Archives : Wedding Dress
Sticky Straps™ and Strapless Dress Dreams
By Jacqueline Lee Valenti
The problem started in the fitting room. I hadn’t even purchased the dress yet. Don’t get me wrong, the dress was gorgeous; layered pieces of rich teal satin, with accents of black lace, wrapping around to form the prettiest cocktail dress I’d ever seen. It was mesmerizing! I couldn’t just hang it back on the rack and walk away. Except…it was strapless.
I had a wedding to attend that very weekend, and I had a hard time imagining myself out on the dance floor in a strapless dress. I didn’t want to be ‘that girl,’ safety-tugging at her dress all night, or worse case scenario, I’d be the young woman who failed to tug at that crucial moment while worm-wiggling on the dance floor!
What’s the point of purchasing a classy dress if I’m going to cheaply show my goods to all the groomsmen? At least they’d all root for me to catch the bouquet later—need to think positive. I do have a very vivid imagination, verging on psychic.
So, I put the dress on hold and dragged my most fashionable friend to the mall to get her opinion. Is it too fancy? Too tight? Do I look like a sausage? No? Well, how do I keep this thing on? I didn’t imagine she’d have an answer for that one, but she did.
Her solution was Sticky Straps™ dress tape. And I’ll admit, at first I was skeptical because I couldn’t imagine taping a cocktail dress like cheap wrapping paper to be the best bet. Might as well have asked my brother and solved the situation with super glue. I hadn’t realized yet that Sticky Straps™ dress tape is much stronger and quite different from a roll of Scotch Tape™ at Christmas time. Meaning, my friend was correct; this fashion tape really is the solution for keeping things classy. Read more »
Celebrity Wedding Updates
William and Kate have almost reached their one month anniversary, but all is not completely quiet on the celebrity wedding front. Here’s a quick update of who’s in wedding news today:
- Actress Sara Rue (Less than Perfect, Shedding for the Wedding) married teacher Kevin Price Saturday in a hummingbird and butterfly themed wedding at The Bel-Air Bay Club in Los Angeles. I am in awe of the Aruna Seth Farfalla Platform butterfly shoes Sara wore for her big day. Her “Dahlia” bridal gownby Amsale Aberra was also very pretty.
- Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo (you remember him, he used to date Jessica Simpson) is set to marry Candice Crawford (no clue) this weekend at the historic Arlington Hall mansion in Dallas, Texas.
- Who’s not talking about Kim Kardashian’s (Her claim to fame? Born to the right parents, I guess…) gawdy (as in gawd-awful) 16.5 carat engagement ring. The colossal waste of money was purchase by Kardashian’s new fiancé, New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries (who looks a little like Taylor Lautner.) According to Kim’s sister, Kloe, “It’s going to be royal wedding No. 2.” I don’t know about you, but I think the Kardashian sisters overestimate their own importance just a mite. Read more »
Bridal Trunk Show Trends for 2011
In my last post on the bridal trunk show, I talked about what happens during your bridal trunk show appointment. Now, let’s talk about some of the latest wedding dress trends as seen at Christy’s Bridal.
Straps are back. More brides are choosing wedding gowns with thicker straps this season.
Bridal Gown Trends and Tips for 2011
- Fit and Flare. Fit and flare style wedding gowns are fitted from the top of the dress to below the hip. Carol, the owner of Christy’s Bridal, says this style is really hot this year.
- Fit and Flare Bridal Undergarments. When choosing a fit and flare style wedding dress, it’s essential to also choose the right bridal undergarments to provide a smooth, sleek look under your gown. The Amoré Seamless Tummy Control Spandex Slip is one option featuring a built in Lycra® control panel that minimizes and smooths the tummy area and hips.
- Straps. Forget strapless and even spaghetti straps. This year, straps are back. Carol has noticed this year that brides-to-be are opting more and more for a thicker shoulder strap on their bridal gowns. One reason may be the added feeling of security provided by straps designed to stay in place and hold the bride’s bodice together through the entire long wedding day. Some brides also prefer to maintain the option of wearing a regular bra with their bridal gown rather than a strapless bra.
- Strap Support. Carol says most of her strapless bridal gowns are designed with built-in supporters which do a great job of holding the bodice in place throughout the wedding. Proper wedding undergarments will also help you avoid any mishaps. Although the right bridal undergarment and built-in support features will help you hold it together on your wedding day, chances are you’ll just feel more secure with straps. If that’s the case, don’t forget to pick up a packet of Sticky Straps Dress Tape to hold those straps in place.
- Flowered Accents. This year, flowered accents are in. You’ll see flowers on shoulder straps, belts and even carpeting entire skirts. Read more »
Your Bridal Trunk Show Appointment
So now you know what a bridal trunk show is and you’ve made your appointment and the appropriate preparations. You’re probably wondering now what will actually happen when you arrive at your trunk show appointment. Here’s some information I’ve gathered to help you understand the trunk show process:
What happens at the appointment?
- Meet with the consultant. Discuss your desired price point and styles you are interested in. This will give the consultant a starting point for choosing gowns for you to try on.
- The consultant will bring out bridal gowns for you to try. Some of these will be wedding dress styles you requested in advance, while others will be selected by the consultant based on the information you gave her during your previous discussion.
- Try the gowns on. This will likely take place in front of a full-length, multiple view mirror so you can see how the gown looks from every angle. The consultant should also discuss the merits of each gown and provide honest feedback to help you find the wedding dress that is most flattering to your particular figure.
- Place your order. If you should happen to find that perfect wedding gown, the bridal shop consultant will measure you and place the order for your gown. Read more »
Preparing for Your Bridal Trunk Show Appointment
In Part 1 of my series on the bridal trunk show, I talked about what exactly a trunk show is. Once you’ve received your invitation and called to make an appointment with your local bridal shop, it’s time to prepare for that appointment. Here are a few things you should know:
Preparing for your trunk show appointment
In most cases, when you make your appointment to attend the bridal trunk show, the store owner, bridal consultant, or other store representative will probably give you a list of items to bring to the trunk show with you.
For example Carol, owner of Christy’s Bridal, says she first asks her brides to check her website to see what featured styles they like. Carol’s brides-to-be supply her with a list of style numbers in advance of the trunk show appointment so her consultants can have those wedding gowns ready for the brides when they arrive. But, the preparation for the appointment does not stop there. Following are a few other items Carol recommends for brides to bring to their bridal trunk show appointment. Read more »
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by Carlson Craft