Wedding Dress Bonanza: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know and More

Often times when we think of wedding dresses, we think of only the styles that we, as humans, personally enjoy. A piece of work that is aesthetically pleasing to our eye as well as to our body style. But what about all the different options that are out there? What about all those styles out and about in our crazy world? From online shopping to actually going to a boutique to buy? How about wedding dresses around the world? Differences in culture from Florida to Mexico to Germany to India. Not only are wedding dresses different colors in different places, there are tons of different traditions and celebrations through out the world. Differences are acknowledged all around our crazy, fun world, from Canada to the UK, to all the American states. Get the 411 for your big day so you don’t miss out on any fun traditions!

 

Style

There are many odd and crazy styles out there amongst the traditional and fit and flare styles we may see in a mainstream. Whichever dress style you choose or fabric you may like, whether it be lace, silk, knit, or jersey, your dress will surely fit who you are and who you want to be on your big day. You and only you can know if you want to model yourself after the Kardashians being more showy or the Middleton’s being more elegant.

Empire

Great for those “extra guests” or as we like to say, with child! A very goddess like dress!

Ball Gown

A ball gown is great for a pear shaped body, The full skirt and the tight bodice are a magical setting for your big day!

Straight or Sheath Dress

Very vintage looking, yet glamorous in it’s style. Best for a slim and fit person. Don’t for get a petticoat, you may see your undergarments otherwise.

A-line

Just like it sounds, mocking the uppercase A, and A-line is PERFECT FOR ALL BODY TYPES. You’ll surely get an A for style!

Tea length

A mini a-line, coming just below the knee, a midi skirt. Again perfect for all body types.

Trumpet

Not to be confused with a mermaid dress, this is a hybrid dress of mermaid and a-line. If you’re a petite person with a smaller waist, this may be the dress for you!

Mermaid

No you won’t see any mermaids out lounging on the rocks, but this style would be best for an hourglass figure to show off the curvy, curves.

Remember, when shopping for your perfect dress, scope out the racks for appropriate underwear and bra. Certain dresses may have bras built in, but be sure to be on top of that! Quiz yourself and target the best look for you and your body shape; the stores that you may go to may even be able to help achieve the best look for you.

Embellishments

On top of different shapes and and styles of dresses, also the options of Sleeves, no straps, spaghetti strap, or cap sleeves are a things to factor in. Backless, retro, sashes, and sweetheart necklines. All the different patterns and latest trends may be hard to keep up with, but that wouldn’t stop you from being the biggest celebrity of your evening; make yourself front and center. Display yourself tastefully and exclusively to all those attending and they will not be able to keep their eyes off of you.

Designer

Big name designers such as, Jenny Packham, Acra Reem,  Elie Saab, and Israeli designer Inbal Dror, will bring a large sized price tag along along with that gorgeous gown; designer dresses may be of a more popular trend when budget isn’t concerned. These dresses go anywhere from 1000 dollars to 10,000 dollars plus, not including alterations or accessories for your specific look. If you want to add belts or jackets to go along with your theme or to make your look a bit more classy or custom, these will be extra. Something to think about when deciding how and where to buy your dress!

Designers dresses don’t have to be purchased at Nordstroms or from Kleinfeld’s, but you could rather purchase a dress off of ebay that may have the same credentials. But why not get a designers dress at the fraction of the price from Etsy?

DIY

Making your own dress using a store bought pattern, like Mccall brand or Simplicity brand patterns or even Butterick brand patterns, can be a really great accent for you on your big day. If you don’t ‘Mccalls’ this, this is how your grandma did it!  Heck! You can even make your bridesmaids dresses if that is something that you’re interested in. Brand names have become such a big thing that we tend to forget tradition. You can even make your dress, if you’re smart about it, for 500 dollars or less and still look like a goddess on your big day.

Making it doesn’t just mean you have to sew it, you could also crochet it, or have a knitted shaw that you tie around you shoulders. Buying your dress doesn’t mean you can’t make your accessories or bling them out if you so choose! Use a website like Pinterest to pin ideas for an amazing a-list gown!

Hand Me Downs

You don’t have to go to the places with the best reviews to get the best dress. You don’t have to shop where the cool kids shop, why not go to someone that once wore something so elegant and classy; Like your relative’s closet? Ask if it is ok to use their romantic gatsby themed dress to customize your own or even wear it all on its own as your own. A custom dress today doesn’t just mean its made my Pnina Tornai or Oleg Cassini. Obtain your own fairytale the way you want it and remember the super fly people you call family.

Consignment

Shopping the rack at consignment shops and boutiques are a preowned dress heaven. You can find anything with beauty and grace, from western themed to a cocktail dress that you can modify. Prices are good and you can maybe even find something from the racks of Nordstrom or maybe even one of Lazaros collection masterpieces at a much lower price.

Online Shopping

Ordering your dress from an online boutique or one of the many popular websites can leave you many options or colors. You can always shop online at places like cheap-wedding-dresses.com, but you know what quality you’ll get with that… Or you could try dresses.com, but just remember, a wedding dress is a power piece. Shopping online at places like Mori lee by Madeleine Gardner for more upscale brands or at a davids outlet online for more of a “sale” price is a great option.  This isn’t a jean and t-shirt combo, these dresses may run in different sizes and may look completely and totally different than they do in the photos, be sure you trust who you are buying from!

Bonus Guest

Pregnancy on your wedding day is a beautiful thing, not only do you have the celebration of a new life, but you also have the celebration of you and your union. Kids are a blessing from our creator just like the union of 2 people coming together. Certain styles for your gown may be better than others for you cute, pregnant body, but surely you will know what style fits you best. And don’t think that you have to be modest like a mormon of the LDS to get the look you think you should have, just find the perfect maternity dress for you, maybe it will just be bohemian or Grecian in style with an empire waist and won’t be a maternity dress at all!

The Era of the Wedding Dress

1920

The era of beading and extravagant gowns; The 1920s definitely made a stand and would widely be recognized today as high fashion. They were pretty and romantic; If you’ve kissed your frog in the 1920’s, you know that you would totally blow the decade before completely out of the water with your extravagant gown. The 20s were nothing to sneeze about with the new up and coming styles. In today’s style, the Gemma by Maggie Sottero, would be the pick to gently sample the 20s.

1930

The 1930s were the depression years, where a monsoon of emotion rained down upon the blushing bride. Although not ideal, she had to try to make it work for her and her groom. Their dresses were often a tea length dress that were either made or ordered at half the price because the material that was often used was called rayon and not silk. But just think, the dresses were 1 in a million.

1940

The 1940s were often a time when the wedding was planned one day, people were invited the next day, and then the day after that was when the wedding would happen. You couldn’t use asos to buy your dress this time. Because of the war, wartime brides often used items that they had around to make their dress; You may see them sitting at their Singer sewing away using scraps from another dress or even curtains or a table cloth were used to complete the entire look. A very simple dress with no bustle this time! Short and to the point. You didn’t want to miss your marine or army man waiting for you at the alter; Usually Friday and Saturday weddings are a thing, but hey, Wednesday works too. People really knew what a wedding was all about in the 40s!

1950

The 50s were a time for a shorter hem where the shoes were the statement piece.  Brides often wore shorter dresses showing those bad boys off. That didn’t stop Grace Kelly from being the belle of her ball when she wed her prince! Gloves that were made of satin, tulle, or chantilly were often worn by the bride. Just a neutral coloring and pretty offset to the simple tea length dress. If the skirts did not have a short hemline, they were really bustling with lots of layers and lace. More than likely, you would still find them wearing their proper petticoats and slips. Even thought Barbie was big in the 50s, the dresses may have been bigger.

1960

The 60s were a space age era! Often times you would see “space-agey” things like metallic or of new age accessories. No, there were no aliens or anything like Kanye… or Kris Humphries or whomever Kim Kardashian has moved onto these days, but they were definitely eye catchers, thats for sure! Audrey Hepburn embodied the 50s with her dress, but her head piece was purely space age!

1970

The 70s were unlike anything you ever saw before, anything from a pant suit to a floral gown to fairytale ball gowns. You would see anything from the hippie style to extravagantly, decorated ball gowns. With how decked out the style was, they did not come cheap at all!  Anything pre 1970 had nothing on this, but this surely isn’t anything like you would see your traditional Disney princess wearing, that’s for sure!

1980

Buckle up, buttercup! This was the decade of change; Unlike 1950s the dresses and the veils were long, called cathedral trains; A similar style to the roaring 1920 era. Ladies like Princess Diana, were trend setters with their big glamorous gowns; The dresses were big, but not only did the dresses change, but so did the cakes, the decor, and the way wedding were captured; Thus being the first decade with videography. Kirstie Alley threw a wrench in the curve, dressing in a white mini dress, nothing like the 80’s at all!

1990

The 80s faze of giant dresses, replicas of The Royal Wedding’s dress, moved from puffy sleeves, ruffles, and cathedral trains, to sheath dresses of more modern and extremely sleek. This dress was of a mature age and was often simple. The 90s was also a decade where eloping was uber popular, you could get your dress from JCPenney if you like! Talk about a inexpensive, discounted wedding!

2000’s

Strapless gowns took off leaving the older tradition of sleeves or a halter dress behind.

2000- Color made an appearance in slight and subtle ways; Whether it was a shaw or a thread change that held the dress together. Brides wanted to be less predictable in white but not daring against tradition!

2001- Pastel and metalic colors for the bridesmaids were a big thing. ’01 had funky little quirks, like stick on tattoos, things you wouldn’t expect to see. Much like the 70s!

2002- As we know, ombre became a big fashion trend in the later 2000’s, Gwen Stefani wore her one sleeve, off the shoulder pink and white coloured ombre dress beautifully.

2006- The famous Katie Holmes married Tom Cruise in a lace accented dress with intricate trim along the neck line.

2009- Fergie married her love, Josh Duhamel in January and embodied the 2000’s. She work a tight fitting mermaid fit with a long tail train.

The rest of the 2000’s, however, in 2011 unlike the trend of no sleeves, The Royal of Wedding of Prince William and Kate took place. Middeltons dress made by Alexander McQueen was a more modern and a-line, there was no ruffle, but the sleeved dress was picture perfect dress.

2012- “Pick up” dresses were bigger in size, like a ball gown, but not like a cinderella dress. Almost victorian, this puffy skirt has accents that may look like a bustle all around the skirt, you may see detailing in the ruffles! Jessica Biel wore a dress similar to a pick up dress, only hers was lots of sheer layers of organza.

2013- Color! Color was a big trend, so Lydia Deetz would fit right in with her red colored dress, er… maybe, it was more soft tones of blush, peach, or mint colored chiffon, so maybe not dark and gothic, but a sherbet dress! This didn’t take away from the formal wedding if you were having one! Kaley Cuoco embodied her blush colored dress with prompt pinks in it very well!

2014- The year of the keyhole cutouts, a low cut neckline, but not necessarily fitted. You may even see a two piece with a jacket or a sash! This dress what a free spirit, much like a gypsy, similar to the dress Angelina Jolie wore when she wed Brad Pitt!

2015- Off the shoulder dresses made of silk were the big thing, almost as big as Sarah Jessica Parker in the 80’s. Jennifer Aniston wed her beau in August of 2015, but she has yet to show off her dress! Anistons reasoning for this is kind of understood, makes for a more sentimental day.

2016- Like the 1980s, an over sized bouquet was the thing. They may have been a beast to carry, but they were in good company with the floral looking prints!

A Rainbow of Color

There are many different colors in our world of colour, but what about all the different colors around the world? What does every one around the world wear? The world is a colorful place!

White

Thank you Queen Victoria for your trend setting ways to the wedding world! We often think white is a sign of purity, but it in fact was thought to have meant the essence of virginity. In some countries, white symbolizes death!

Red

China and Japan will wear more than one dress, usually one white for the ceremony and one red for the reception! Chinese believed that red brought love and prosperity to their marriage. Their sari or kimono was often dressed with jasmine flowers embroidered all over.

Forget a tux! A kilt, for the Scottish, in their clan’s colors is traditional; once the bride and groom are married, the bride will then be wrapped around the shoulders in a shaw to show her new membership to her man’s clan!

Blue

In Ireland, in traditional weddings, the Irish wore a blue dress to symbolize purity.

Ornate blues, reds, and golds take the win for traditional Korean weddings.

Green

In Norway, the Norwegians wear bunad, a traditional costume. They are used for special occasions such as christenings and weddings!

Cream

In traditional Hawaiian weddings, the groom will wear all white, ivory, or a light cream color.

Black

Black? We think of black for funerals.. not weddings.. But the Spanish wear black to symbolize that marriages are til death.

Pink

Indian cultures wear pink or red, their dresses are very ornate and usually are picked out by their families.

Purple

Couples in Malaysia often wear different variations of either purple, violet, or cream!

Gray/Grey

This is a grey area for traditional Yemenite Jews, whatever their ancestors wore, is what is handed down to them, it could be a simple gray dress or an ornate floral print gown!

Rose

You will often see couples in Bali wearing bright colors, such as hot pink, rose, or orange. The groom may even match his bride!

Fairy Guide to a Semi-Princess Wedding

Be a Cinderella of your big day and create the best diva look without being a replica of a bridezilla.

If you want to have a wedding on the coast with a sparkly Tiffany blue dress in the dead of summer? Go for it, you’ll embody princess Ariel like no other!  Pop some coral flowers in there for a nice touch of color to cool off the hot temperatures. This range of color sounds like it’s inspired by the mind of David Tutera!

Easy winter theme? If you’re a snow baby, you’ll love these ideas! Princess Rapunzel and her dreamy, rich colors, and a roman style wedding dress. If your prince is an avid game hunter, winter weddings are easy to incorporate hunting into your winter wonderland based wedding, have a fur shaw or coat to keep the ice and wind away from your bones.

Princess Fiona and Princess Tiana are trend-setters in their virtual world. Selling us on the images the world is our oyster; But underneath it all, they are open for prince to sweep them off their feet. A combination of renaissance and hippy styles to complete their looks for their fall wedding

Princess Aurora, or sleeping beauty as you may know her,  screams antique, Eliza Jane Howell’s dresses would be a great hire for a multi-style for a spring wedding. If you’re in the market for a perfect replica of Aurora’s dress, keep your sites open for a stunning and beautiful dress to speak your vows in!

You can be the Cinderellas of the ball with the right pieces. Powder your face, give yourself a dusty, smokey eye, and you’ll be second to no one!

 Around the World

Take a look at more than just the world outside your back door, from the east to west, USA to Africa… Wedding traditions and fun facts around the world; A look into all the different cultures and traditions from all around!

North America

Chicago

Chicago, Illinois is home to about 552 parks and the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel, which was the first one that was built in 1893. A wedding in the windy city may be great for actions shots and a little bit of history for when you look back at your special day!

Indianapolis, Indiana

If you’re getting married on a Sunday and plan on serving cocktails, wine, or champagne , be aware that it’s prohibited to buy or sell on Sunday! Historic Park County has 32 covered bridges, perfect for getting that historic look for your wedding!

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston was home of the first chocolate factory.. and chocolate is love, right?

Skyscrapers give you the daily weather report. There are lighted weather vanes at the top of the skyscraper that will light up different colors for different weather. Let’s hope for a solid blue light up there on your big day!

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Mall of America is located here, it’s 78 football fields large, so you know you’ll be able to shop for all the perfect wedding items that your little heart desires.

The nations first Better Business Bureau was formed in Minnesota in 1912 so you know you’ll get all the great reviews if you book your event here, no worries about that!

Portland, Oregon

The International Rose Test Garden is located here, how pretty would that be to get married with a 500 varieties of roses in the back drop??

New York City

In NYC, it’s possible to sell the air above the skyscrapers.. So if you want a rooftop wedding overlooking the city that never sleeps, you may have a fee to rent the air there! Also, we are uber thankful for Joseph C. Gayetty for inventing toilet paper in 1857.. How else would we play those fun bridal shower games of “DIYing” your wedding dress?!

Maryland

The National Aquarium is located here, in MD, in Baltimore. How cool would it be to have a sea life backdrop for pictures? You’re wedding dress would be very contrasting with those deep dark blues! Maryland is bordering DC, just think! You could have gorgeous, embellished by history taken at our nations’ captial!

New Jersey

NJ is known for their diners; They are known to have the most noted diners out of all other 50 states. At least you know your guests will eat well at the reception with all the food choices! Heck, you could even go to a diner at midnight after the party is over to satisfy your late night craving!

Virginia

Virginians are known for their vanity plates… yes, the license plates that are personally your own.. Now, not only can you physically take your new name, you can also show it off whenever you go somewhere! How cool to show off the new “Mrs” status!

North Carolina

Charlotte, NC is known for their party after the big occasion. Make sure you don’t wear uncomfortable sandals to the wedding, because your feet will be hurting and you’ll be ready to take them off!

Florida

The southern most state and girl, is it ever hot in the summertime in Jacksonville, FL. That doesn’t stop many couples from having a beach wedding in the hea(r)t of Miami, Tampa, or Orlando!

Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah couples marry at a younger age than any other state, but the divorce rate is also pretty high; The re-marry rate for the divorced couples is higher than any other state; So a happy ending for all involved!

Texas

Average cost for planning a wedding in TX?

Austin- $24,600

Dallas- $23,600

Houston- $31,800

San Antonio- $23,700

Everything is bigger in Texas, right?

Nashville, Tennesse

The annual sunny days in TN are 208, that is pretty good for having 365 days in the year and four season changes! More sunny days to get married… but hey, rain on your wedding day is said to be good luck, right?

Atlanta, Georgia

Civil ceremonies? Courthouse wedding? Who knew they were so big and had so many options for locations and by locations, that means anywhere your heart desires! GA has some really pretty historical buildings that would make a gorgeous back drop for your simple, civil ceremony. Also, they do larger groups for bigger weddings, you just have to make sure you book it. Just know you need an appointment for  the judge to marry you! A discount wedding that is affordable to you!

Denver, Colorado

Denver, CO may be one of the best places to get married. They have a slew of everything exclusive to weddings, from rental vehicles to tent rentals and they have some pretty awesome scenery for photos!

Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona has some pretty neat places to get married! AZ has backdrops of anything from historic to natural scenery. They have venues in the zoo and out in the desert with all the natural mountainous backdrop to museums and art galleries.

Michigan

One word… Castle. Who wouldn’t want to get the ultimate princess treatment and get married in a castle?? A Chicago business man built a 19th century castle modeling the French styles. How gorgeous!

Minnesota

The farm land is well and plenty in MN. A barn can be great for your reception, they can add just the right amount of country to your urban theme. There are also bodies of water with in walking distance of most venues, how pretty to have the dreamy sky and water back drop!

Ohio

Ohio is largely amish country, OH, amish you say? yes, amish. The amish communities know how to party. Their receptions are mainly pot-luck or have a lot of help from the entire community. Home cooked food, yum!! The amish usually get married on a Tuesday or a Thursday after their harvesting is complete. But, nonetheless, Columbus, OH has a wonderful zoo that would make a great animal embellishments!

Missouri

St. Louis judges will marry a couple with no charge to them, the civil ceremony is a public service act for the community! Pretty nifty, eh?

In Kansas city, the traditional first dance is usually just between the happy new couple, the new Mr. and Mrs. A private moment for the two of them to just have a moment with each other.

Hawaiian Island

Traditional dress of an Island wedding? Casual, a casual outfit for the groom usually consist of linen pants and shirt in a white or a cream color and a green lei. The bride usually wears a white and flowy maxi dress; Very informal.  A wedding in Hawaii will be a magical scene for you and your guests, simple and beautiful.

Las Vegas, Navada

Elopement central capital! If you want to get married by Elvis, in Vegas, you can! You can also do multiple weddings at once! In Vegas, any thing is possible. Obtaining your marriage license in Nevada only takes 15-20 minutes and you can get married right then and there! No time for cold feet!

California

Home to designer, Monique Lhuillier, known for male and female clothing, but mainly for her work in the bridal world. CA is known for their big cities such as San Diego, San Jose, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Redding, and San Francisco, but what they aren’t known for is their Spanish culture; Their weddings may even have some Spanish flare in their traditions. In CA, often times you may find weekend weddings are a big thing! How cool is it to not just celebrate for that one day, but an entire weekend with family and friends!

Washington

Seattle, WA is home of the Space Needle. How unique would it be to get married hundreds of feet in the air overlooking the Elliot Bay? Outdoor weddings are cool, but think of allure you would have with not only yourself and your man, but your destination that you’ve chosen in the sky!

Canada

Whether you’re in Vancouver or Edmonton, Toronto or Calgary, the average cost of a traditional Canadian wedding, including the honeymoon, is around $31,000; Average cost of the engagement ring? $4,000 and the bride usually has a say in what the groom picks. The dream dress costs around $1,200. For the flowers, DJ, and the venue the total cost would be around $12,000. Not a cheap wedding, but extravagant, nonetheless!

Mexico

Mexican weddings can have 100 to a max 400 guests easily. Small towns usually mean attendance will be open to anyone whom wishes to join. That sounds like a huge and fun party!

South America

Brazil

The bride and the groom will not see each other until the ceremony, this leaves the essence of surprise and the wedding rings will be inscribed with the others name as a symbol of never ending love for that person.

Argentina

Their wedding rings are usually made of gold that is given by a family member, like a grandparent. The gold wedding band will replace the engagement ring once the couple is married.

Chile

When a woman wears a ring on her right hand, this symbolizes that they are engaged. Only when they wed, is when they move the ring to their left hand.

Peru

Wedding cakes in Peruvian culture is known to have good luck charms placed in between the layers that are attached to strings and the lucky single lady that tugs the charm with the ring attached to it is said to marry within the year. Interesting as this is, this tradition is similar as to what is practiced in the US with the bouquet toss.

Europe

UK

The British believe marriage is to be proposed by the groom to the bride; But on February 29, a leap year, is the only time a bride can propose marriage.

In Scottish traditions, “Blackening the bride” is something that they do as a marriage counseling of sorts; They see it as if you can handle the blackening, then you can handle all parts of marriage.

Depending on where you’re native to, in Celtic tradition, the bride and the groom may wed barefoot. This allows them to be closer to mother nature and their Celtic ancestors! Kinda neat, right?

Greece

In the Spartan culture, when the bride or the groom leaves the reception to go to the bathroom or walk a guest out, any member of the opposite sex has the opportunity to kiss them in their absence. Yikes! I don’t know if I could handle a Greek wedding!

France

Mon cheri, the French have totally lost it. When the reception comes to a close, the bride and groom are forced to drink out of a toilet. The “soup” traditionally was made of any leftovers or food items found on the ground, but today it is mainly made of Champaign and chocolate. It’s almost medieval!

Ireland

The Irish believe that their feet aren’t able to leave the floor as they are dancing at their wedding. They believe that evil spirits lurk around pretty things and they don’t want the bride and groom to be swept away by evil.

London

They call the meal at the reception a breakfast! They believe that, that being the first meal together, it should be named appropriately.

Monaco

Weddings in Monaco are a family affair, a big event for everyone involved. Even if you have a civil ceremony, you will have to have a huge wedding for the family. Divorce rates are super low here! Monaco was home to Prince Ranier III and his beloved bride Grace Kelly and is now home to their predecessor Prince Albert and Princess Charlene.

Italy

Italian culture states placing a ribbon across the doorway of the church to let any one that passes by know that there is a wedding ceremony taking place. Instead of cans on the back of the car, the grill of the “get-away” care is usually decorated with flowers. They believe that this will pave a sweet road for marriage.

Germany

In German culture, guests at the wedding will bring glass dishes for the bride and groom to break. Breaking these dishes are thought to scare away all the evil spirits.

Spain

Spain is known for their beaded dresses; No matter the type of dress, ugly or not, the extravagant beading would camouflage the dress and make for the best couture design.

Asia

China

Women weep? The Chinese culture says that the bride and all her cronies start a month before the wedding.. Crying that is.. Yes, they cry.. The meaning of this is that they express, through tears, the joy and emotion of the upcoming nuptials.

India

Women born as “Mangliks”, an astronomial curse of Mars being aligned with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th house of the ascendents chart are destin to have the curse that is said to leave an early death for her husband. Rumor has it this curse has been deemed a myth. Good thing, because to break the curse, the bride has to marry a tree, yes, a realtree and then destroy it and the curse is said to be broken.

Korea

Korea may have one of the strangest traditions yet… Story has it, Mr. Groom is forced, or rather the groomsmen take off the grooms socks and beat his feet with fish to prepare him for his first night as a married man. Not sure what the meanings of this actually is…

Israel

Wealth is a big thing with the Israeli culture or “Israelites” and they prefer that cousin’s marry to keep the wealth fertile in their families. And in order to marry or become betrothed, a man would gift something to the brides father, thus sealing the deal!

Pakistan

Near that date of the wedding, traditional Pakistani brides will be kept in isolation to “beautify” themselves. This is a combination effort on behalf of the bride and the grooms family. Think of this as preparing for one of the biggest days of your life and you want to look spectacular for your groom!

Islam

Usually you see the bride trying to slim down for her big day, but in muslim culture, specifically in Mauritania there are facilities that you can go to to make yourself more appealing in a larger way… So much more appealing, that they may in fact find a husband!

Africa

In Kenya, the grooms’ father spits on the bride before she leaves the village with her new husband. Talk about a welcoming!

Classic African cultures rule that there is NO smiling is allowed! Not during the ceremony or the reception, not even for the wedding photos; How tricky is that?! Natural human response it to smile when happy! This is said to be a serious affair and smiling makes it less serious.

Australia

If you’re from Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane, or have Australian connections,  you know all about these traditions! Normally they have three ceremonies in addition to their wedding ceremony. Natives to Australia have a “smoke ceremony” that has cleansing and healing properties, this is also believed to ward off evil spirits.

The “stone ceremony” is rather romantic if you think about it; the code was established when early settlers couldn’t afford glamorous rings, so they would cast rocks in the water to symbolize that their love would withstand time as life flowed around them.

And 3, ceremony that is practiced, “acknowledging the land”; The bride and groom acknowledge those who have settled before them on their land and this allows the bride and groom to start their marriage on a positive note.

Also a fun little fact about Australia… most of the worlds sapphires are mined there. If you have a sapphire ring, you can always use it for your something blue!

The Party and The Party

The mothers and the bridesmaid dresses are important as well. Your attendants don’t have to model their dresses after Princesses Margaret or Di, or have them designed by Anna Campbell, but they do have to be dressed appropriately. If your colors are cobalt and aqua, you aren’t going to want the people who are to accent you wearing orange or yellow.

If you’re going to have matching dresses, try buying them for your crew wholesale or in bulk to save some money and keep you under budget.

What of the flower girl? Does she get a mini replica of the wedding dress, maybe with a bow around the waist, or a pale version of the womens dresses you’ll have standing beside you on you big day? Kate Middletons flower-girls didn’t copy her on her big day, but they still made sure to cover the cute aspect! Give your girls something to write about in their diaries.

Accommodate your cowboy! If your man likes camo or mossy oak and his men want to wear cowboy boots with big belt buckles… Let them, be his cowgirl! A rustic, backyard wedding can bring just as much class and serenity as a formal affair!

The Wedding is Done

When your wedding day has come to an end, donate your decorations to those in need. If there is anything that we’ve learned, wedding’s are expensive.

 

To remember and share your big day, head on over to www.tumblr.com and post all your great pics there! Show off how you modified your big day and when you and your family look back, it just backs all your hard work that you did!

If you’re a non-blogger, thats ok! I am sure people took 16 different photos of the same shot and you’ll have evidence of your big day.

The Moral of the Story

You don’t have to be one of the Kates or the Dianas to create your Walt Disney Princess themed wedding. You don’t have to have designer dresses made by Lazaro or Vera Wang. You don’t have to have Catherine Anne capturing your special day. Fall in love with the boho-chic dress or the indo-western style you didn’t know you loved. You may not see your designs in the pages Vogue, you may order them from the sales at Alfred Angelo online and get them via UPS and hope for the best for your special day. Your big day doesn’t have to be expensive, your wedding buys don’t have to create wars between you and your spouse or your bank account.

Weddings are a tale as old as time and we will forever portray them as we wish to. If you’re traditional to your culture or you’ve gained an interest and would like to represent that, go for it! Your big day is all about you and who you are! If you want a teal or silver wedding dress with a big taffeta skirt and a corset cinched waist, go for it! This is your day and it will be magical either way!