Prina Tornai has come up more than once here at Manolo for the Brides because she is someone who is no afraid to include see-through details in her bridal designs. I’m thinking that she and Julia Kontogruni would have plenty to talk about if they met over a nice cup of coffee somewhere.

While it looks like there’s a chance that this Julia Kontogruni wedding dress isn’t quite see-through in the bodice, it does bear a striking resemblance to quite a bit of the lingerie marketed toward brides specifically for the wedding night. Of course, you’ll see a lot more flesh at the beach on any given summer and it could definitely be racier.

But really now, what the hell is going on here?

Perfect for your 1980s Bon Jovi backstage stripper and Bedazzler themed wedding, perhaps?

All right, so the sleeves on these Christian Lacroix for Rosa Clara wedding dresses may not be all that long, but they certainly are wide!

Funny thing – I’m not sold on big sleeves (though I’ll fight to the death for your right to wear them) but I do like a wedding dress that’s rather reminiscent of the 1930s, yet not mired in them. Maybe it’s the materials? Muslin, organza, crepeline and lace meet fine stones and mother-of-pearl pailletes, turning out a luxurious and still oddly down-to-earth set of wedding dresses.

What do you think? The 80s are back with a vengeance, so why not the sleeves that were in some ways their signature?

I’m all for reusing and recycling, but this is a bit ridiculous, no? What you see below is
Glamarita’s wedding dress made entirely from men’s neckties, a custom frock that boasts 36-42 ties and is made to the bride’s measurements.

No offense to Glamarita (esp. since I rather like the kicky short tie dress with the big puffy underskirt) but I’m going to have to go with HATE on this one. What say you?

(Big thanks to The Manolo for passing along the link!)

The wedding is over, you’re happily installed in a new home you share with your honey, and it suddenly occurs to you that your wedding dress – your gorgeous, dreamy, heart stopping wedding dress – is packed up in the back of your guest room closet. Taking up space. A year ago, you said you’d keep it forever, save it for your future daughter. Sell it? God, no. Trash it? Gasp! But now time has passed and the glow of the wedding is fading. You know the chances of your daughter wanting to wear your wedding dress are slim, and your bedroom closet is overflowing with clothes and shoes and shoes and shoes.

What, you ask, what is a former bride to do? She can sell it, sure, though the market for secondhand wedding dresses ain’t all that. She could preserve it in a box and put it out of sight in the attic where at least it’s not taking up valuable shoe real estate. Or she can give it away to some needy bride or charity that will do good with it. Those are her options. None of which allow her to have her dress and get rid of it, too. That’s why I’d like to add yet another post-wedding wedding dress option: Have artist Jessica Mandala create a one-of-a-kind sketch or painting of that wedding dress that’s just gathering dust.

Mandala says: “A wedding gown is so unique – it is the garment chosen for the day when a woman will feel she is at her absolute best – when she will be the most beautiful woman in the room. This is perhaps the most carefully selected (and expensive) outfit a woman will ever wear. And she wears it for just a few hours. I love exploring this choice, what it says about the wearer, and it is my great privilege to commemorate it.”

Oversize bows on wedding dresses are one thing; this is quite another. While this wedding gown purports to have a bow in the back, I’m not so sure that ‘bow’ is the first thing that comes to mind when I look at this Renella De Fina creation. Is this dress stacked in the back? Sure. Was that bow tied by someone suffering from delirium tremens? You betcha!

But whatever, giant bows are nothing new, whether they’re in the front or in the back or goodness knows where. I’ve seen bows before. Am I just missing the bow in this picture, or do I need to squint at it until I go all Magic Eye crosseyed? Hate, hate, hate. Too messy!

What say you?

Bad luck to show up to a wedding wearing white? Hardly, if you’re a bridesmaid in certain weddings! Are you a true traditionalist? Then you could say that choosing white bridesmaids dresses in keeping with tradition — old tradition, that is, what with the bride’s attendants dressing just like her to confuse all those demons and evil spirits that were always causing trouble way back in the day. In this very pretty picture of a real wedding taken by the talented Agaton Strom, we see four women in white and not one of them is the bride. Based on this pic, I am loving white bridesmaids dresses. They’re fresh and pretty and summery and romantic, and if the bride wants her ‘maids to dress in white, who are we to tell her they shouldn’t?

What say you?

When you think of a bride, chances are that you think of a lady in a white dress. The fact is, though, that white is not required at all. Oh, and if you choose not to wear white, ivory isn’t your only other option. Really. No, this is true.

Look, white is great. If that’s what you want to wear I’ll have your back no matter what your matrimonial or sexual history, age, budget, or any other factor you may think is holding you back from your dream.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to wear white, I’ll have your back every bit as much. Maybe you don’t want to because this is your second wedding and you already did that. Maybe you feel uncomfortable because you come from a culture where white is a color of mourning. Or maybe you just think there’s another color you look better in than white. Whatever your reason, you should choose what makes you happy.

You could wear a silver gown and pair it with a dramatic, dark bouquet.
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