Category: Wedding Dresses

Leave it to Vera to bring lace into the 21st century, as she does so beautifully with her “Bouquet” wedding dress. Marrying the ethereal fabric to a modern silhouette, she adds a bold fillip to the waistline: A huge bow that is anything but demure. Read on for more details as Vera Wang goes “Behind the Dress.”

Wedding designers have taken their cue from the sleek and chic First Lady, Michelle Obama. This year, designers got creative with uniquely beautiful interpretations of that now famous one-shoulder adornment. Here are some of our favorites from both seasons:

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview celebrity wedding planner David Tutera at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. Even though he’s worked on events with such VIPs as Jennifer Lopez and Vice President Al Gore, I was impressed by his enthusiasm for helping non-famous brides have equally stellar weddings.

There’s another annual tradition right around Valentine’s Day besides flowers and chocolate hearts—exclusive celebrity giveaway parties called “gift suites.” At these high-profile events, fashion entrepreneurs and high-end product purveyors lavish entertainment VIPS with bagfuls of goodies. This is where trends are set, styles take off and specialty items are given two thumbs up.

Are you a free-spirited bride with a yen for vintage elements? Do you dress to please yourself rather than tradition? Do you find romance in the warmth and beauty of nature? If so, your bridal style might be a good match for a bohemian beach wedding!

I just got engaged and I keep hearing about trunk shows for wedding dresses. What exactly is a “trunk show”? Is it worth going to one?
—Amanda, San Luis Obispo, CA

When I’m gown shopping, I find that most of what I like, I don’t LOVE. For example, I like the bodice, but don’t like the fullness, or the skirt is “too trumpet,” etc. What would be really great is to find an affordable custom wedding dress from a reputable designer. Do you have any suggestions in LA or in Orange County? Please let me know!
—Allison G., Los Angeles

Many brides go to their first bridal salon with dreams of finding their fairytale wedding gown—and are soon disappointed. They try on gown after gown that looks beautiful on the hanger, but when they slip into them they just don’t live up to the dream. They know something isn’t quite right but they can’t put their finger on it. If this has happened to you, then perhaps the problem isn’t the style or cut of the gown but the color.

I paid $220 for my wedding dress. My colleague Jennifer? Got hers for $125. Since we were both footing the bill for our own weddings, there was precious little in the budget for our gowns (I had to make sure there were enough offerings at the pasta bar to satisfy my Italian relatives!). We both looked lovely, by the way, even without spending 2 two months’ rent on our wedding attire. Here are some of our dress-shopping secrets:

Remember Rami Kashou, the runner-up fashion designer in Project Runway Season 4? He was all about “the art of draping,” and occasionally took some flack from the judges for the overuse of his signature style. Well maybe Rami has a future in bridal, because the Goddess of Gown trends, Vera Wang, features draping in one of her romantic 2010 creations, “Dinah.”

When it comes to choosing dresses for your bridesmaids, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Not only that, but not all styles are going to be universally approved. What to do? Vera Wang has a few suggestions… Read on!

The day of the wedding, I put my dress on, and to my horror it felt loose. I guess those last few spin classes did more than I wanted them to! Luckily, one of the bridesmaids had fashion tape in her bag. I’d never used it before, but all I could hear in my head was Tim Gunn saying, “make it work.” We lined the very top of the dress with a couple of pieces of tape and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Wedding designers have taken their cue from the sleek and chic First Lady, Michelle Obama. This year, designers got creative with uniquely beautiful interpretations of that now famous one-shoulder adornment. Here are some of our favorites from both seasons:

One of my favorite Vera Wang wedding dresses ever is Fall 2009’s “Amelia”. To me, this bridal gown says Glamorous Forest Nymph, and the peekaboo petticoat has just the right amount of sauciness. Plus, as Vera explains, her “recent collections of wedding dresses are tinged with color”—and I love that Amelia and her sister-dresses aren’t exactly Snow White. Imagine my delight to see that my favorite “Amelia” was showcased in Vera Wang’s first edition of “Behind the Dress,” part of her “Love, Vera” exclusive newsletter series.

The Dresser, a favorite bridal salon in historic downtown Fullerton, isn’t content with just matching you and your gal pals up with great dresses—they also want to take a little financial stress out of planning your honeymoon.

I confess to major butterflies for my interview with celebrity wedding planner and TV show host, David Tutera at the elegant Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena last month. I needn’t have worried. He was warm and charming, and very open to sharing his wedding planning pointers. Later when I dished the dirt with two of his “My Fair Wedding” Season 2 brides, Dee and Quiana, they both agreed that he was way more personable and down-to-earth than they had expected. I was particularly excited to confirm that David and I were in complete agreement about several key “Wedding Dos & Don’ts.”