All About Wedding Dresses and Attire

Move over Ms. Wang - these emerging wedding dress designers represent the next class of high-style designer names to remember. From couture one-of-a-kind wedding dresses to breezy ready-to-wear styles, five up-and-coming designers are all making a name for themselves in the world of wedding fashion.

Take a cue from the seasons with our favorite wedding dresses and attire ideas for spring, summer, fall, and winter...

Summer Wedding Dresses and Attire
Think breezy dresses with airy silhouettes and light fabrics for a summertime affair...

• Lighter fabrics: for the wedding dress - think organdy, linen, chiffon, crepe, georgette or any light-weight silk. Bridesmaids dresses in linen, eyelet, or seersucker will ensure your girls are comfortable. You may want to forego tuxes and dress the guys in traditional cape cod style - khakis, blue sport coats and colorful ties like those from Vineyard Vines, or morning suits for a more formal affair.


• Simple silhouettes: opt for a slip dress or sheath - as opposed to a voluminous ball gown. Keep your veil simple as well - look for airy, not poufy.


• Dare to go barefoot: a casual outdoor setting can be made more so with a barefoot bridal party


• Add color: summer is a time to incorporate some color into your ensemble.

Get more advice on finding summer wedding dresses.

Fall Wedding Dresses and Attire
Embrace fall with rich textures and luxurious accents that complement the season...

• For the bride: 1. off white - cream or off-white wedding gowns accent a richer color palette. 2. lace up - antique or vintage lace adds texture to a rustic setting


• For the 'maids: select jewel tone bridesmaids dresses in rich fabrics such as brocade or velvet


• Stay comfortable: be prepared for chilly or warm temps. Strapless dresses with wraps, capelets or stoles are a safe bet

Winter Wedding Dresses and Attire
Add some sparkle with glamorous gowns that glisten like new fallen snow...

• Rich fabrics: warm up to velvet, satin, brocade, and heavy silk


• Add a layer: if your wedding dress is sleeveless or strapless, add a wrap, shrug or cape in white or in one of your wedding colors


• Winter white: dress the wedding party, flower girl and ring bearer in winter white for a chic, clean look.


• Black tie: formal attire at an elegant winter wedding is always a classic

Spring Wedding Dresses and Attire
Embrace the outdoors with floral elements and touches of color...

• Loosen up: feel free to relax the dress code a bit, especially if the wedding will take place outside


• Lighten up: lighter fabrics like lace or cotton create a perfect springtime look


• Wedding gown: add some color with a sash or detailed embroidery


• Bridesmaids dresses: 1. pastels are a springtime classic. Keep yours fresh by choosing a color and allowing each of your maids to select a different hue. Or go in another direction with a bolder turquoise, fuschia or mango. 2. avoid satin shoes - they don't hold up well under springtime showers


• The guys: they'll look seasonably appropriate in tan suits, colored shirts and ties. For a formal evening affair, a basic tux always works.

Want to ensure a fashion-forward look for your upcoming 2009 or 2010 wedding? From sleek silhouettes to mini-dresses and tiered gowns, these latest looks for wedding gowns will help you put your best fashion foot forward to get you down the aisle in style.

This article lists the top 7 wedding dresses trends for 2009 and 2010. My personal fave from the list? Tiered skirts - I just love the romantic and feminine look. As the article says,"Whether chiffon, tulle, organza, or even feathers - layers of fabric are the newest major detail designers are playing with to create soft, yet dramatic gowns. This flowing style is perfect for the bride who is a romantic at heart."

Nothing screams elegance and refinement quite like a pair of white gloves. Just the idea of them is enough to conjure up iconic images of Camelot or Breakfast at Tiffany's. In fact, gloves used to be a must for all formal events. These days, however, they're more of a fashion statement - and are completely optional. Unsure if you can pull off this once ubiquitous accessory? Read these wedding gloves style tips to help you decide.

If you're not the stereotypical poofy white dress type of bride, you may have noticed the lack of suitable alternatives that still make you, well, look like a bride. A handful of independent designers are answering that call with sophisticated wedding dresses that have an artistic, edgy quality while still being pretty. Seattle-based Chrissy Wai-Ching, an artist who forayed into dress design, specializes in custom hand-dyed silk gowns featuring color choices like golds, reds, blues and greens. San Francisco-based Mignonette Bridal offers custom and ready-to-wear gowns with shorter hemlines, svelte silhouettes and non-traditional colors. Both designers cater to brides all over the nation.

Learn more about these unique wedding dresses at the Unveiled Wedding Blog

Shopping for a wedding dress is slightly more complex than buying a basic pair of slacks. This ehow article - how to shop for a wedding dress walks you through it with three easy steps.

This article has even more tips and advice on shopping for wedding dresses

Add Some Color
Using a wedding dress to bring out a colorful personality, modern brides are not afraid to add a splash of color to the traditional white gown. Whether that means adding a colored ribbon or piece of jewelry or foregoing the white wedding dress all together, today's brides find inventive ways to incorporate color into their wedding attire. Particularly popular shades are blue, pink, cappuccino and champagne.

Lace Up
Lace has made a recent comeback, exuding a look vintage romance that is feminine, yet not overdone. Many brides are enchanted by lace, envisioning a majestic day in a lush green garden.

Magnificent Embroidery
For an ultra elegant, opulent feel, glamour girls savor wedding gowns adorned with intricate hand-embroidered details. This look warrants grand chandeliers, candlelight and an isle of red roses.

Ultra-Feminine
As seen on the runway, feminine details are making a big impact. Ribbons, ruffles, flowers and bows are finding their way back onto wedding dresses and taking femininity to a new level. Brides who envision themselves floating along the cobblestones of a historic mansion will love this look.

Find even more wedding dresses trends and unique ideas

Weddings are often about compromise, but when it comes to your bridesmaids of varying sizes and shapes all fitting into the same dress, there's often no wiggle room. Thankfully, modern alternatives have arrived to ensure your 'maids feel fabulous while providing a cohesive look for the wedding party.

Read more about custom bridesmaid dresses ...

Sure - the day may be all about the bride and her big dress, but as the mother of the bride or groom - you need to shine too. This complete guide to mother of the bride dresses and mother of the groom dresses has everything you need to know to ensure the moms look stylish and perfectly coiffed on the big day.

And if you're already prepared to start shopping, you can search for mother of the bride dresses and mother of the groom dresses in this interactive photo gallery

When it comes to planning a wedding, we brides all know what is the most important (and fun!) task on your to-do list (and no, it's not the seating chart). Nothing beats shopping for your wedding dress. Thankfully, spending hours a day doing just that - from the comfort of your own home - just got a lot easier.

Look no further than this interactive search for Designer Wedding Dresses search. Here you can search thousands of wedding gowns by price, designer, fabric, silhouette, hemline, sleeve style - you name it. And while your there, you can even search for a Bridesmaid Dress, Mother of the Bride Dress, or Flower Girl Dress. Just don't blame me when your boss catches you surfing for dresses when you should be working :) Happy Hunting!

Another way to find your wedding dress and attire? You can search this directory of local wedding services for a list of recommended bridal boutiques near you.

Ah the veil - the ultimate accessory in the transformation from engaged girl to blushing bride. Though steeped in tradition as it is, unless required by your religion, a veil is strictly optional. Today wearing a veil is more of a style statement than a symbolic gesture. Thus, the ideal veil depends largely on the style of your wedding gown and the overall look you want to create.

This wedding veils guide has everything you need to know about this finishing touch to the bridal ensemble. Plus, you can get even more advice on all your wedding accessories, everything from bridal shoes to jewelry.

I assume you've heard of the Trash the Dress phenomenon that has made its rounds over the past few years. But if you've been so buried in planning that you haven't, it involves one last photo shoot in your gown after your day is done. Only this time, you swim in it, roll around on the beach, even blast it with paintballs. It's a way to add an artistic element to your wedding pictures that can also symbolically and forever free you from the rigors of wedding planning.

Learn more about Trash The Dress

Your wedding gown is arguably the most important garment purchase in your lifetime. No other dress comes with more anticipation - and will be more photographed - than this one. But that doesn't mean you have to spend like royalty to look like a princess on your wedding day. With these smart strategies on finding cheap wedding dresses, you can still walk down the aisle feeling like a million bucks (without having to spend just that).

This post from the Wedding Planning Advice from Industry Insiders blog offers 4 ways to save on wedding dresses

Sure, you only wear it once, but a wedding dress can be appreciated as a fashion objet d'art. Capture the masterpiece in all its glory with a one-of-a-kind fashion illustration by artist Jennifer Angilello. You'll revere it long after you've retired the dress to the closet.

Learn more about wedding dress illustrations at Unveiled Wedding Blog

As someone who has had extensive contact with wedding vendors - both personally and professionally - I can tell you that most of them are genuine, talented professionals who strive to perform a service to the best of their ability. For most vendors, the joy gained from performing an artistic craft that they love is the primary incentive. The money earned, well, that's extra. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day, we all need to make a living and we all work for money. But some vendors seem to be less motivated by the craft and more motivated to squeeze every last dollar from the happy (or unhappy, depending how you look at it) couple. It's these vendors who propagate the myth it's impossible to exchange vows without simultaneously shelling out tens of thousands of dollars and going into debt.

Case in point:
Elegala.com has a number of articles offering money saving tips for every wedding detail - from flowers, to music, to photography. Believe it or not, we've had some pompous vendors complain that we offer these money saving tips, insisting, for instance, that we remove a tip about how you can save on photography by being wary of upsells like custom albums or save on your floral budget by sticking to in-season flowers. Apparently, we're releasing to the public blasphemous ideas that vendors have been dubiously safeguarding for decades. Oh no - don't enlighten the brides-to-be!

Sure - there are many lucky brides who have unlimited funds to plan their weddings, but for many - especially with the economy in the state that it's in - these budgeting tips are essential in making a wedding a reality. Let's face it - even some couples who have the money spend would prefer to spend it somewhere else. And that's OK. Really, it is. But some wedding vendors would prefer that everyone continue to keep up with the Joneses so long as it keeps their wallets fat. I say shame on you.

See original post on my wedding advice blog.

The Unveiled Wedding Blog from Elegala.com is looking for buzzworthy wedding ideas from brides (or anyone who's been to a recent wedding). Unveiled is known for punchy, catchy posts on what's new and trendy in the world of weddings, and they're offering a free two night stay at the luxurious Taj Hotel for the best entries.

Learn more about and enter to win this wedding contest