Opinions vary on the wedding suit (as an alternative to the wedding dress), but I think that most brides-to-be would rather opt for a more casual sheath or a short cocktail dress before heading into the realm of the suit. Suits, I think, are too often associated with older brides and second-time brides having tiny weddings away from prying eyes. And this chick, Bianca Jagger, and my Omi aside, maybe not every bride can pull off the wedding suit. Or any suit. And that’s okay.

But some can and some do, older or younger, big wedding or small, first- or second-time bride, for a variety of reasons. Some brides like suits! Suits can be worked into a retro theme without actually having to be vintage. And sometimes a wedding suit is just the right thing to wear. I found this in the Monique Lhuillier Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear collection, and I think it would make a lovely wedding suit or perhaps a getaway dress for the bride who wants to change into something more comfortable for the reception or honeymoon journey.

Would you say it’s a fine choice for the right bride or is it perhaps just not wedding-ish enough?

Every now and again, someone new stops by to tell us what they think about convertible bridesmaids dresses at the Twobirds post. Reactions range from “this dress is terrible” to “they’re going to work for all of us,” “the fabric looks cheap and the sewing is sub par” to “this dress will not wrinkle…perfect destination wedding dress”.

So when I see what is basically the same dress – or the same idea of a dress – in wedding gown form from Isadora Clothing, I have to share it with you.

According to Isadora Clothing, there are nine ways to wear a convertible wedding dress, from strapless and backless to semi-sleeved and plunging.

I wish that we could see the backs of all these convertible styles – because I think the backlessness of the convertible wedding dress is what gets to me the most. In theory, it’s such a fun, easy, awesome idea, but in reality, those of us who rely on rebar bras to keep everything from bouncing out of control or swinging to and fro should probably stay away from this sort of thing. Any chance any of you out there are wearing one of these, or something similar, on your big day?

Um, brrr? It’s gotten pretty chilly here as of late (well, some days, anyway), which means that while I ought to be thinking about the cold-weather wedding dresses brides will be wearing a year from now at their autumn weddings, I’m actually thinking about shorty gowns that might be more appropriate for springtime.

With that in mind, here are six sweet short wedding dresses to help us all remember that warm weather will come again. My fave is the right-hand strapless taffeta sheath in the middle row, which is sold by David’s Bridal of all places. The other dresses come from all over the Internet, from PS Bridal Online to Igigi to Kiyonna to Bella Chic to Plus Size Now.

As you know, I subject myself to a wide range of bridal ‘entertainment’ on television in order to let you know the pitfalls and the few pleasant surprises that show up in the wonderful world of media. Last week I completely forgot to set my DVR for Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss. Well, this week I remembered just in time to catch the second of two episodes that aired.

I think part of my failure to plan for this was plain old fear.
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Ever look at a wedding dress and think that there’s just too much going on? I have to give all of the wedding dress designers props because every day I see so many gorgeous gowns that I can’t get enough of – but everyone has their off days. Now and then I encounter some weirdness like giant bows sewn onto bosoms, ripped hems, and my absolute favorite horrorfrock, the frankendress! I’d venture to suggest that this Vera Wang number falls into that category.

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Every now and then I like to pop over to J. Crew to check out what’s new in their wedding department, and I’m usually not disappointed. Their wedding dresses are usually what I’d call accessible in terms of style, but also a little bit quirky (sunburst polka dots? femme ruffles?). But I have to say, the brand isn’t doing themselves any favors with this:

And by this I mean the way it’s presented, not the product being sold. What you’re looking at is not some hybrid formal-casual wedding dress, but rather a gorgeous $3,000 skirt made of layer upon layer of shimmering pleated Italian metallic foil-printed tulle, topped off with volumes of solid French gossamer tulle. We’re talking about the good stuff, crafted by master weaver Sophie Halette. And J. Crew, to advertise it, pairs it with a ratty-looking old t-shirt on a slouchtastic model, making an amazing skirt look like some crap from a teen shop. I hate that. Does that drive anyone else nuts?

Aren’t these pretty? More than a wee bit unusual, sure, but pretty nonetheless! All four dresses are from Marchesa‘s Spring 2010 collection (so in fashion terms, a blast from the past) but they caught my eye and I thought they might inspire. I actually like Marchesa’s non-wedding dresses much better than their bridal lines, which tend to be rather boring in their glaring whiteness when compared to all of the interesting things happening elsewhere in the brand.

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