As you’ve probably already discovered, 98% of a wedding day is all about the planning for the wedding day.  That remaining  2% is called “fate” or “Murphy’s Law” or “spontaneity” (more on how to handle that in another blog post…!)  Since chosing a gown is more than 1 simple step, here are 8 things to remember when styling for your wedding:

1. Your dress should complement the wedding site. While its tempting to go dress shopping immediately, find your wedding venue first.  Your venue – its ambiance, the setting, the style of the architecture – will be the foundation on which the rest of the wedding design is built.  A Cinderella gown in a ultra-swanky modern loft would be out of place.  Best to start with the foundation and build up from there.

   
   

2. Its all about the underwear.  Chose undergarments that will go with your specific dress type. A sheath gown with draping fabric needs a different under structure than a bustled and bodice’d gown.  Bring the appropriate styles to your dress fitting to insure everything is complementary.  (BONUS TIP: invest in adhesive body tape (aka “toupee tape”) to strategically hold backless or low cut dresses in place.)
3. Consider hemming your dress a half-inch shorter in the front to avoid tripping on your dress when walking and dancing.  Or practice walking with a slight slide to your step to avoid catching the hem of your dress with your shoe.
4. Make sure to show your florist a picture of your gown.  The bouquet should be designed to enhance, not distract from, your gown’s style and structure.
5. “Something blue” is traditionally achieved by wearing a blue accented garter.  Why not break the norm and tie in a blue ribbon to your bodice, or embroider blue into the fabric (a monogram, family crest, or “I Do”)?   A blue broach fastened to your bouquet, a vintage blue-sapphire hair accessory perhaps.  If you’re really bold, go with blue shoes!!

   

6. Keep jewelry and accessories balanced. The bigger the tiara, the smaller the earrings.  The more embellished neckline requires simpler necklace (or no necklace at all!)  Bring your accessories with you to your gown fitting to insure the picture is in alignment.
7. Your feet will swell – be prepared!  Bring a more comfortable pair of shoes (perhaps a half-size larger!) or slippers for the dancing portion of your wedding day.  (BONUS TIP: Here’s a wedding planner trick to prevent swelling: before getting dressed, take an ibuprofin tablet with lots of water.  When you sit down for dinner, take another with plenty of water.  Its much easier to prevent swelling than to battle it after the fact…)

   

8. Another wedding planners’ secret: White chalk. White chalk can color over stains or dirt on your wedding gown without wetting the material, and will remove easily during the cleaning process.  Have some on hand for touch ups, especially if taking pictures pre-ceremony.

Bottom line: every bride should feel beautiful on her wedding day!  The best way to do that and be comfortable too is to become a heightened state of you – if you normally wear your hair down, going for a dramatic up-do might feel off.  If you are casual by nature, chose a gown and style that will keep you in your element so as to not distract with odd discomfort of a style you aren’t accustomed to.  Be you, heightened in radiance.

Special thanks to Cheriefoto for her gorgeous images…