Style File- Here comes the bride all dressed in...?

BY LOREN ABERHART

It’s the day every girl dreams about. The one day when she will be more beautiful than any other woman in the room. It has probably taken months of thought, planning and stress to achieve her perfection. But the moment she walks down that aisle, she knows she will take everyone’s breath away. At least that’s the plan.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out like that. Finding the perfect wedding dress can be more difficult than just walking into a shop and buying the first gown you fall in love with. It can be a painful process, fraught with expensive price tags and persistent saleswomen. So how does one find their perfect wedding dress?

The most important thing to search for is a dress that makes you feel as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside; plus one that you can wear comfortably from ceremony to reception, while constantly hugging guests, smiling, dancing - and most importantly, breathing. Depending on your style, colouring and figure, there are certain choices that can mean the difference between a blushing bride and a fashion failure.

The first thing to consider is colour. All women know that white comes in a variety of shades, but the most important thing to work out is which of these is best on you. As a general rule - fair skin with pink undertones is beautiful against light shades of ivory; medium skin with yellow undertones looks best against champagne coloured gowns; and dark or olive skin looks great against a classic, bright white. And all the more kudos for you if you pick a colour completely your own.

The neckline of your dress is where you can really express your own style. Choose from halter neck, strapless, sweetheart, asymmetric, V neck... you get the picture. Strapless is the current ‘it’ style of wedding necklines, however may I suggest that you take a long hard look at your posture before you try to pull this style off. For most of us, long days in front of computers mean that our posture needs a large amount of work before strapless gowns are a stunning reality.

Wedding dresses can take a variety of shapes, although the most classic is the A frame, ball gown dress. This gown, which drops from the waist or hips to the floor in an A shape, flatters the hips and thighs, shrinks the waist and makes your boobs ‘pop’. It particularly works for those girls with Princess Di fantasies who have been dressing their Barbie in wedding gowns since they were born. If you want to step away from this traditional gown shape then look to one that fits your figure. Trumpet or mermaid skirts work well on petite figures while sheath and empire gowns are good for those with something to hide.

Finally, impeccable fit is a crucial factor when choosing your wedding dress. A poorly fitted gown can be the difference between dancing the night away as a happy newlywed and an uncomfortable day spent hitching your bodice up to avoid exposing your boobs to your wedding guests. The best thing to do is to find a dress you love and then visit your tailor no less than a week before the big day in order to get your gown as perfect a fit as your fiancé.

As for me, I have a pretty clear picture of what I’m looking for, but I think that’s best kept secret, until I step down that aisle.