With every new year the bridal industry releases a new line of gorgeous bridal gowns from top fashion houses, along with shoes, veils and jewelry. All of these combined aspects make for the bridal trends of the year.
Mermaid Gowns
Mermaid gowns have been around since the 1930s when silent film stars wore them for award ceremonies and lavish Hollywood parties. These body-hugging garments remain incredibly sexy, giving a Mae West appearance no matter what a woman’s body style. This dress style works just as well on big bosomed ladies as it does on the more subtle side of the spectrum. The waistline hugs, and when worn with a corset, can produce amazing results-if the bride can stand wearing such a tight undergarment. Although the cut of the dress can vary, one thing remains constant in a true mermaid gown-the flair of the skirt.
Ian Stuart created several gorgeous gowns for this bridal season, including a gorgeous blue number, as he is known for using color. Monique Lhuillier, a designer goddess, creates gowns fit for a princess. Both designers’ gowns may be purchased at Kleinfeld Bridal in Manhattan.
Vintage Dresses and DIY centerpieces
This season also brings gowns with sleeves-covering the arms, which was most likely brought to us by Kate Middleton when she married Prince William last year. There are gowns with a vintage flair, made of rich satins and brocades likely inspired by the wedding of the character “Bella” in the hit teen film Breaking Dawn.
In other areas of the industry, we see many do-it-yourself (DIY) brides using vintage everyday items such as typewriters and Ball jars to decorate their receptions. Vintage cameras, books, and osculating fans are quite beautiful on reception tables. Old crates and luggage can easily decorate a reception hall, allowing for beautiful food displays if draped with the right fabric.
Brooch Bouquets
Beautiful brooch bouquets of vintage rhinestone pins grace many wedding magazine pages and websites this year as the trend becomes incredibly popular, especially with the DIY brides. These crafty ladies spend a year or more collecting old pins, and with the use of floral wire, bind them together to form beautiful, colorful bouquets and boutonnieres’. These unusual floral replacements have a hefty price tag if bought from a vendor-costing anywhere from $400 to $1,000 for a decent bouquet.
Brides today have many choices to make when it comes to their weddings. Although 2012 brings in a new sense of style to the industry as a whole, brides may still select from the old favorites-traditional gowns, bouquets and veils. Something old, new, borrowed and blue still rings true in 2012.