August 12, 2011

Alfred Angelo bridesmaid collection


Four lucky brides this month will win up to six bridesmaid dresses from Alfred Angelo absolutely free! Read more about the details of how to enter to win here

A few reasons why brides should enter this contest

Reason number 1... Alfred Angelo gowns are beautiful! Attention is paid to the each detail, the dresses are well cut and flattering, getting them for free is such a steal!

Reason number 2...They have a wide selection of styles, lengths, fabrics and colors there is definitely a dress in their collection to please every bride

Reason number 3...Your bridesmaid will very much appreciate not having to pay for their gowns, perhaps that money towards something else wedding related?

Reason number 4...Six FREE gowns are on the line ... hello.. I think thats reason enough!


Below are some of the gowns available in their bridesmaid collection














August 5, 2011

The BATTLE of the waist lines : Dropped waist wedding gowns vs Empire waist wedding gowns

The number one most important thing about a wedding gown: it must be flattering!! The gown could be utterly breathtaking in its artistry and craftsmanship but if it doesn't flatter the bride wearing it, it might as well be a dirty burlap potato sack.  A lot of people fall in love with a gown based on how it looks on the model or how it looks on the mannequin and then refuse to accept that it doesn't look the same way on them. This is BRIDAL DENIAL!  {giggle}   Case in point the dropped waist ball gown and dropped waist A-line. These gowns only look good on a select few people, at least 90% of those select few people are models whose job it is to make the gowns look good.  But for some reason brides cant seem to resist buying this gown.  I tried on a dropped waist ball gown by Casablanca and even though I am 5ft 11",  I looked like I'd shrunk into an oompa loompa.. seriously.
At the royal wedding of Zara Phillips {grand daughter to Queen ELizabeth} she also wore a dropped waist gown.. you be the judge


Moral of the story: these gowns are difficult to pull off; you've got to be tall or atleast have long legs to balance out the long torsos of this type of gown.
I love Kenneth Pool, I adore the bold yet delicate crystal detailing he uses on most of his gowns, but I'm pretty sure this love is not mutual because Kenneth Pool has a sworn love for the style I like the least: The dropped waist ball gown. Below are some of the gowns from his collection.














Casablanca


                                                             Casablanca


                                                                                             Pnina Tornai



And while we are on the subject of waist lines, the other increasingly popular trend is the high waist ball gown. Some of these are quite deceiving because they appear to sit at the natural waist but are actually empire waists in disguise. I love empire waist garments especially for floating summer dresses and shirts, but when it comes to wedding dresses, empire waists can be hard to pull off too. The best empire waist gowns are fitted gowns or floaty destination dresses such as this Vera Wang WHITE dress.




On the other hand, empire waist ball gowns can be a little trickier depending on how wide the ball gown is. The perfect example would be the Galina T3039 shown below.  I love this  gown and I'm not too bothered that its a copy of a more expensive dress. But when worn with a crinoline this gown is just not that flattering on most brides especially from the side view.



My favourite natural waist/high waist ball gowns are  by Amsale. Their ball gowns are just to die for, especially the ones that have pockets. The main thing with this style is to avoid the skirt looking too wide and poofy.











xoxo








August 2, 2011

The color blush...

Waltz by Monique Lhuillier




For years brides have religiously adhered to the white gown rule; which gradually included gowns in ivory, cream and even champagne but for upcoming seasons you can expect to see more brides walking down in the aisle in blush colored gowns.
The funny thing about colors is how important it is to get the right shade!!!  Blush is a specific range of shades of pink with peachy undertones, it is not the same as Baby pink, pastel pink, or bubble-gum pink, or any other pink for that matter...


The beauty of blush is that the color is barely there, it is soft and feminine without being too girly or childish and best of all it would be an unexpected surprise for your guests as most of them would be expecting you to walk down the aisle in white/ivory.  Read more about blush gowns here

Here are my favorite blush gowns from the 2011 and 2012 collections

Vera Wang WHITE

Susannah by Badgely Mischka




Dew drop by Claire Pettibone



                                                               Katharine by Sottero & Midgley 

                                                                 Cherise by Ines Di Santo


                                                                     Freya by Rivini



                                                                                             Candy by Monique Lhuillier

                                                                        Watters
Romona Keveza Legends


Evangeline by Rivini


xoxo