choose some candidates based on her preferences in the wedding flower and flower girl dress departments. Ashley obviously has a thing for bold, bright colors, and unless she’s planning to opt for bridesmaids in white (hey, it’s been done) it seems likely that she’ll dress her bridesmaids in vivid hues.

It doesn’t get much brighter than these bridesmaids’ dresses from Lynn Lugo. I happen to love the checkerboard frock, though it might look just a touch hokey when worn at a backyard barbecue wedding reception. Then again, maybe not. Plus it would just be a fun dress to have around for future fancy functions.

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…if, that is, you and your bridesmaids frequently find yourselves in situations where a brilliant silk shantung, faille, or Indian cotton sateen dress is an appropriate uniform. I only just today stumbled upon Coren Moore’s lovely bridesmaids dresses and wedding dresses, but I’m already enamored.

While her models, like almost all bridal models, need to stop looking so darned uncomfortable — seriously, is “Oh God, not another picture” the best expression faux brides and bridesmaids can give us? — the dresses are almost all cute and fun. Moore doesn’t muss things up with a lot of crazy embellishments or fussy details. Plus, almost all of Moore’s bridesmaids dresses price in at under $300, which isn’t exactly cheap, but is still in line with what many bridesmaids expect to pay for a dress, aaaaand you can order online.

Want to join the navy, by which I mean the bevy of brides choosing this elegant wedding color over robin’s egg and Tiffany and baby blues.

How about navy blue engagement announcements from My Good Greetings… a chunky cocktail ring from Rumour makes a great bridesmaid gift… and for the groomsmen, navy monogram cufflinks from Eternally Linked… navy blue monogrammed postage from Zazzle is one way to personalize mass market wedding stationery… you can save money on your bridal shoes with feminine flats from Old Navy (of all places)… navy blue bridesmaids’ dresses complement an Oscar de la Renta grosgrain gown in navy and white, while deep blue florals and an almost nautical reception table tie it all together.

Where do I sign up?