Bridesmaid dresses YOUR way!

Let's take a minute to talk bridesmaid dresses....

Brides ask me all the time what's "normal" for bridesmaids. The answer is - these days anything goes! The tradition of bridesmaids was started so that a brides closest friends or relatives would stand at the alter and actually wear the same dress as the bride. This was to throw off the evil spirits (spooky, right?). For today's standards - it's a group of your closest gal pals (sometimes even guys are included too!) that you want to spend your wedding morning with and know that you have their ultimate support your big day!

That brings us to the dresses. The days of hideous bridesmaid dresses are behind us (or so we hope). Whether you want everyone to match (like I did for my wedding) or have your maid of honor in a different style so she stands out or just have everyone pick their own dress style, anything really goes! Right now there is a huge trend in the bride picking a designer and color and the girls get to pick their own style (even different colors). This I LOVE! Not every bridesmaid is made the same! Some are busty, some are curvy, some are tall and thin, some are short and thin. The reality is that what looks good on one girl may look terrible on another.

Here's my recent experience being a bridesmaid in my cousins wedding:

I had a baby 3 month prior so I knew I could not do something strapless (new moms know what I'm talking about!). My sister who was also in the wedding, was pregnant, so she needed something that was going to accommodate her growing belly. Each of us got to pick a dress that we loved in the color that the bride loved.

Whatever direction you decide to go, make sure you leave plenty of time (a lesson I learned the hard way). Bridesmaid dresses can take up to 4 months to get to us in store, and you want to be sure to leave time for alterations! I recommend shopping about 6 months in advance (if not earlier).

Dresses: Sorella Vita

Photographer: Geoff Bernstein - Bernstein Studios

The Princess Revival

The princess look is back, not just in one way but two, and I’m loving every minute of it! The fairytale princess look is generally defined by a sweetheart neckline, a fitted bodice that is usually intricately detailed and a large ballgown skirt with enough crinoline to keep a five foot radius around the bride at all times. If Cinderella would rock it, it’s a princess ballgown. This look continues to be sought after by so many brides for the obvious reason, what better chance will they have to be a literal princess for a day if not on their wedding day?! Designers like our very own Martin Thornburg have continued to make this look relevant by designing dresses that are just as spectacular and show-stopping as they were in the days of carriages, balls and princes searching for princesses at those balls. Here are three of my current favorite princess ballgowns that we have here at Amour Bridal as well as an exclusive sneak peek of the ballgown I am beyond obsessed with from Martin Thornburg’s Spring 2020 collection.

Martin Thornburg 218209

Morilee 8182

Martin Thornburg 119264B

Martin Thornburg 120255

Coming Spring 2020!!

The other princess look taking the wedding gown industry by storm is the modern princess which was given a much needed makeover when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018. Overall, this is a much more simple look than the fairytale princess ballgown and typically don’t have much in the way of lace or beading. The shape is completely different as well, favoring a body hugging silhouette and thicker fabrics such as crepe or matte satin. The dresses below are my favorite modern princess styles that we have in-store, as well as a sneak peek of the dress I’m dreaming about the most from Sophia Tolli’s Spring 2020 collection.

Martin Thornburg 119268

Sophia Tolli Y11961

Martin Thornburg 219209

Sophia Tolli Y12026

I am such a huge fan of both of these looks because they capture the two sides of every bride. The fairytale princess ball gown embodies the young, fun and playful spirit of every girl or woman who is approaching her wedding day; while the modern, fitted look plays up the sophisticated, new wife that she’s becoming. If I had it my way we would all have multiple weddings (same man, different dresses of course) so we could all be the princesses we are, in whatever way that may be, as well as the ones we still fantasize about being.

#princess #princesswedding #princessgown #ballgown #weddinggown #bridalgown #AustinTX #Bridal

The Modern Registry: From Dowries to Donations

The act of giving gifts at a wedding is ancient… literally ancient as in 3,000 BC, and originated from the practice of paying a dowry to the bride’s family. A dowry was typically paid in the form of land, animals, precious metals or jewels and served several purposes. In some cultures they were paid as protection for the bride from abuse, divorce or the husband’s untimely death. In others, such as medieval Europe, the dowry became a way to determine how desirable a woman was for marriage as well as a show of her family’s power and wealth. In the more recent centuries it transformed into something much more similar to a modern registry by it’s main purpose being to help the young couple getting married to set up their new household. Macy’s invented the actual gift registry as we now know it in the 1920’s where couples could create a list from products carried by Macy’s that their guests could reference.

Not much has changed too drastically on the registry front since Macy’s led the way for couples to actually get things they needed rather than a herd of cows or hunks of precious metals. Of course, as with everything else, the internet made registering, purchasing and sending gifts possible all while bingeing Say Yes to the Dress from the comfort of your couch so it seemed for a while that the act of registering had reached perfection. Not so. Recently, this 16,000 year old tradition has gotten another face-lift. Due to increasing numbers of couples living together before marriage their households are mostly set up at the time of the wedding. Couples are no longer spending hours on a Saturday afternoon scanning the bar-codes of every toaster, blender and china pattern Pier 1 Imports has to offer, instead, they’re basically just asking for cash. To be clear, it is definitely still super tacky to ask for cash straight out so hold off on adding that you don’t accept bills smaller than a twenty to the bottom of your invites, however, there is a correct way to do it.

Wedding planning websites as well as some specific funding sites now have features that allow you to accept donations. You can ask for general donations that go towards your new life as a married couple or you can specify what your guests donations will be used for such as your honeymoon or the purchase of a new home. Opting to go the donation route is also incredibly easy now that sites like The Knot, WeddingWire and Zola

are building this function directly into their platform allowing your guests to RSVP, select meal options, get all the information on location and travel accommodations as well as donate to the couple in place of bringing or sending a physical gift. Understandably, some couples are still hesitant to use donation functions or apps because it is still just asking for cash but in a polite way. Sorta true. However, putting a personal spin on the donations and where they’re going or giving your guests something in return for their donation takes it out of the tacky realm and lands it safely in the socially appropriate area. I was part of a wedding this past June that did this and, in my opinion, did it the right way. The couple used a website called Honeyfund which is a free site where you can set up a custom registries for the honeymoon, wedding, universal or cash. This means that you can create a registry where people can simply give you cash or you can customize it to give your guests specifics on where or what their money would be used, for example, being able to donate $25 towards the couple’s bar tab or $50 for them to take a surf lesson together at the resort or location where they are honeymooning. The couple whose wedding I was honored to be a part of offered tiers of donating, so for certain dollar amounts donated you would receive so many tickets for drinks at the bar during the reception, such as $50 donated got you two free drinks at the bar. This was a great way for the couple to get what they wanted (an amazing two weeks in the Mediterranean) and for the guests to feel appreciated for their presence at the wedding rather than their wallet’s (also a great night of partying with friends and family). I think that this new way of registering is absolutely awesome and can have long-term benefits; especially for young couples also dealing with some of the highest debt and cost of living rates our country has ever seen, as long as the couple and the guests put as much emphasis on the celebration of the exciting adventure that is marriage and not just who gives them what and how much.

#Wedding #weddingregisty #registry #registering #honeymoon #giftregistry #weddinggifts