Fascinators have sprung back into fashion in recent years, and have become the latest must have accessory. A fascinator can be worn instead of a hat and are far less intrusive as they are so lightweight. They also do not flatten your hair, so can be removed throughout the day without fear that your hair will look bad. These head pieces are becoming very popular to wear at weddings, or even for the bride to wear herself. Many brides want to make a bold statement and wearing a beautiful bridal fascinator will achieve this. They are often made from feathers, flowers and beads, but also can be hand crafted with diamonds or other beautiful stones. Every fascinator is hand crafted meaning they vary in shape, size and style from modest versions to glamorous creations.

Brides who are choosing to wear fascinators, often will have them hand made especially for their day.  Vintage ones are also popular, although tougher to find. Brides who choose to have a vintage fascinator can also accessorize with vintage jewellery, trims and fabric to complete the stunning look. Bridal shops now are stocking fascinators, and you can buy or hire one for your day. Although this gives you an easier option to finding your amazing head piece, they are however not often customized and you may find you are wearing an identical one to someone else. Many brides choose to spend slightly more and have one especially designed to suit their style, face shape and wedding theme, the guarantee that you will own a one of a kind fascinator is worth the little added expense.

Bridal fascinators can be worn on their own, or with a birdcage veil for a striking look, and are held in place with combs or clips. Because wedding fascinators are often very elaborate and glamorous the hair style to compliment it needs to be classic and simple. Low buns or even your hair down will look the most stylish with this hair accessory, and brides with short hair find they look amazing with their hairstyle.  As every face shape and hairstyle is different, trying on several different fascinators is advisable, not every fascinator will suit every bride.

As a rule, if the bride is wearing a fascinator then other guests should not, as this will take the attention away from the stunning bride. However if the bride is going for a more traditional look then the bridesmaids, mothers or even the guests will look glamorous in a fascinator. Mothers of the brides love the look of a fascinator and they are becoming more popular than hats to wear.
 

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First, make sure that you have the dress professionally cleaned. Find a dry cleaning service that specializes in bridal clothing. They will ensure that your wedding dress, which might be delicate or have fragile accoutrements or accents, will get the careful handling that they need. Verify that the dry cleaner that you use dry-cleans the garments by hand and that they do all their work onsite. Rough transport can be as rough on your dress as rough cleaning. Before you put a wedding dress into storage, let it hang for a few days to dissipate any cleaning chemicals.

Inspect your dress for any repairs that need to be made. If the dress has become torn or damaged after the wedding, make sure that it gets fixed by a clothing repair service that has experience with bridal dresses. These dresses are frequently very delicate and care should be taken when they are being mended. After the dress has been cleaned and mended, it is ready to be hung up and stored.

Storing your wedding dress appropriately is an important part of making sure that it stays in good condition. Wrap the wedding dress in undyed muslin fabric or in acid free tissue paper. Then it should be loosely folded and placed in a museum-quality, acid free box. These boxes can be ordered online or bought at wedding dress stores. Keep the box itself in a location that is cool and dry, and where the temperature and the humidity do not fluctuate too much. Attics and basements are poor choices for this, as the wedding dress can pick up mildew or heat damage in either location.

It is far better to store the wedding dress in a box instead of on a hanger. Over time, the wedding dress on the hanger will place more and more pressure on the shoulder seams, which will create unattractive sagging throughout the dress and which can deform it. A box or even a chest designed to hold wedding dresses is a far better choice.

Whether you want your children to wear your wedding dress or you are more interested in saving it as a memento for yourself, take some time and consider how you are going to be able to keep it looking great. Preserving a wedding dress for the future is something that can be taken care of very easily, so make sure that you pay attention to all of the little details.
 

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Vintage doesn’t just belong in the past – a trend that is held dear to our hearts should be used with gusto for our big wedding day! Vintage wedding dresses are easier to find than you might have thought possible – in second hand stores or charity shops, they are not hiding – but rather in the places you would expect from a vintage dress!

If you are planning a vintage wedding day, then a good start is by choosing the perfect vintage wedding dress – to set the trend and the mood! Dresses from yesteryear are not only glamorous and inspiring, but they can also come at a much more favorable price than the more modern styles of today. If you are really lucky, you might have a relative who has held on to their dress since the swinging sixties or perhaps your family have a vintage wedding dress that has been passed down from over the decades – as far back as the twenties, forties or fifties! If you don’t have any classic wedding dresses in the family, then you can look for second hand ones on the internet or in specialist clothing stores.

Besides, where there is demand there is supply – and this is so true of vintage wedding dresses. You might not be overly enthusiastic on a complete vintage wedding. You might be a lady who likes the idea of mixing modern with classic. Your wedding gown might be the only vintage element of your wedding – but one thing is for sure – you will look the princess on your big day!

Finding a vintage wedding dress can be so much more fun than browsing the stores or internet for modern dresses. The term vintage can include fashions from an armful of decades, each with their distinctive styles. Once you have your dress, you will probably feel so happy in your recreation of the past, that you will want to extend vintage to your accessories too – shoes, jewellery and headdresses.

Lets take a closer look at the typical styles of wedding dresses from the past:

•    1920´s – The wedding dresses of the 20’s were clean-cut and elegant. Daintybeading or chic lace were common décor on the wedding dresses of those days, reminiscent of the Art Deco movement. Top the look by adding a feather or two in the hair or a jewelled headdress. For bittersweet romance, wear the hair with full bodied curls.
 
•    1930’s – Dresses made from silk or satin are a good choice for the 30’s vintage dress. This was the time when Hollywood glamour was a major influence on everything! Look for a gathered bust and fitted body, flaring out from the knee down.
 
•    1950’s – Moving onto the fifties vintage wedding dress and a high waist and fuller skirt. This was the age of the true princess gown and was delicate yet still with a hint of glamour. Alternatively, you could still carry something from the Hollywood glamour of the thirties and fine tune it to match the style of Marilyn Monroe.
 
•    1960’s – The 1960’s were moving towards free love and the hippie lifestyle, wedding dresses were more experimental and more flirtatious – even mini skirts were commonplace! Lace was also common of the 60’s dress.

If the costs of a vintage wedding dress are still too high, you might want to consider renting one. If cost is not the issue and you have a bad feeling for wearing someone else’s wedding dress from times gone by, then take things one step further and have your very own vintage wedding dress designed and made from scratch!
 

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You need to pick a shoe that is sturdy and comfortable enough to do everything you need to do in.  Don’t pick a super high heel if that isn’t what you wear all the time. Leg and foot cramps on your honeymoon are far from romantic.  There is no shame in wearing flats or wedding slippers.  Just make sure you try them on with the dress, so your gown can be hemmed to the correct length, and to make certain that they match in color. If you are having a beach or a garden wedding you obviously need a different type of shoe than for one that is indoors. For a really informal beach wedding you may even want to wear flip flops – but again, check on their comfort as rubber toe inserts might not be as comfortable as you might first have thought.

Bridal shops can be pricey for accessories and shoes, so if you are tight on budget, buy these items at department stores or discount stores. And whatever you do, wear them as often as possible to break them in before the big day. If there are any sore points then at least you’ll know in advance and have the chance to put some extra cushioning in those places.
It’s important to think about both style and comfort when choosing your shoes. Take care not to get too carried away with the most amazing pair of the ultimately styled shoes! Also think about how much the shoes will be seen depending on the length of your dress.

Whether you choose a classic pump (no elongated toes if you already have big feet, please), a slingback or open-toed shoe, sandals, flats, mules, or slippers, keep the heel at a level you are comfortable wearing.  If you just love a pair of shoes but cannot imagine dancing in them (mules would fit in that category), bring a pair of low, supportive shoes to change to at the reception.

Do you suffer from burning feet when you stand on them for long periods of time?  Slip some gel inserts in your maid of honour’s purse to put in your shoes when they start to feel uncomfortable.  Make sure that the shoe has room enough for both the insert and your foot before the wedding.

Having happy feet at the wedding and the reception is going to make the day a success for the bride as well has her guests!
 

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In 1840, Queen Victoria was married in a white gown.  Prior to this, the normal policy was to wear a good, new dress, which could be used for formal occasions afterwards.  While not street clothes, they were certainly intended for occasional wear.  Nobility would wear very expensive clothes, often with gold thread, and the length of the train symbolized the degree of influence on the Royals.  Yet the popularity of Queen Victoria was such that by the end of the decade, marriage handbooks said, “from the earliest ages, that white is the most fitting hue.”  Even two or three generations after in the US, it was normal to purchase a good dress for use as a wedding dress, rather than a special gown that is never used again. 

Wedding gowns grew more and more elaborate in Britain until the arrival of the First World War.  Styles became simpler, and the changing role of women led to the abandonment of the corset and shorter skirts.  In the US, as late as the Great Depression it was normal to marry in a white gown, and then dye it blue or some other color for normal wear.  Typically, the collar and cuffs would be left white to show the original use of the dress.  During World War Two it was normal for brides to give up the fancy wedding, not least because so many marriages had very short engagements without time for planning.  It was even normal for women in the service to marry in her uniform.  Women not in the service would again pick a good, preferably new, dress to wear for the wedding. 

After the war, prosperity allowed special gowns that need serve no other purpose than the wedding ceremony.  Much as the wedding of Queen Victoria, the wedding of Princess Grace of Monaco set the standard for many women in the contemporary era, showing them and those who came after them the standard for the perfect wedding.

In theory, the white wedding dresses of the Victoria era symbolized the innocence of the childhood the bride was leaving behind.  Somewhere along the way, this became tied to virginity in the common belief. 

In the current era, the pendulum has again swung.  Now the individuality of the bride and wedding are the most important factor and choosing some color other than white is simply a convenient way to do so.  A more subtle factor allowing that is the ability to afford a wedding coordinator for women who are not wealthy, since this allows the luxury of coordinating the color scheme of the wedding, with gowns, tuxedos, flowers, decorations and other accoutrements all creating a harmonious and seamless whole.  Despite this, there remain traditionalists who wouldn’t dream of a color other than white for a wedding gown. 
 

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Solution: rent you wedding dress

Chances are your fiancé has already suggested that you rent your wedding dress, but you’ve probably resisted in favor of buying your long-imagined wedding dress. But give him credit. Renting a wedding dress is not such a silly idea!

Reasons not to rent your dress

Common arguments against renting a wedding dress include the fact that it’s not yours; someone else has already spent their special day in it. While that is true, what about the groom and his groomsmen? Most of the male participants in a wedding will rent their suits rather than buy them. If it’s good for the boys, it must be good for the girls as well! Like a rented suit, your rented wedding dress will have been thoroughly dry-cleaned and will be in good condition – there is nothing to be afraid of in terms of cleanliness. Other brides take a sentimental argument – the dress will be a special reminder of your wedding day and you may one day be able to pass it to your daughter. The likely scenario is that fashions will have moved on by the time your daughter gets married, and she may not want to wear your dress. As for memories, what about that expensive photographer you’ve got booked?

Renting will save you money

The difference in cost between renting a wedding dress and buying your own (or having one made for you) can be staggering. Conservatively, a designer wedding dress could set you back $2500, while renting a wedding dress may cost you less than $250. The difference can be used to put towards a more extravagant honeymoon, or even towards a house deposit.

Things to consider before you rent

If you are willing to rent a wedding dress, there are several things to be aware of. First, you need to shop around to find a dress that fits you well. More often than not, all but the most basic alterations are not possible on rental garments. Bear in mind that many brides gain or lose weight due to stress prior to their wedding. The money you have saved will be cold comfort if you spend your wedding day waiting for your dress to fall down!

Renting: the fine print

Once you have chosen a dress to rent, speak to the shop owner about reserving it for you. This will usually require a half deposit, or in some cases the full wedding dress rental fee. If you are completely in love with the dress, it is best to make a deposit straight away, to save the heartache of returning to the store later to discover it is no longer available. While you are in the store, it is a good idea to confirm the exact nature of your obligations under the rental agreement. Find out when you need to return the dress and whether you need to dry clean it before you do. It may also be worthwhile to speak to the rental company about accessories: veils, tiaras and wedding purses can be costly to buy and, like your dress, are items that you may not use again.

For the non-sentimental bride, wedding dress rental is an option that can save you hundreds and maybe thousands of dollars. With rental, you can have the dress of your dreams and your wedding cake too!

With everything a bride has to choose for her wedding, often times, the color is the most exciting and the easiest to pick.  Since the color generally sets the entire tone and feel of the wedding, it is important to pick a color that represents both the bride and groom’s personality.  So when picking a color for your upcoming wedding, be sure to consider how the color will play out in the overall wedding.  Once you have chosen your color, you can then move on to other aspects of the wedding.  

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Many brides are lucky. They may search low and low, braving chilly dept stores and in your face bridal shops, but eventually they come face-to-face with The One. They know this is The One as they start crying, or their mum or chums all start crying instantly. All of the planning …. the tone, the tone, the right kind of venues …. it all springs to life.

Other brides aren’t as lucky. They’ve searched just as hard, working their way through shops across 3 or four states, but they have not found The One. Instead, they’ve found three or four Contenders, all of which are serviceable and nice, but not earth-shattering sufficient to tell them that now is certainly time to stop the searching and get on with the planning. These brides have it harder.

Even if you’re the 1st sort of bride, purchasing the dress is sort of a significant call that you run a risk of falling into that wallet-skinning class known as the Two-Dress Bride. These are some tips for picking the perfect dress and avoiding that awful fate.

1. Bring the entourage, but don’t buy. It is fun and useful to bring your mother, friends or sisters on the dress-shopping expedition. It gives you a buffer against an overbearing sales staff, and it’s entertaining to see whether your impressions of perfection are shared by your family and friends, not to say how they’ll love being an element of such a critical call. But whatever how ardent everybody gets over a certain dress, don’t buy in the heat of the moment. Give yourself time to rethink and buy with a cool head later, alone. The overwhelming majority of dresses are non-returnable, so when you have purchased it, you have acquired it.

2. Don’t buy too early unless you must. Bridal robes can take four to 10 coming months from the maker, but there’s no reason to buy over a year ahead of time, unless your chosen style is going to be abandoned. Give yourself some time to sit on your call. When you pick a robe, you can see a hundred others almost like it. You can become a walking encyclopedia on that style of gown. All the better if you still have room to choose.

3. If you have acquired "The One," stop shopping. Any more window-shopping at this point will only lead you down the line toward the dreary land of Two-Dress Brides. What you want to do instead is remember that ecstatic sense of having tried on The One. Go get The One out of the closet, put it on and stand out front of the mirror. You will remember precisely why it is the One.

4. If you have acquired "The One" and can’t stop shopping, get a 2nd standpoint. Show your first and 2nd selections to other brides. Be truthful — tell them you’ve already remortgaged your apartment for the 1st dress, but you think this second dress might be It. They’ll be truthful, too — the first one was better. You can feel reassured.

5. Don’t tell yourself "I’ll sell the old dress and select a new one." This old saw of the Two-Dress Bride just won’t work. You can never get more than a fragment of what you paid for your first dress if you purchased it new.

6. Don’t be afraid to aim high — irrespective of what your budget. Some brides knew from the start they wanted a designer label, but life just did not cooperate by making them heiresses. Yet all is not lost if you are prepared to shop courageously. At any given moment, a better-heeled bride is selling her once-used St. Pucchi or Ulla-Maija on eBay. She paid thousands upon thousands, but you, smart patron, will pay half that or less. To take this road, you have to shop sooner than other brides so you may have a choice of gowns.

7. Shop online, but never send a check. Bridal robe companies infrequently have a technique of vanishing overnite. Irrespective of what the proprietor tells you, never make a purchase as large as a marriage robe without the chargeback protection of a credit card. If they assert they cannot take plastic, move on.

8. Don’t hold out forever for The One. Some brides never find The One. What they do find is a few dresses they look gorgeous in. If you are this bride, try beginning your planning from the theme rather than the dress. You will potentially finally get sick to death of dress shopping. When that happens, "good enough" really will be good enough. Concentrate on other aspects of the marriage that mean a lot to you, like the venue, the food, or the inevitable adoration of your soon-to-be husband.

Is this article useful and educational? If yes, visit yourweddinggowns.com to learn about the many types of wedding gowns. You should also have a look at bridal dress.

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What is it that one thing most women have been dreaming of ever since she was a little girl? If you are about to get married in the near future you know what that is, it is your wedding day. It is the one day in your life when you are the princess you have been dreaming about for so long and when everything is supposed to be perfect, especially your wedding dress.

Most of you probably already have a picture of how everything is going to be, everything from your flowers to the food but as you all know nothing comes close to the importance of the wedding dress. The wedding dress is what you have been picturing yourself in for all these years and finally the time has come for you to go out and find the right one.

Shopping for a wedding dress is, despite what you think, not an easy task. You may actually find that this will be one of the most difficult thing you have encountered so far. The reason for this can be because of the image you already have in your head of how it should look. Well, this is supposed to be your day and your day only so why should you settle for anything less?

When it comes to finding a wedding dress you may experience a lot of input from your mother especially but remember that from the day you told her about your upcoming wedding she has most likely got her own picture of you in her head as far as how she would want you to look, after all you are her daughter. This situation can be a little uncomfortable but let her know in a loving way what you want for a wedding dress.

Having resolved that situation it is now time to go shopping for that eight wonder of the world, your wedding dress. For this you better put on some good walking shoes and prepare for hours of visiting different stores. Regardless of what you think, it will take forever to find the right wedding dress and you will without a doubt find yourself running between stores because you can not make up your mind which wedding dress to pick.

This is where your mother and perhaps your best friend can come in handy. Bring them along when you go to try on the wedding dresses you have picked out. Nobody will be more honest with you than them when it comes to what they think of the wedding dresses you have chosen and that may be just what you need in order to make up your mind. After having picked out the most beautiful wedding dress you could find, you are all set for your big day.

In order to eliminate some of the stress of all the running around trying to find a wedding dress there are places on the internet you can go in order to look at different styles of dresses. This may make it a little easier for you when you go looking in the stores. Hopefully your wedding day will be everything you have ever dreamt of and you are sure to be at least one persons princess as you walk down the aisle in that beautiful wedding dress.

About the author: Hege Crowton is an established expert copywriter. She is known for doing in-depth research before writing her articles. http://www.WeddingDressCrow.com

Technorati Tags: wedding, wedding dress, wedding gown

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Having a kid friendly menu at a separate table, along with coloring books and crayons as the centerpiece is a good idea (balloons at the reception is also a big hit with kids). You might also want to consider providing childcare in a separate room so the adults can really enjoy themselves. Kids are capricious; so do have a sense of humor about things. All the practice and preparation in the world does not mean they will perform their roles to perfection, so make sure you’re okay with a little deviation from the program.

The ring bearer is usually aged four to eight, and he walks down the aisle just before the flower girl, carrying a pillow with two rings tied to it. You may want to have someone hand him the pillow just before he starts walking, as he could lose the rings if given the pillow too far in advance. A tuxedo is definitely not a must for the ring bearer, even if it makes him look adorable. Short pants and knee socks, or a suit are both excellent options.

Choosing a flower girl dress can be a fun time for both you and your flower girl. Begin by checking out boutiques that specialize in children’s wedding wear. Remember the parents will be paying for the dress, so include them in the decision. Also let them know what kind of shoes she will be wearing.

Little girls like to feel like princesses, so consider a smaller make of your wedding gown. Traditionally, flower girl dresses are white with full ruffle skirts. Don’t forget to find matching accents for her hair.

If you’re having children in attendance, make sure their parents understand that they should be dressed comfortably. For boys a dress shirt and slacks, with or without a tie is appropriate, and for girls, a pretty dress is perfect.

Article By Michelle O’Connor, Bridal Accessory Checklist

About the author:
Expert in Weddings and Relationships

Technorati Tags: wedding party, wedding, children

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You’ve seen thousands of photos, tried on dozens of gowns. But you may have missed some small items in your search for the perfect wedding-day look — those essential unmentionables that go under the dress. Undergarments provide the foundation necessary for your outerwear to look how it’s supposed to. They can change the way your dress fits, so you’ll need to purchase them before your first fitting. Read on for the lowdown on lingerie.

BRA

The bra is the uberundergarment, that leading piece of lingerie to which all others play supporting roles. You’ll need a good, supportive bra to lift you up as you walk down the aisle and keep you comfortable for hours of dining, dancing, and posing with relatives. Many bridal boutiques offer decorative bras that are as creative — and nearly as costly — as the gown itself. While some of these elegant brassieres have unique proportions that can be quite useful with the right gown, make comfort your priority: You don’t want insufficient support or annoying wires cutting into your sides on your wedding day. And remember, you can slip into provocative, flimsy lingerie when you take the gown off.

Before you buy, ask about the store return policy. You’ll likely want to try on a few different bras with your gown, so make sure that as long as you leave the tags on, the garment is returnable for a full refund.

Regardless of which style you choose, try not to have unrealistic expectations for your bra — or yourself — on your wedding day. If it’s too uncomfortable to wear for a five-hour stretch on a normal afternoon, why suffer?

SLIMMERS

While old-fashioned girdles have long been out of style, you might try one of the several contemporary slimming undergarments that use Lycra or Spandex rather than stiff stays or ancient whalebone. Make sure you take your bra, slimmer, stockings, and shoes to your fittings; a body-support garment will give a slightly different shape than just sucking in your gut, and changing your “support” down the road will affect the way your gown fits.

PANTIES

As with the bra and slimmer, choose panties that offer comfort over sex appeal. (There’s just no way to discreetly rearrange a pair of creeping panties through a wedding gown!) If your gown has an unusually slinky cut or is made of very thin material, you may want to use pantyhose with built-in underwear.

HOSIERY

If you want to wear a fancy garter belt with hooks to hold up thigh-high hose, make sure you choose one that fits snugly around your waist — and won’t be seen through your gown! The pressure of the hose can pull an inexpensive, elastic garter belt downward, leading to wrinkly knees and an evening of endless attemts to hitch up your hose (a task nearly as hard to hide as panty-tugging).

A garter belt is a pretty superfluous item, given the variety of sleek and sexy pantyhose available. But some women feel extra sexy just knowing they’re wearing one. If you go with a garter, you’ll need to test it out to make sure you can bear the inconvenience.

Before your wedding, try on your gown — with your undergarments — under the watchful eye of a close friend. Once you’re sure you won’t show more than you intend to show, forget about it and have fun!

Getting the most out of your wedding day shouldn’t be contingent on your lingerie, but it will definitely have an impact on your memories. Take a chance on your styles, and do it differently than all others. Make your day more special for bride and groom with the little details that are so memorable.

About the author:
John Barnes Writes for http://www.lingerieexpress.co.uk. Lingerie Express carries a vast selection of bridal lingerie and underwear for all types of sensuous woman.

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