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Dressing For The Wedding Party In Evening Dresses

When you’re invited to a wedding ceremony, unless you are the bride, you are either part of the wedding entourage or just one of the special people chosen to witness such a memorable event. If you are part of the latter, then, you’d also definitely feel the pressure of finding the perfect dress to wear on that special day. Well, girls will be girls, right?

But will you go and rummage your closet for the perfect dress or would you spend money on getting a new frock? More ladies would opt for the latter. You’ll take your friend’s or your family member’s wedding as an excuse for scouting for evening dresses.

Evening dress

But out of the many designs of evening dresses available, both displayed in your favorite shop or on the Internet, how do you know which one to pick? Here are a few suggestions.

Get into the Motif

Guests and visitors who are not part of the entourage need not “take part” of the wedding motif. However, since you’re already there, why not be in line with the motif? It’s another excuse to buy a new dress, right?

Upon receiving the invitation, you’d immediately ask for the theme or the motif of the wedding. This will surely excite you, especially if you don’t have a gown that fits the theme, because you are setting yourself to another evening dresses quest. You can ask your girlfriends, or you boyfriend, to go with you in search for the perfect dress on a Venetian-red-wedding ceremony, for example.

Go for Comfort

Needless to say, you must also come to the party feeling comfortable about yourself and about what you are wearing. Therefore, this must be one of your criteria, if not the most important criterion, in looking for the best evening dresses.

For example, if you are not comfortable with going bra-less or using strapless bra, then don’t choose a strapless evening gown. Otherwise, you would look funny with your bra straps visible. If you’re not comfortable with a short dress, then don’t get one just because that gown looks fabulous on you. You run the risk of constantly pulling it down during the entire ceremony.

Mother of the bride dress

Comfort is not only applicable to evening dresses. See to it that you’re comfortable with your shoes as well. It’s a no-no to wear your new shoes for the first time during the wedding, or any special occasion. You’d end up having blisters and limping while walking to the reception.

As there are traditional activities that are carried out during the reception, the need for wearing a comfortable evening dress and a pair of shoes is paramount.

Get into Your Purpose

No, I’m not talking about stealing the groom away. Wearing a dress has a purpose other than covering yourself. Before you choose from a myriad of choices of evening dresses, ask yourself: what is my purpose? Am I to flaunt my curves or am I going for elegance?

If you’re heavy-busted and you want to flaunt that asset, for example, then evening dresses with low neckline would work best for you. This is a gaze-turner especially if you’re looking for a potential partner.

However, if you just want to stay on the sidelines and not attract too much attention, then elegance is the name of the game. Black is still the most elegant color but in some countries, guests are forbidden to wear evening dresses of this shade.

But remember, try not to overshadow the bride. Don’t steal her thunder. This is still her wedding day and the fact remains: she is and she must be the most beautiful lady in the room.

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Price Busters Wedding Invitations

As the worldwide economic recession continues to haunt all of us, it is depressing to know that even wedding budgets have to be cut down as well. If you’re getting married anytime soon, then surely you have been stressing your brains and hearts out just to cover every wedding preparation detail with your meagre budget. How could such funds take care of all the wedding invitations, bridesmaid dresses, wedding favours and of course, your bridal gown?

Fret no more as there’s one department of the entire wedding-day-traditional-preparation that you can cut cost on, your wedding invitations! Yes, these important and official bearers of the good news need not be expensive. Here are a few tips on how to save on your expenses for wedding invitations.

wedding invitation

Learn About the Trade

They say that an informed customer gets the most reasonable deals. And this is also true in wedding invitations. These cards could cost you a lot if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Use the internet to know about the common printing methods. Naturally, most the elegant printing method could cost you more. If a simpler technique could get your message across, then by all means, use it. Experts suggest laser printing as this is the least expensive.

You also should learn about papers when designing your wedding invitations. Visit various stores first before you buy the stationery item of your choice. You’ll learn than paper boutiques have higher mark up’s as compared to bookstores and other general merchandise outlets.

Go for the Basics

Letting go of the extras in wedding invitations could really make you save. Do away with those buttons, strings and other decorative items. Keep your cards as simple but as informative as ever. You’d thank yourself for doing so come mailing time as an extra weight would also cost you more.

Wedding invitations

Invite Less People

If you really are tight on budget, then nobody would blame you for inviting only the most important people in your — and your fiancé’s — life. This is truly one of the surest ways to save on your expenses on wedding invitations. Naturally, because you have less people to inform and to gather for your special day, you have less notices to send out.

Use the Internet

Get practical. Use electronic invitation cards for friends who have regular access to the Internet. Surely, your comrades won’t mind. It’s more convenient for them as well as they don’t have to carry those stationery sets on their way to your wedding.

Plus, you can send these electronic wedding invitations to as many people as you can (at a time), provided that you have their email addresses, of course! Not only will this technique let you save on cost, but on your time as well. With electronic wedding invitations, a simple mouse click — or a series of clicks, to be more realistic about it — would replace the effort of writing down the addresses on each envelope and mailing them.

You see, wedding invitations (and weddings, in general) need not be expensive to become successful. As long as they fulfill their primary goal – that is in informing everyone about your big day – then you’re good to go. You need spend so much on it. After all, the ceremony itself is just the start of your life together… you still have the rest of your life to prepare for.

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Spend For Those Designer Wedding Dresses And Look Fabulous On Your Big Day

When it comes to planning your wedding day, the most important item in your list is probably your wedding gown. Wedding favours and wedding cakes come in secondary to your wedding gown. However, if you are operating on a tight budget, you usually go for ready-made gowns or those displayed in some least costly but reputable bridal shops. After all, this is perhaps the most important day of your life and you don’t want to be walking down the aisle with a dress that you cannot count on to last for at least the entire duration of the ceremony.

On another note, if you come from the high end of the society, then you can afford to buy those designer wedding dresses. You don’t have to be the presidential daughter, a Hollywood star or a politician’s family member for you to take advantage of the best minds in the wedding couture world. You simply either have to have a very rich fiancé or a very fat savings (read: budget for your wedding day).Or you have very generous friends who have whole-heartedly contributed to your designer wedding gown!

Bridal gown

Here are the big names that you can choose from:

Monique Lhuillier

This US-based Filipina comes from a family who owns one of the giant chain of pawnshops in the Philippines. Being part of a high profile clan, Monique had the chance and access to the best fashion schools in the world. Thus, her flair for fashion (exhibited at age 14) was reinforced by her degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM).

Monique’s line of designer wedding dresses caught the eye of the public when she designed her own the dresses of her own wedding entourage. This led her to take care of the gowns of Christine Baumgartner (in her wedding to Kevin Costner) and Britney Spears (in her wedding to Kevin Federline).

This multi-awarded designer is known for pretty dresses that introduce a “fluid look.”

Vera Wang

Raised by an affluent American family of Chinese descent, Vera was once a figure skater taking part in various national competitions. When she failed to make it to the US team for the Olympics, she turned her back on sports and welcomed the fashion industry.

Her corporate experience included being Vogue’s editor for 16 years and rubbing elbows with Ralph Lauren. It was in 1990 that she opened her own shop in New York, displaying her trademark designer wedding dresses. Her work has the reputation of “a modern, sophisticated approach to classic style.”

Among her celebrity clients are Jessica Simpson, Victoria Beckham, Mariah Carey and Sharon Stone, among others.

Michelle Roth

This designer was born to fashion, as her parents own a famous Australian bridal label, Henri Josef. Thus, Michelle has fashion and creativity on her blood. She started her own collection of designer wedding dresses in 1990, working with her brother.

Her works have been featured in numerous talk shows including, among others, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Martha Stewart Living and Entertainment Tonight.

Designer wedding dresses could really get expensive. However, if you can afford it, why not get one? Again, it’s the most important day of your life and pictures of you will be immortalized in a number of photo albums. It’s just proper to look fabulous on the start of “the rest of your life.”

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Bridesmaid Duties From Past To Present: It’s More Than Just Bridesmaid Dresses

Did you know that the whole wedding ceremony has a long and rich history? Yes, from the groomsmen to the bridesmaids, a lot has been written about the how they entire wedding entourage came to be.

Today, it is but proper for the bridesmaids to wear the best and the most interesting bridesmaid dresses. In the past, bridesmaid dresses are limited to mimicking the bridal gown? Let’s see why.

The Early Roman World

During this period, bridesmaids formed some kind of a protective shield or an infantry in order to protect the bride as she travels from her place to the village of the groom. Protection was needed as there’s always a possibility of thugs hurting the bride or suitors stealing her away. You can see here that even at such an early civilization, violence has always been one of the by-products of unrequited love.

In the Western World

The tradition begins with complying with the wedding ceremony requirement of having ten witnesses. The aim of this requisite is to outsmart evil souls and spirits who are believed to be in attendance during the ceremony. Thus, it is but proper that bridesmaid dresses are identical to that of the bride (the attire of men ushers must also be identical of the groom’s) so the so-called evil spirits would have a hard time identifying which of the ladies and gentlemen present are being wed.

If you take a look at wedding photographs of Victorian marriages, you’d really have a hard time identifying which of the couples got married simply because of the sameness of the clothes that the entourage is wearing.

In Today’s World

These days, the need for a female troop to protect a bride is no longer imminent. This clearly eliminates the fact that bridesmaid dresses need to be identical with the bride’s. However, bridesmaid dresses should still be in harmony with the theme of the wedding ceremony.

Wedding decor

And although bridesmaids are no longer required to help fend off curses and hexes and evil spirits altogether, they still maintain a vital role in the entire wedding ceremony.

For example, they need to provide key support to the bride. This may be in terms of shopping for the perfect wedding gown or scouting for the most reasonably-priced hotel for the couple’s out-of-town guests. In addition, bridesmaids would also prove to be such a great help in looking for least costly but memorable wedding favors.

Wedding favor

Of course, their responsibility to the couple — especially to the bride — is not only confined in the wedding ceremony itself. There is still bridal a shower to host and organize.

Being a bridesmaid is truly demanding — in a positive way. If you are one, make sure you prepare yourself to get busy months or even years before the special date. You need to spare some time in taking care of wedding preparations. And the payoff for all of these hardwork and sweat? A gorgeous gown that you can wear down the aisle!

You see, the function of bridesmaids hasn’t really changed that much over the years. It has never really made a 360-degree turn, it simply has modernized and has adapted to modern times. Because the fact is, wearing those bridesmaid dresses (identical to the bride’s or otherwise) gives bridesmaids one role: supporting the bride.