Expensive Wedding Dresses » Articles

Wedding dresses for the beach

ExpensiveBride — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:36:59 +0000

In the article Summer Wedding Dresses I discussed some of the important factors in choosing a wedding dress for a summer wedding. And now that we are just finished with the year 2009 we can start to dream about those romantic and beautiful wedding dresses for the beach. We hit 14ºF today, so talking about the summer gives me a warm feeling inside.

Wedding dresses for the beach should be chosen wisely, as the nature of wedding gowns is that they are made with heavy fabric and many layers. If you want to be comfortable and avoid excessive sweating, you need to pick a dress that is specifically designed and sown for a hot wedding climate.

The materials and cut

I recommend looking for a wedding dress for the beach made from soft and light materials. Layers are ok, but they have to breathe. You don’t want a dress that goes up to you neck or down to your wrists, as with the light layers you want as much ventilation as possible. It is true that it is difficult to wear any kind of dress in 100ºF, however I can assure you that there is a big difference between almost passed out and comfortably worn.

Short wedding dresses are also a good idea for a beach wedding, as they will give your body more breathing air. You can get away with a longer dress, but then the above factors will play an even larger role. Remember to keep the layers and materials light.

Choosing a summer dress

Wedding dresses for the beach can be less formal than their chapel counterparts. These dresses are often a lot more affordable than the usual expensive wedding dresses, and do not have to come with the adornments, design details, and features as a formal gown. A halter, strapless, sleeveless, short, even a skirt, can all be perfect designs for you summer wedding dress.

Wedding dress shoes

Some brides choose to go bare foot, other prefer an elegant set of sandals or flip-flops. Remember to bring an extra pair of proper shoes if you are expecting to have a dance at the wedding party.

Beach wedding dress accessories

Though a wedding veil is optional for a wedding on the beach, there are other accessories you might consider. Flowers can give a beautiful spark to your dress, so does a hair band, jewelry, or other simple adornments.

Bring a cardigan or shawl

If part of the beach wedding is going to be held after sunset, bring a shawl or cardigan. Summer nights can get cool, and you don’t want to catch a cold heading in to your honeymoon.

Sunglasses and sunscreen

Often overlooked, but having a wedding on the beach in the summer exposes you to the sun. This can be both irritating for the eyes and skin. Remember to bring a matching set of sunglasses, and to apply sunscreen to exposed body parts. You don’t want to wake up with a sun burn after the otherwise perfect wedding.

Summer Wedding Dresses

ExpensiveBride — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:42:23 +0000

Summer weddings are growing in popularity as the new generation of couples look for more romantic and unique locations to tie their knot. As a statement of proof, June is the most popular of all the months for a wedding, so you would also think that summer wedding dresses were filling up all the wedding dress stores around the country.

Traditional wedding dresses the majority

This is oddly not the case, as the traditional, formal, wedding dresses are still the majority. A rule of thumb for wedding dresses is that if it looks warm, it is warm, and when you look around a common wedding shop you would guess that most wedding were held in the winter. If you choose to hold a summer wedding it is therefore important to find a dress that is appropriate for the temperature and climate of your wedding, and stay clear of the “sauna” dresses that most boutiques sell. Looking good and feeling cool should be your ultimate goals for your summer wedding dress.

Light materials and layers

Most traditional and expensive wedding dresses are made of heavy materials, and they are simply not a good idea for a summer wedding. The heavy materials don’t breathe enough to give your body good air flow, and the chances are that you will end up in a pool of sweat. Of course, as a winter wedding dress these materials work perfectly, but when it is time to say “I do” and the temperature has just reached 80F, you don’t want your wedding gown to be liability. Avoid heavy materials or gowns that have heavy extras sown on to the dress. You should also watch out for the dresses that have several layers, which add up to making the dress more warm and sealed.

Light and cool wedding gown

What you do want to get is a dress that looks light and cool. As mentioned, the rule of thumb is that dresses that look warm ARE probably warm. The same goes for gowns that look light, as they will probably give you the “air condition” your body needs. If the dress has layers, make sure they are light and airy.

Simple wedding dresses are perfect in the hot summer. Sleeveless dresses are great, and so are dresses that do not go all the way up to the neck. A strapless dress will also do wonders when the sun is at its hottest. Although some sweating will be inevitable if you see 100F, you will thank yourself for the right wedding dress choice if you go for a gown that gives you the highest body to air ration possible without looking indecent. Not only will you avoid passing out, but you will also be able to enjoy your wedding to the fullest.

Shorter dresses

We haven’t touched upon the length of the dress yet, even though this might be one of the most important factors. Short summer wedding dresses are preferable to long traditional dresses, especially if you are getting married on the beach. On the one hand you don’t want the extra heat such a long dress will give you. On the other hand, short dresses are perfect wedding dresses for the beach because you don’t want to drag your gown through the sand and ruin it.

How short the dress should or can be is a judgment call you will have to make. If it is a more formal, summer wedding, then keep the dress below the knee. If you are getting married on the beach you will probably get more leeway and still look decent if you go for an even shorter dress. There are also summer wedding dresses with detachable skirts, that you can take on and off for the more formal parts of the wedding.

Remember to have it cleaned after

As for all wedding gowns, getting your summer wedding dresses cleaned after the wedding might be a fantastic investment. Just think about the thought of having your own daughter wear the dress for her wedding. You might also just want to save the dress as a memory of your special day. Either way, a white dress that hasn’t been cleaned and preserved might turn yellow in time, and just forget about being able to remove stains 5 years after your wedding day.

Summer wedding tips

As some final tips, don’t forget that summer wedding dresses are not the only items that need to be tailored for a warm, summer day. You also want to remember that the sun might be shining, and if you hold the wedding outdoors you will probably want to put on a heavy sun block so that you don’t get sun burned. Bring along extra sun block for your guests is also a good idea. Sun glasses should also be brought along, so that the sun doesn’t irritate your eyes. You even might want to buy a pair that matches you summer wedding gown.

Beautiful wedding dresses

ExpensiveBride — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:43:46 +0000

Beautiful wedding dresses are on every bride-to-be’s mind. It might even be the single most important part of the wedding for her. But as soon as you start looking, you will see that there is a sea of options. Try doing a web search for wedding dresses and you will be presented with thousands of different gowns.

So how do you find that perfect, beautiful wedding dress?

Wedding theme

First you need to consider the theme and season for your wedding. Are you getting married on the beach? Is this a romantic wedding or more a formal church wedding? The theme of the wedding should definately influence your decision in what type of wedding dress you wear. A beautiful wedding dress for a winter wedding might just not be perfect for a summer wedding.

Wedding on the beach?

Think through what kind of implications, if any, your theme, the season you are getting married in, and even where you are getting married, will have on your wedding gown. How will this influence your decision in choice of colors, style, fabric, and cut?

Your comfort

Consider what you normally are comfortable wearing, because you might not want to step to far out of your “comfort zone” for this important day. If you like wearing short dresses, go for a short wedding dress. If long dresses are your thing, don’t pick the wedding to change this preference. Same goes for on-shoulder/off-shoulder, glamour/sober, tight/slack. The wedding is not the place to experiment to much, as you might end up having to wear something you feel real uncomfertable in.

Whats your dream?

Many women have a particular dress that they have dreamed about, perhaps since they were a child. You might find out that the dream is only suited for a 10 year old, and that your tastes have changed. However, some of the most successful choices, and beautiful wedding dresses, have been based on such a childhood memory.

Where to find ideas for your wedding gown

Where do you find this beautiful wedding dress you have been dreaming about? Here are some tips that will get you started:

Wedding and Bridal magazines
Wedding dress galleries and web sites

Go shopping, but don't shop (yet)

Go shopping, but don’t shop (just yet)

When you have some idea of what you are looking for its time to hit the shops, not necessarilly to make the big purchase yet, but to try some wedding dresses on and get aquianted with sizes, cuts, fabric, etc. It is a good idea to try several dresses on, from the most expensive wedding dresses, to more affordable and discounted dresses. Try to take note of the differences in quality, fitting, and feel.

Wedding dress styles and cuts

Empire: Raised waist line up just below the bust. The rest of the dress flows down to the hem.
A-line/Princess: Fitted in to the body, dress flows out and toward the ground.
Mermaid/Fishtail: Designed to fit the body from the chest to the knee, then flaring out to the hem.
Ball Gown: Fitted in the body with full skirt. Think Cinderella
Column/Sheath: Designed to follow the body curves, with a narrow shape that flows straight down from the neck line to the hem.

Expensive wedding dress?

To buy an expensive wedding dress or a more affordable one really depends on your wedding budget, and your personal preferences. As I wrote in the article Expensive Wedding Dresses, you should really try to purchase the right dress, not the dress at the right price. That goes for both the top end and the low end. Buying a cheap dress to save a “penny” when you don’t need to, or an expensive dress just to be able to brag about the price, are really not good reasons. You want to find the perfect dress, the dress of your dreams, and money shouldn’t be the deciding factor.

Thats about it for part 1. Here is part two of Beautiful Wedding Dresses!

Remember to leave a comment if you have a great gold nugget of advice that should be included in part 2.

Top 10 most expensive wedding dresses in the world

ExpensiveBride — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:39:37 +0000

Tracking down the top 10 most expensive wedding dresses in the world is no small task. Discretion is usually not what the bride is looking for when sporting a dress that costs more than an average house. However, if the dress was not specifically designed to aim for the top spot, you probably won’t hear about it. With few exceptions, the most expensive wedding dresses in the world are usually high-end, marketing stunts, not made for a real bride or wedding. That being said, you’ve got to wonder how it would feel to walk down the aisle with one of these.

-> Win your gown or up to 5 bridesmaid dresses at DavidsBridal.com <-

1. The Diamond Wedding Gown: $12 mill.

The world’s most expensive wedding dress goes to Renee Strauss and Martin Katz. The collaboration between these two, a wedding salon owner and jewels dealer respectively, resulted in a dress sporting 150 carats of diamonds. The dress was unveiled in 2008 and claimed the top spot from this list’s number 2.

The Diamond Wedding Gown

2. Yumi Katsura wedding dress: $8,5 mill.

A creation of the designer Yumi Katsura of Japan, the second most expensive wedding gown is valued at $8,5 mill. It has over 1000 pearls and one of only two 5 carat white gold diamonds in the world.

3. Peacock Feather: $1.5 mill.

With 2009 peacock feathers, representing the unveiling year of 2009, this dress is both expensive and quite pe(a)culiar.

: Peacock Feather Wedding Dress

4-10. In no particular order

- J-Lo/Affleck wedding dress: unknown value, but the designer claimed it to be the most expensive she had ever made.

- Imperial Pearl Syndicate gown: sports 100.000 pearls and was valued at $100.000 back in the 50’s when it was made.

- Princess Diana’s wedding dress: unknown value, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, featuring a 25 foot long train.

- Melania Trump’s Gown: Cost unknown, Weight = 50 pounds! Get married AND work out at the same time…

- Catherine Zeta Jones/Douglas: Wedding dress cost unknown, wedding total cost = $1.5. Probably a big chunk of that money was paid to the designer of the dress, Christian Lacroix.

- Mauro Adami wedding dress: valued at £240.000, or around $380.000.

- Vanisha Mittal wedding dress: Price unknown, but for the most expensive wedding in history she probably had one of the most expensive wedding dresses in world.

Is my top 10 wedding dress list missing an entry? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Expensive wedding dresses

ExpensiveBride — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:33:31 +0000

The perfect dress

The wedding dress is usually the first thing that comes to mind when a bride finds out she is getting married. Even beginning in early childhood, a certain idea of what you want is the theme of many a dreams. However, when it comes time to tie the knots, it is a good idea to think trough in detail what it is you want, what you can afford, before running off and purchasing the dress to wear on your wedding day. Those that can afford expensive wedding dresses can of course pick from the crème de la crème. But giving your self enough time to find the perfect gown is still very important.

Why expensive?

A different perspective some women have is to not buy expensive wedding dresses because of the fact that they will only use them once (even with the divorce rate today). Some don’t mind the expense, even when wearing the dress only once, as saving it gives them the memory value for the rest of their lives. Buying expensive, more affordable, or renting, these reasons are personal and every bride should set out to do what is best for her, with the means and budget that she possesses.

Don’t get caught up

A common negative trend the bride can get caught up on is the temptation to compete with her friends to buy expensive wedding dresses. It is not unusual that close friends, often getting married at the “same” time, end up trying to outdo each other. They even might find it silly, but that won’t stop them in the heat of the battle. Try not to get caught up. You should buy a expensive wedding dress for your wedding only if that is your dream. Competition can be had on other, less important, arenas. In any event, price should not be a motivation when you buy a dress. If you walk in to a store and see the perfect dress, would you walk away when you realize it is a mid-priced dress?

Quality dress for the next generation

On a side note, expensive wedding dresses are usually made of very high quality, and therefore more likely to hold the pass of time. For the bride that finds the idea of passing on their wedding dress to the next generations appealing, should consider this a good reason for buying expensive wedding dresses. If this is the case, remember to have your dress cleaned as soon as the wedding (honeymoon) is over, even go so far as have it preserved. That way the gown will be good as new, and hopefully perfect, when the time comes to pass it on.