The OurWeddingDay Blog

Planning a summer wedding? Find a bridal gown that captures the breezy feel of a beautiful summer day. Try these ideas while searching through wedding dresses to find the perfect fit for your big day.

Show Some Skin
Sleeveless gowns can be worn in cooler weather, but generally involve having to shop for a wrap or stole to complete the look. Mild weather affords you the chance to wear strapless and backless dresses comfortably. When shopping for your summer wedding dress, look for bridal gowns with delicate necklines and thin straps or no straps.

Choose the Right Fabric
Whether your summer wedding will be casual or formal, avoid heavy fabrics and fur embellishments. Airy silk, organza and tulle have a lighter feel and drape beautifully. While satin shouldn’t be ruled out completely, you should avoid satin with a heavy feel or long sleeves.

Less Is More
For summer weddings, bridal gowns should express a carefree feeling. Shop for a romantic, flowing gown with limited embellishments. Formal weddings taking place in the evening give you a little more wiggle room. If your wedding is very formal, you can shop for designer bridal gowns with elaborate features.

Beach Wedding Dresses
When getting married on the beach, shop for a casual bridal gown. While many brides choose a tea-length bridal gown, this is not mandatory. Take into account weather and your ability to move in the dress—and remember that you’ll probably be barefoot or in flats.

Bridesmaid dresses are often the butt of jokes. Almost every woman has a horror story about some awful dress hiding in her closet. When most women think of a bridesmaid dress, they don’t think of style—and they don’t imagine a dress they can wear again.

Luckily, you’re in charge of planning your wedding and you have the power to pick brides maid dresses your attendants will love. Start shopping around early so that you can give your bridesmaids plenty of time to order dresses and have them altered.

Bridesmaids often come in groups, so the color they wear will leave a lasting impression on your guests. Choose the fabric shade wisely, and be ready to coordinate that color with your reception linens, flowers, and the groomsmen’s accessories.

When picking a color, think about the time of year, the flowers you have in mind, and the time and location of your wedding and reception. Evening weddings often feature darker, richer colors, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.

When choosing the style of the dress, you should also consider the time and formality, as well as the season. Many brides choose tea-length dresses for outdoors, summer and beach weddings.  If your bridal gown is somewhat informal, choose short, simple brides maid dresses.

Don’t allow your entire bridal party to chime in on your choice of brides maid dress. Instead, consult one trusted friend—such as your maid or matron of honor. When you find the perfect brides maid dress, ask yourself one final question: Would you wear it?

Let’s face it. Even if the day is really all about you, your bridesmaids want to look great in your wedding. When it’s time to choose bridesmaid dresses, you’re bound to get a lot of input—unsolicited or not. If your bridesmaids come in a variety of shapes and sizes, it may be difficult to please everyone. Try this unique approach to wedding bridesmaid dresses with individual styles.

Visit a large bridal boutique like David’s Bridal. Big boutiques employ wedding fashion experts who can help you choose the appropriate fabrics and colors for your wedding. Bring a friend—your maid of honor is a great choice—and have her model different shades and styles. When you find the perfect color and general style, find out how many dresses are available in that exact fabric.

Next, choose between three and five dresses with the same length but different fits. Giving your maids options helps them look beautiful whether they are busty, thin or curvy. For consistency, try to keep the major structural elements the same. For example, make sure each dress has a similar neckline and length. By choosing dresses that are available at a major chain, even out-of-town bridesmaids can shop locally and have fittings done in their home towns.

If you allow your bridesmaids to wear different but similar dresses, keep the accessories and flowers exactly the same. This will help tie together the whole wedding party fashion look.

Celebrity weddings and glamorous bridal magazines are a lot of fun, but nothing’s more helpful than learning how real brides plan their big day.

Meet OWD's Real Brides: real OurWeddingDay.com Brides-to-be sharing their experiences.  It’s not about the “right” way to plan; it’s about each bride planning the wedding that’s right for her

Jenn from Jefferson Valley, NY writes:

I’ve got The Guy.  I’ve got The Ring.  We’ve got The Place and The Date!  What’s next?  The Dress!

In the fall after I got engaged I had a conversation with an acquaintance about her upcoming May wedding.   She’d just found her dress and was very excited about it.  She told me all about all the shops she’d already been to and about the boutique where she finally found her dress.   I gently asked about the price range of the boutique and she said, “Oh my dress wasn’t very expensive.  It was only $3,000.”

GULP!

Three THOUSAND?!  Dollars?!

I will freely admit to anyone who cares that I’m, well, cheap and spending large amounts of money freaks me out.  It’s not that I won’t happily pay for quality, it’s just that I’m more likely to shop around until I’m satisfied that I’ve found the best deal.  The idea of spending THOUSANDS of dollars on a dress that I’m gonna wear once – maybe twice if I don’t like the pictures– is paralyzing.  I already knew how much money I had to spend on the whole event and wasn’t counting on spending thousands of dollars on a dress.  I was beginning to panic.

The following day, I called David’s Bridal and made an appointment to try on dresses.  My maid of honor (MOH), sister in law (SIL) and I spent the next few days bookmarking dresses and writing down style numbers.     My mother, future mother in law, MOH and I went, armed with our lists, to the appointment.

I’m not much of a girlie-girl.  I generally exist in jeans and loafers or boots.  I have very little fashion sense and frankly, I don’t care.  But this was  of the few times in my life I wished I had some feel for how dresses look on me.  The dresses I picked out looked absolutely awful.  Without exception.  Every single one.  It was becoming a depressing experience.

After about 6 or 7 dresses from my list I asked the woman helping me if she had any ideas for dresses that might look better on me.  We talked a bit more about what I liked and didn’t like about the dresses I’d already tried on and she came back with a few more dresses to try.

Three dresses later I came out of the dressing room in a dress that I kinda thought looked good; I caught the look in my MOH’s eye and knew it was the right one.   Halleluiah!  There is a dress!
After about 15 or so minutes of turning this way and that and putting the straps on and taking the straps off I finally took a deep breath and checked the price tag.

I’m tellin’ how much the dress was, but I will tell that it was on sale and with the alterations that it’ll need for length and bust the entire price tag will be below $700!  Yipppeeeee!! 
But I still need shoes.  I was planning on wearing Keds, but I’ve been voted down by my MOH – she’s the one who’s actually in charge of dressing me no matter what I think.

We took a day off earlier this month and headed into NYC to look for sparkly flat sandals and the right undergarments for the dress.   Our first stop in the City was to a lingerie shop where I was measured a fitted for a long line corset bra.  It was a LOT more that I expected to pay for a bra (remember, I’m cheap) but considering the personal attention and how GOOD my boobs looked I handed over the cash.  I suffered a bit of shell shock for the rest of the day, but I’m over it now.

We didn’t find The Shoes.  We’re still looking for them.   Sparkly, flat sandals – with or without a hint of red – are hard to find in February in NYC.  But, we still have hope.  If you see any in a size 7.5 or 8, let me know would ya?

Thanks!
-Jenn

In case your top frizz gets to you, remember that even Debra Messing and Jennifer Aniston have “curl” issues—and they have lots of help! On your wedding day, controlling overly frizzy hair takes smart moves, smart tips, and a dose of reality. Check out this article for straight talk on getting great wedding day hair.

Wondering what he should wear to an upcoming wedding? Use this simple guide to men’s wedding fashion. Before checking his closet for the right suit, consult the invitation for the time of day and formality. You may be surprised at all his options.

Daytime Informal and Semi-Formal
Men should wear a dress shirt and pants to an informal daytime wedding. Shorts are never appropriate. Consider adding a sports jacket for a classy touch. Remember, men’s sandals are only appropriate for beach weddings. If a wedding will take place on the beach and then move indoors, consider bringing shoes to change into. Men should always wear a suit for a semi-formal wedding. During the day, suits do not necessarily need to be black or navy blue.

Daytime Formal
For daytime formal weddings, men should wear light-colored suits and ties. Nice hats are appropriate. Avoid sports wear and informal hats.

Evening Semi-Formal
Men should always wear a dark-colored suit to a semi-formal wedding. Unless the wedding takes place in a very trendy area, stick with traditional suits and ties. Leave cutting-edge wedding fashions to the bridal party and stick to traditional looks.

Evening Formal or Black Tie
Men should always wear dark suits or tuxedos to formal or black tie evening weddings. Be sure to have suits tailored and cleaned prior to the event. Remember to coordinate with appropriate shoes. He can rent a tuxedo if he doesn’t own one.

Not sure what to wear to a wedding you'll be attending?  Guests not know what's appropriate to wear to your wedding?

Consult these easy wedding fashion tips before you go shopping for the perfect wedding outfit and accessories. Start with the invitation. The time of day and level of formality should guide your fashion choices.

Daytime Informal and Semi-Formal
Women should wear suits or short dresses to a daytime informal wedding. Stick to prints, florals and pale colors. Always avoid wearing white. Avoid business attire unless the wedding is very casual or very small. Chunky, fun jewelry can add a touch of personality to your daytime wedding outfit.

Daytime Formal
Some formal weddings take place during the day. If you’re going to be in the sun, wear a formal hat. Gloves and formal accessories help tie together a summery outfit for formal daytime weddings.

Evening Semi-Formal
Women should wear cocktail attire. Go with a little black dress or colorful cocktail dress—but avoid overly glitzy sequined or club-inspired dresses. Wear dressy sandals with a heel and tie up your outfit with tasteful, classy jewelry.

Evening Formal or Black Tie
For an evening formal wedding, short cocktail dresses should be dressed up with accessories and glamorous jewelry. If you’re having trouble finding the right outfit, go with a standard and classy little black dress. For a black-tie wedding, look for a long gown and consider having your hair done by a professional.

Planning on indulging at a wedding day spa before your wedding or during one of your wedding party events? Make the most of your time at the bridal spa by booking treatments and activities you’ll love.

Massage
Plan on having a wedding massage to help you relax and wind down. A traditional Swedish massage features long strokes and kneading motions. A hot stone massage uses warmed natural river stones to relax and heat specific parts of your body. Aromatherapy massage incorporates essential oils for therapeutic effects. Thai massage involves motion and stretching for a more energizing experience. Investigate wedding spa packages to see what types of massage your local spa offers.

Facials
Modern facials cater to a variety of skin types. Whether your skin is dry, oily or prone to blemishes, a aesthetician can apply calming and soothing products to leave you glowing. Avoid having any sort of blemish extraction performed on or the day before your wedding day.

Fitness
Avoid high impact fitness classes on your wedding day. Instead, look into relaxing yoga, meditation,Tai Chi or Pilates. Wedding day spas offer calming classes to help you naturally curb wedding day jitters.

Hair, Nails and Makeup
End your wedding day spa experience by having your pre-wedding primping taken care of by professionals. Have your fingernails touched up, get your hair styled, and have a professional makeup artist prepare you for flawless all-day makeup wear.

We just posted a new article about hiring your wedding day hairstylist.

Hiring a hairstylist for your wedding day is a wonderful idea if you want to try a look that’s more complicated than what you’re used to. It’s also a smart move if you’re not good at fixing your hair, don’t enjoy the process, or simply don’t think you’ll have the time -- or nerves -- to worry about your hair on the biggest day of your life. You can hire a stylist just for you, or go all out and hire for the girls in your party...  Read the article here.

Take steps to help avoid common beauty mishaps with these simple tips.

1. Have your hair and makeup done by professionals. Visit a hair salon or bridal spa to have your hair, nails and makeup done. Don’t do your hair at home or let a friend do your hair for you.
2. Moisturize for at least two months before the wedding. It’s important to be using a moisturizer that doesn’t cause you breakouts. Moisture is crucial to getting great makeup application. If your skin is dry, your foundation will flake.
3. Don’t do anything drastic before the wedding. This includes picking blemishes, waxing your upper lip and having your eyebrows done.
4. Stick to simple trims before the wedding. This is not the time to try a new hairstyle or a drastic cut or color change.
5. Avoid the sun. If you need to tan, visit a bridal spa to see if their wedding spa packages include professional artificial tanning. The last thing you want is a sunburn on your face or shoulders.
6. To avoid any potential allergic reactions on your face, don’t use any new lotions, perfumes or ointments on the day of your wedding.
7. Bring cash on the day of your bridal spa visit so that you can tip all technicians appropriately.
8. Remember to get some sleep the night before. Nothing fights dark circles under your eyes like a good night’s sleep. Likewise, drink plenty of water and snack while you’re getting ready for the wedding.