What's Hot for 2010?

With 2009 coming to an end, Bridelines wants to share which trends we think will be left back in 2009 and which trends will be permanent fixtures in 2010.

2010 brides: are you trendsetters or are living in the past?

What's Out

Funny First Dances

(this is just my excuse to watch this video again...love it!)

Over-Priced Wedding Planners

Long Veils

Expensive Destination Weddings

Couture Gowns

What's In

Hair Accessories

Do it Yourself

Ordering Invitations Online

Nearby Destination Weddings

Wearing Your Moms Gown

Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses

Say Yes to Which Dress?

Choosing your wedding dress might be the hardest decision of your entire wedding process.

Princess? Lace? Sheath? Basque waist?

If you go on any wedding website, the advice on how to choose your dress begins with “envisioning your wedding.” “Envisioning” is not for those girls whose mothers did their art projects, whose roommates decorated their first apartment or for those girls who cannot go shopping without asking every saleswoman in the store if the outfit looks good. Envisioning only works for fashionistas or artists.

So if you aren’t an “envisionary” and you haven’t been thinking about your wedding since age 6…how do you know what kind of bride you are?

What if you have never even opened a bridal magazine in your life?

GASP!

Bridal gowns are not like any other dresses you’ve ever worn, so it is difficult to compare, but begin by thinking about what shapes are flattering for your body type.

Do you love you shoulders and collar bone area?

Maybe strapless is best for you.

Do you hate your hips and complain that your butt is fat?
Maybe sheath and form fitting isn’t the direction you should go.

Are you very petite?
Maybe a huge cupcake dress is a bit overpowering for your frame.

If you choose a style you have worn before, at least you know you will feel like yourself and not have a panic attack while getting dressed on your wedding day. (leave the panic attack for when your flowers aren't delivered on time or your band leader comes down with strep). Think about how you feel dancing. Some fabrics are heavy and if you are a sweat-er, you may want a lighter fabric. Or...if you like heavy fabric, but you do sweat, you can get those Botox shots that stop your sweat glands from producing sweat.

Some styles are more restrictive. Picture it…Donna Martin dressed as a mermaid for the 90210 Senior Year Halloween Party. She could not walk, but she did look hot. If looking hot is more important than comfort, think about the styles you feel most sexy in.

You will find the dress that is right for you, whether it takes 1 store or 15 stores. You can always turn on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” if you are feeling confused or stressed…every other bride is just as confused and stressed as you are!

Destination Weddings

Recently, I had to book a flight to Mexico. No, it’s not a romantic getaway or a fun girl’s weekend in Cabo.

It’s yet another destination wedding.

Destination weddings are becoming more popular. You can bet our parents and grandparents never went to destination weddings, unless the destination was a temple or church in the next town. Maybe they are more popular now because people think they are being original or maybe it’s because the divorce rate is so high that people decide to do destination weddings for their second, third, forth (you get the picture) weddings.

Regardless, one thing is for certain…destination weddings are pricey…for the guests. Usually when you plan a trip it’s because you have saved your money and have vacation days coming to you at work. But in this case, you are planning a vacation (whether you can afford it or not) because someone else told you to.

There are definite ‘pros’ of destination weddings. Usually they are beach locations. Pro number one…a tan! You also get to use it as an excuse to go on a vacation that you otherwise couldn’t afford. The most notable ‘cons’ are the money you have to spend and the extra time off from work that you may have to take.

As with every other kind of wedding, destination weddings have a broad range. Mostly this range is directly correlated to the money that people spend on their weddings. Some are like an all you can eat buffet that actually include an all you can eat buffet. Others are like a high school spring break gone wrong laden with kegs of Coors Lite. It all depends on who is planning the event. Once you ask your guests to pay for a flight and hotel, do you then make them pay for all of their own meals and entertainment as well? Some brides and grooms use the destination wedding as an excuse to not pay for anything. Most resorts will give the bride and groom a cheap rate for the party if they get people to book rooms in the hotel. (this should not be shocking to anyone). So in some cases, it is almost as if your guests are paying for your wedding.

Others will take steps to make their guests feel extra welcome and to thank them for traveling such a distance to attend. Gift bags, spa treatments and group activities are good ways to make such an effort.

So as I hit confirm on the Jet Blue screen I sat wondering, will this one be worth the $400 flight and $350 dollar hotel room (not to mention the dress, the car to and from the airport, the wedding gift, the babysitter and all of the other ancillary costs associated with another ‘vacation’ wedding)?

Themed Wedding Events

With Halloween right behind us and Christmas parties in the near future, some brides and grooms are throwing themed wedding events. In an earlier post, we discussed how wedding attire can be confusing. When is it ok to wear khakis and not suit pants? When should women wear a long dress verses a short dress?
These problems can all be solved by telling your guests exactly how to dress – 80’s style! Hollywood Glamour wedding! Fairytale theme!

What is more fun than forcing your guests to dress up in outfits they quite possibly won’t ever wear again?

Isn’t that kind of tyranny meant only to be directed at bridesmaids?

Themed wedding events do have their advantages. Firstly, they have more personality than their traditional counterparts. Melissa Rycroft recently had a country-western bridal shower and I also recently went to a rodeo rehearsal dinner.


Having a theme for a shower or rehearsal dinner is a fun way to incorporate the your personality and interests into the event. It is also a cute way to get your guests more involved and they will be talking about your event beforehand, as people do with Halloween costumes.

The other noteworthy aspect is…costumes replace bridesmaid dresses. Your Shakespearean bridesmaid attire might be more flattering (those corsets really suck you in), less expensive and less hideous than a typical bridesmaid dress.

If you choose to have a themed wedding, just be weary! Your dream of the perfect Christmas wedding might be ruined if your uncle thinks it's funny to come dressed as Santa, only so he can have your bridesmaids sit on his lap and tell him if they’ve been naughty or nice OR your wedding day elves (wedding vendors) are acting more like the Grinch!

Some of your guests will hate dressing up – sorry, it's the truth, but it is your wedding and you get to decide whether all the women have to wear flapper outfits or all the men have to wear Phantom of the Opera masks.

Just make sure when it comes time to kiss the groom, you have the right man under the mask!

Did you have a themed wedding event? We’d love to see pictures!

When You Wish Upon A Star...

It makes a difference who you are, for sure!

For all of you ladies who have always dreamed about your fairytale wedding the answer to your prayers has arrived! In the past few years Disney has launched www.disneybridal.com. For all of you Cinderellas out there you can now not only find your prince charming, but dress the part as well! As children we all had our favorite Disney princess or heroine. My personal favorite was Ariel from the little Mermaid....although it's safe to say I never thought about wearing a bra made of seashells for my wedding (although my 3 month old is going to be a mermaid for Halloween). I digress...

From Belle to Jasmine, brides everywhere are flying through the Internet on their virtual magic carpets to view this new line. If you think any of this comes cheap....wake up Sleeping Beauty! "Any thing your heart desires" will cost more than a simple wish of your fairy godmother (unless your godmother's wand is a platinum AMEX). The line not only includes bridal gowns, but bridesmaid dresses, engagement rings and various accessories, including several tiaras to make the fantasy complete. By the time you're finished ordering your fairytale wedding wardrobe it could cost more than a trip to Disney World.

While it seems that Disney and Weddings go hand and hand, is there really a market for a wedding based on the land of make believe? I'm sure there are women out there who see this as a dream come true, obviously, I'm not one of them. Although it should be said that the designs are relatively appealing and not all together outrageous. It is not as if they have recreated Belle's yellow gown and simply dyed it white. They are much more tasteful than that.

I'm not one to judge....to each bride her own fairytale...but I can't help but wonder if they come with talking animals who sing and sew?

Wedding Season!

Jeremy Grey: John? I need to see you right away. It's important.
John Beckwith: [Walking into Jeremy's office] What's going on?
Jeremy Grey: [sighs] We got three big weeks ahead of us. It's wedding season, kid!

The 2005 blockbuster hit “Wedding Crashers” helped draw attention to the most popular time of year to get married. As wedding season is coming to an end, we look back on all the bad dresses, rainy June wedding days and endless Ofoto pictures and wonder….who says there is a wedding season anyway? In the past week I received three more wedding invitations and three of my close friends got engaged. Looks like this year wedding season means Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter!

Time of year is just one of the many factors that go into planning a wedding. Yes, ideally everyone wants to have a beautifully sunny day when the light is perfect for outdoor pictures and guests don’t need to check rain coats. But, as we know, no one can predict the weather, not even Al Roker. So weather aside, people plan their weddings based on when the location is available (a tricky one with some venues), what works for the bride and groom in regard to work and families, price and many other factors.

So according to research, June is indeed the most popular month to get married. But I think it’s safe to argue that in any given year wedding season can change depending on when your friends decide to get married. Who says that the summer yields the best weddings? Paul McCartney and Heather Mills got married in June and look how well that turned out. I got married in December….not sure what that says about me….but I think my wedding was a lot of fun (and two years later I’m still married)