First off folks, my apologies for the absence in posts last week. I've gotten over a nasty bout of flu, and I'll be catching up to speed this week, don't you worry!

Question:  What do brides most often wear on their heads?  Um..a veil?  Survey says...CORRECT!

Question:  Name one variety of veil.  Um.....hmm....I know this one...eh...A long one?  ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (That was the sound of the buzzer and the Family Feud Bridal Version bouncers escorting me off stage.)

There are so many types of veils out there!  Where to start?  What will look good with my dress?  What will look good with my hair?  Oh me oh my...

Today we are featuring some handy dandy definitions and pictures that can serve as a guide for us when we go veil shopping...I've listed them below with an example picture in order from shortest to longest:

Birdcage veils generally feature a small piece of tulle or netting that covers part or the whole face.  

Pouf: A gathered piece of tulle or netting that fastens to a headband, comb or headpiece to create height for the veil.

Flyaway: A multi-layered veil that just brushes the shoulders; less formal than other veil styles. A good choice for brides wishing to emphasize the back details of their gown. Appropriate for an ankle length gown. May be up to 18" in length.

Blusher: A short, single layer of veiling worn over the face before the ceremony and lifted back over the head at some point during the ceremony.

Elbow: The elbow length veil is most appropriate in an informal setting. May be used in combination with longer layers to create the blusher or face veil. May be up to 25" in length.

Fountain: A veil gathered at the crown of the head and cascading over the shoulders to form a "fountain" shape. Usually shoulder or elbow length.

Fingertip: A long veil that reaches the fingertips when arms are relaxed. The fingertip veil may be up to 45" in length.

Ballet or Waltz veils feature a length that falls somewhere between the knee and the ankle.

Mantilla: Traditionally, the mantilla is a circular piece of tulle or lace with lace edges draped over a comb. An alternative to more traditional and formal veils, the mantilla is appropriate for formal and semi-formal weddings. May be any length in between elbow and ballet.

Chapel: A formal veil that extends to the floor and may be up to 108" long. Appropriate to wear with a formal gown with a chapel or sweep train. May have multiple layers or a blusher veil.

Cathedral: The cathedral train is the most formal veil style and may also be referred to as a "royal veil." May have multiple layers or a blusher veil. Most appropriately worn with a cathedral train in a very formal setting.

What veil style is your favorite?  How did you decide that it was the one for you?  Did it match your dress?  Did you love it so much that you made your dress to match your veil?  Tell us all about it on the message board!

On the last post we talked about the possibility of winning an amazing dress. Today I'd like to focus on brides who can't wait to trash an amazing dress.  Trash The Dress sessions have been a growing phenomenon lately, and I can't quit scratching my head over it.  If you're thinking to yourself, "Surely she can't mean that they trash their dresses...", then I will tell you that 1) Yes, they trash as in destroy their dresses, and 2) don't call me surely...  :)

Here are some examples:

photo from chugach peaks blog

 

photo by nine photography

 

photo by rachel richter photography

 

photo by rick johnson photo

I have good feelings and bad feelings about this. Let's do some pros and cons.

Pros: Those pictures are interesting, thought provoking, and unique. It would be very liberating to go crazy in a dress that you've been fairly cooped up in during the wedding day. I've heard that dry cleaning can get out just about any stains other than motor oil, and you might have to dry clean your dress even if you didn't trash it..

Cons: You will quite possibly ruin your dress forever. If you ruin your dress you won't be able to pass it on to a daughter or donate it, so it's pretty eco-unfriendly. Your mother would kill you. (Hint: If you do this, dry clean your dress, and show it to your mother before you show her your Trash the Dress pictures. Less chance of a heart attack for her or a slap in the face for you.)

So what do you think? I think...the jury's still out...

If you have cable television, you have probably stumbled upon the many shows centered around weddings. One of my favorites is Say Yes To The Dress which centers around the Kleinfeld bridal store in New York. This particular bridal store is famous for carrying all the top line designers who often charge more for one dress than I plan on spending on my entire wedding! While most bridal dress budgets do not reach the multiple or tens of thousands of dollars range, it is fun to watch the show and see the beautiful styles.

Now, there is a chance for one of you to win a dress from the Kleinfeld store! Check out the Kleinfeld Experience contest that is going on right now and ends on Valentines Day this year...

- a $5,000 gift certificate to Kleinfeld

- a private store opening in Manhattan, New York

- personal styling services provided by Randy Fenoli and a Kleinfeld Bridal Consultant

- free airfare and five-star accommodations

To enter, simply click on this link.

Remember to say you heard about it from QCWeddings.com! Good luck!

What's in and what's out?  What is classic versus tired?  What is catchy versus kitschy?  Recently Heather Levine from TheKnot.com posted five upcoming trends that she predicts will be huge for 2010.  Let's see what you think!

1) Rosettes
These bold blooms weren’t the only flowers to pop up on the bridal runways: I also spotted smaller varieties, like cherry blossoms, and even some cascading petal details. But here’s the reason rosettes are so highly ranked: Their larger-than-life size makes a normally romantic flower feel more, well, fresh. 

2) Retro Style
I’m addicted to Mad Men (but still catching up, just started the Season 2 DVD, so no spoilers, please)! When I saw these tulle, natural-waist numbers paired with sheer wristlet gloves, I instantly fell in love. 

3) 3-D Embroidery
Over the years, some of my favorite gowns have had that old-world allure, or looked, you know, vintage. But they all had one thing in common: a slim, sheath-like silhouette. Finally, this season I saw intricate tulle-embroidered ball gowns and A-line skirts that offer that same antique appeal. 

4) Bold Straps
The asymmetrical strap is nothing new, but this year bridal designers really took risks making each strap -- and more importantly, each dress -- a unique work of art. 

5) Black Accents

No, I’m not Twilight-obsessed, but I do think there’s nothing more elegant than a white gown adorned with thisgothic hue. 

Gowns by Melissa Sweet, Edric Woo, Christos, Claire Pettybone, and Vera Wang

So what do we think, brides?  Love the trends?  Other predictions for 2010?  How do these dresses match up to what you have planned for your own bridal attire?  

Personally, I love the romantic vibes that seem to be radiating off of these dresses...sigh.... :)

Spoiler Alert:  If your name is Mr. Jenny Bryde, then you'd better get your nose out of this blog today!  I'm going to be sharing top secret dress information!

I'd like to start off today by saying that we have so many amazing bridal salons in our area that really take that extra time to find the right dress for the right bride.  I'd like to say that as brides, we can be classified as special-needs customers.  We are picky.  We ooze anxiety out of our pores.  We sometimes cry and pout until everyone around us wants to cry and pout as well.  And through all these delightful little nuances of the bride in search of her dress, we have fantastically supportive staff at each of our local bridal salons to help us out. 

Now that I've said all that, I'm going to tell you a little story today about my hunt for the perfect dress.  I happen to dislike clothes shopping.  I rarely go looking for new clothes with anyone because inevitably I pick something up, carry it around for two hours, and then decide against buying it after all much to the dismay of those whom I've dragged along with me and the sales staff who have been there to witness my little dance that leaves me leaving the store empty handed.  

I think I do this because with a wedding, honeymoon, and new roof that we are saving for, I ultimately make myself feel guilty for buying things that I don't absolutely need.  (I know that my mother is probably cringing as she reads this post as she is the queen of all things shopping and disappears for "errands" each weekend.  My father long ago stopped asking what was in the bags or why UPS comes to our house every other day.  But apparently I did not inherit that gene...or I am stifling it right now...)  

So you can imagine my apprehension as our wedding was coming closer and finding my dress.  Some people spend thousands on their wedding dress, and you only get to wear it once...unless you play dress up each week secretly in your house...or dress as a bride each year for Halloween...or use it as a night gown...  I set an amount in our wedding budget for my dress and was bound and determined not to go over...until I met Lucinda.  I found the Jcrew Lucinda wedding dress early on in my initial dress hunt.  Bingo!  I knew that's what I wanted.  The description on the site says, "A classic ball gown design in softly rippled cloqué fabric with a full-bodied drape and a very festive rustle."  How fun does that sound?  I didn't know what a festive rustle is, but I wanted one!

Lucinda ball gown from Jcrew

And then I saw the price tag which was about two and a half times what I wanted to spend on my dress.  Could I justify the extra money for my dream dress?  I thought on it and decided no.  I couldn't devour our nest egg even for Lucinda.  So I continued my search for other dresses.  Months went buy, but no dress made me stop in my tracks like Lucinda had.  A friend made a suggestion one day that maybe I could have my dress made.  Wh-wh-what??  I'm a smart gal, and I hadn't even considered this.  The light at the end of the tunnel was there, and I made a mad dash for it.  I started investigating what it would take for me to have someone make me a Lucinda replica but within my price range.  

I found my dress maker through Etsy.com.  If you have not visited Etsy, you may want to block out about five hours or so to sit and look through everything they have.  Warning...very addictive!  Etsy has pretty much everything you could ever want to have handmade or if you are looking for vintage materials and items.  Different artists set up e-shops on the site and can show all their wares for sale.  It is really an amazing site!  There is also a section of the site called the Etsy Alchemy shop where you can put in a description about something specific you are looking for or want made, and vendors can bid their best price and ideas for you to consider.  So that's what I decided to do for my dress.  I wrote an Alchemy entry looking for a seamstress who could make me as close of a fit to the Lucinda dress as possible.  I had many people respond, and their prices and offers were as varied as could be.  I interviewed a few and asked for references, and eventually went with a seamstress in Chicago.  

It was a gamble, but one that I was willing to take.  I was so nervous for my first fitting!  I was afraid she was a fraud or wouldn't be able to make my dress exactly how I wanted it.  After my first meeting with her, all my fears were laid to rest.  So far I have had two fittings of the muslin mock up of my dress, and I couldn't be happier!  She is a master at what she does, and I'm so happy to be working with her.  Here are some pictures of the fittings so far...

Keep in mind that I don't have my crinoline layer on at all and that this is the muslin mock up not the actual dress yet. I have my first fittings of my actual dress coming up next month, and I am very excited! It was such a relief to find a path that leads me to getting the dress that I love. What did you do to find the dress of your dreams? Please share!