The past two decades have been an incredible time for members of the LGBTIQ+ community in lots of countries as they, their friends, families and supporters have embraced marriage equality. The long struggle for the right to marry the person we love has led to a change in legislation in approximately 30 countries, since 2001, when the Netherlands became the first country in the world to make gender identity and sexuality irrelevant in marriage law.
Many of us have been allies and supporters of the LGBTIQ+ community. We shared the pain of members of that community being prevented, legally, from marrying the person they loved. And, rightly, we shared the joy and euphoria that swept over them and us when we learned that, finally, they could.
Every bride wants to look astonishing on her wedding day regardless of her age. However, there is a big difference to shop for your wedding dress when you are over 40 than in your twenties. While older brides may look weird in some types of dresses, it’s important to choose a gown, which flatters your figure, suits your individuality and looks elegant.
Just married couple running on a caribbean beach
If you need some assistance, we will be happy to help you. Here are some tips on how to choose the best wedding dresses for older brides as well as some ideas of them.
Silhouettes
Minimalist A-line Wedding Dress
It’s crucial to choose a simple wedding dress silhouette, which is flattering for your body. As a rule, ball gowns and princess dresses aren’t chosen by older brides. Moreover, such a silhouette may look very weird if you are 50. Leave princess gowns to the 20 year old brides, but opt for something more elegant.
Seek for clean and soft lines. For example, column and fit & flare wedding dresses will be suitable. If you have a tummy, opt for empire waist and A-line wedding dresses. If you have a beautiful body you are proud of, you may also try a slip dress.
The type of neckline depends on your body peculiarities. Almost all necklines can be used for wedding dresses for older brides. However, if you opt for a V-neck, avoid too deep plunging necklines. Also, off the shoulder wedding dresses aren’t always flattering and are absolutely inappropriate if you have wide shoulders. Another exception is strapless wedding dresses. They look better on young brides.
Besides, you may play with the wedding dress length. For instance, tea length wedding dresses look very cute. Or, you may have a knee-length one. One more option is a high low wedding dress, which combines short and long lengths.
Moreover, instead of a traditional wedding gown, you are free to have a pantsuit or jumpsuit. There are many beautiful and stylish pantsuits and jumpsuits for sale, which look no less festive than gowns.
Styles
Lace Wedding Dress
In fact, many older brides prefer simple and casual wedding dresses. Such gowns are usually rather affordable and, very often, they can be worn for other occasions. However, minimalist wedding dresses aren’t always cheap. There are many incredible minimalist dresses, which are rather expensive.
Of course, we can’t just pass by lace wedding gowns. They look so feminine and elegant that almost all women are fond of them. A dress, which is fully covered with lace, will be a fantastic way to highlight your female’s nature. Also, you may opt for the gowns with lace bodices and minor lace details.
Vintage style is in trend today. You may find vintage wedding dresses, dedicated to all the epochs. Moreover, there are many beautiful modern wedding dresses, which feature some vintage details or simply draw inspiration from the past epochs.
One more idea is to have a bohemian wedding dress. This style is also in trend now and will suit older brides perfectly. If you want to look simple and chic simultaneously, pay attention to boho dresses.
Colors
Blush Wedding Dress
While the majority of brides stick to traditional white and ivory wedding dresses, today, it’s rather trendy to choose a wedding gown of an unusual color. Colored wedding dresses can be worn by a bride of any age. But while young brides, who get married for the first time, still want to stick to traditions, older brides and the ones, who get married for the second time, are free to break them.
For instance, blush and nude color wedding dresses are one of the biggest trends at the moment. The nude color can have different hues, depending on your skin tone. However, it looks very interesting when a color of the dress is close to the one of your skin. Though, it doesn’t suit anyone.
Blush wedding dresses are more universal. They also may have various hues, but suit almost anyone. Blush color looks great with all the wedding dress silhouettes as well as can be used for the dresses of different styles: from simple to luxurious ones.
Also, some other colors are suitable for wedding dresses. Such colors as pastel pink, mint, blue and violet look very beautiful on wedding dresses. The bravest brides may opt for bright colors like red or purple.
Details
Open Back Wedding Dress
Undoubtedly, cute details turn a simple wedding dress into a special one. For example, older brides may consider wearing a wedding gown with sleeves. If you have beautiful arms, you may opt for cap or flutter sleeves, which hide shoulders, but show off arms. Lace and illusion sleeves look very interesting. For example, the ones in 3/4 lengths are flattering for your hands and wrists.
The owners of slim bodies may opt for backless wedding dresses. They look incredibly sexy. However, we don’t advise to opt for deep cuts. Thus, a back open to the shoulder blades will be absolutely appropriate. Or, you may have a dress with illusion back. Such a design looks very mysterious and stylish.
If you think that you need a wedding dress with a train, you can definitely buy the one. However, we don’t recommend long cathedral trains as they are inconvenient and may look too pompous for older brides. Opt for a gown with a sweep train. This train is about 6 inches long and allows moving freely.
In addition, don’t forget about accessories. Your bridal look may be much more interesting if you have beautiful shoes, bouquet and headpiece. Also, a wedding dress can feature some additional details like a belt or bolero.
All in all, you see that older brides have a wide choice of dresses they can wear for their weddings. Just choose the silhouette and style, which highlights your individuality and flatters your body. Also, don’t be afraid of the experiments with the dress color and length.
Congratulations on your engagement! Get ready for some action now, for the countdown to your wedding will be a whirlwind of plans and tasks. You will be very busy planning aspects like the wedding budget, booking a venue, choosing invitations, and going wedding dress shopping. Meanwhile, don’t forget to plan for your bridal beauty appointments.
Your wedding day is that day in your life when you must look your absolute best. Unfortunately, there is no single magical treatment that will help you overnight. Perfect skin, great hair and a good figure take time to achieve. So, make sure you schedule your bridal beauty appointments into your wedding planning timeline in advance. Find time for all of these essential beauty appointments, and you will look gorgeous from head to toe on your wedding day.
1.Dentist
Happy occasions like weddings involve a lot of smiling. And when you are the bride, you simply must have a dazzling smile to display. Visit your dentist soon after you are engaged and find out what needs to be done. If there are major issues to tackle, your dentist can address them during the months leading up to the wedding.
Book a whitening and cleaning session closer to the wedding day. This will help you achieve teeth that sparkle and make you more beautiful. Meanwhile, don’t forget to practice good oral hygiene and avoid foods and drinks that stain teeth.
2.Hair removal appointment
Whether you do your hair removal yourself using DIY kits or at a salon, plan the timing for this wisely. Here are the different options and how you can time the appointment for best results:
Laser hair removal: Have you always wanted to laser unwanted hair off once and for all? Your wedding presents the right opportunity to put this plan into action. There are two things to remember when going for laser hair removal. First, it takes 4-6 weeks to achieve hair removal using this technique fully. Secondly, choosing a recommended professional laser center is wise to avoid unwanted risks. Book your appointment with a reputed laser hair removal salon considering this factor.
Waxing: Whether you wax at home or get it done at a beauty salon, it is important to time it right. Regrowth should be long enough to eliminate at the last session before your wedding day completely. Three days before D-day is usually good enough.
Depilators or creams: If you have been following these techniques for a while, you should have a fair idea of how long it takes after a session for the hair to reappear. Schedule your sessions into your timeline accordingly.
3.Hair stylist
Do you plan to do your hair yourself on your wedding day? Or will you be hiring a wedding hairstylist? Either way, you should visit a hairstylist before your wedding. At your first appointment, have a haircut and color your hair. This is very important if you plan to change your hair color. At the second appointment, do what is necessary to get your hair right in time for your wedding day. Book these appointments long before your wedding so you have enough time to experiment with a new look. If it doesn’t turn out well, you will still have time to outgrow it or fix the issues.
If you hire a stylist for your wedding day hair, we recommend a trial before the actual day. This will allow you to see precisely how your bridal hairstyle will be. You can also find out how long it will take. If you aren’t satisfied with the results, your hairstylist can make the necessary changes. It is a good idea to have this trial on the same day when you will be attending your wedding dress fitting. This will give you a perfect idea of how the hairstyle you chose goes with your wedding dress. Alternatively, if you have an engagement photo shoot or a bridal portrait, use this opportunity to try your wedding day hairstyle.
If you need some inspiration for wedding day hairstyles, take a look at the variety of images here on the Bridal Guide blog. And, here is some valuable advice on choosing the right wedding day hairstyle for you on the Huff Post.
4.Make-up artist
Many brides prefer to entrust their wedding day makeup to a professional makeup artist, and with good reason. Unlike any other day, you do not want to look less than perfect on your wedding day. Makeup artists have the necessary tools to help you look your very best. They will also ensure that your makeup stays fresh and you will only have to touch it up occasionally.
Just as with your hair trial, it is a good idea to have a makeup trial. Look online and in bridal magazines for inspiration. Collect pictures you like and take them to your makeup artist to look at. She may suggest changes and customize the look to suit your skin tone and features. A trial will allow you to see if you like the look or prefer something different. Plan this on the day of your dress fitting, if you want to see how your bridal look comes together. Or have it done on the day of your engagement photo shoot? You can then check if the overall look is photogenic, or you must make changes to look better on your wedding day.
Now, if you have decided to do your wedding day makeup yourself, don’t forget to read online guides for some helpful pointers.
5. Manicurist
Every part of your body that the camera sees deserves special attention. Your photographer will take close-up shots of your bouquet and wedding ring, and your hands will accompany them in the shot. A good manicure will pamper and prep your fingers and nails for this dose of attention. It is also an excellent opportunity to unwind, relax and enjoy some TLC. So, please don’t skip it!
Ask the manicurist for suggestions on how to dress your fingers for your special day. Let your nails also show off your personality. Choose from crisp French manicures, gently embellished designs, long coloured nails or wild mix-and-match patterns, depending on your preference. We suggest having your bridal manicure in the week leading up to the wedding. However, you should begin attending to your hands long before it. Avoid biting your nails, using harsh, dark nail colours and subjecting them to unnecessary wear and tear. Keep your hands moisturized and choose the best accessories to accentuate it’s natural beauty.
There are numerous resources on the web for ideas on how to decorate your nails on your special day. If you want a glamorous look, this article on the Huff Post has some interesting pointers. There are more ideas here and here.
6. Skin expert
Unless you are blessed with unique skin that is one hundred percent problem-free, it is a good idea to meet a dermatologist soon after your engagement. A skin doctor can provide professional solutions for any or all skin problems. You can find the right approach to fixing the issue, whether it is acne, blemishes, sun spots, redness of skin or any unseemly marks. However, remember that many skin problems take time to address and completely cure. This is why we suggest you travel to your doctor’s earlier.
For better results, you can also consider getting a specialist treatment like Microdermabrasion or a chemical peel at a qualified dermatologist’s office. After all, it is your wedding day. A little boost to your natural beauty will only help you look even better when all eyes are on you.
7. Hair salon
Just like skin, beautiful hair doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and effort to get tresses in the best shape. So, book your appointment at a good hair spa at frequent intervals throughout your engagement period, and indulge in some special hair care. Hair spas can really improve the texture and quality of your hair. Make it a regular practice and you will love the results.
See to it that you pick a good salon where the beauticians correctly identify your hair type and plan your treatment accordingly. With hydrating hair masks, head massages and refreshing steam sessions, your hair will shine like never before. Additionally, sessions like these are relaxing and will offer you a welcome respite when wedding planning stress gets to you!
8. Pedicure
Many women enjoy a manicure once in a while, or at least indulge in DIY manicures at home. However, few give the same care to their feet. As a bride, you must look flawless from top to toe. And this includes your feet. Being subjected to immense wear and tear all year around, a pedicure is a great way to get your feet to feel good and look great. It is also a stress buster, so you will love it. If you haven’t treated your feet to one in ages, plan at least two or three of them into your wedding timeline.
Pamper your feet with a relaxing pedicure and foot spa one or more times. Have the last one in the week leading up to your wedding. This is when you will be on an all-time stress high. So, the session will help you unwind. Additionally, it will help to fix your feet just in time for your wedding, so you get to put your best foot forward.
If you think details and designs are for the hands, think again. Dress up your feet and you will feel empowered and amazing. You can decorate your toenails and feet in many ways to look extra special. Find all the inspiration and ideas you need in this article on Soopermag.
So, have you booked your appointments for all the special beauty treatments you deserve as a bride? Do you have any more on your list? If you do, don’t forget to let us know by dropping us a comment below.
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event and a perfect excuse to indulge in some special beauty treatments. So, we say make the most of it and spend a little extra on enjoying yourself. With all the wedding planning stress you have to handle, this is one thing you deserve!
For all your bridal shopping needs, from your wedding dress and accessories to dresses for the bridal party and more, visit Best for Bride. You will find a fantastic bridal collection as well as a variety of bridesmaid dresses of every type imaginable. Visit our website to learn more about everything you can buy at Best for Bride and our various offers.
Modern day weddings are no longer cookie cutter versions of the same thing. For there was a time when all the bridesmaids dressed in cotton candy dresses and couples cut towering cakes! Today, every wedding is unique in it’s own way.
Every couple has their own notions of the most important day in their life. They carefully plan every aspect of a wedding and personalize all the relevant details. Most couples are quite adventurous too and ready to take risks, so they can enjoy a memorable wedding day. Breaking rules is so common that there are hardly any rules left to break! The result? Every wedding is fresh and interesting, since we do not know what to expect till we are at the event.
Best for bride has catered to brides for over a decade. Since that time, we have closely observed everything in the wedding scene evolve. From wedding dresses to wedding décor and party themes, a lot of things changed over the years. While many of these were a slow transition, others were quick to appear on the scene. But the best thing about changing trends is that they make weddings unique and appealing.
Here are some of the trends we have seen over the years that were totally unexpected. I can safely say that these trends strike us as interesting because we never imagined them to gain such wide acceptance. Take a look!
The bride must wear white, or must she?
Queen Victoria created the tradition of the divine, white wedding gown that symbolized virginity and purity. Although white is still a favorite with brides, it has many contenders. Every year, leading wedding designers bring out colored wedding dresses that tempt many a bride to embrace something other than white for her wedding day.
While the safe and favored choices include soft, muted shades of pink, blue and gray, there are also brides who do it big with bright and bold colors. And it isn’t just colors! Printed wedding dresses, dresses with colored appliques and huge, bold colorful designs are all present on the bridal fashion scene.
Bridal jumpsuits, trousers, the little white dress and more
Just as the traditional notion of brides in white wedding dresses found a replacement in colorful wedding gowns, so did traditional dress styles. The ball gown always fit the vision of a bridal dress. There was a time when no bride would be seen in anything but a billowing big meringue gown at her wedding. Later, brides chose to show off their style and natural curves in sheath and A-line dresses. And finally came the mermaid silhouette for brides who wanted to really flaunt their figure!
All these were gradual changes, but none of them prepared us for the big changes of the 2010’s and beyond. Little white dresses shared space with modular dresses, bridal pant suits and jumpsuits. These extremely unconventional wedding outfits heralded an new era in bridal fashion. Often seen at informal weddings and weddings featuring casual themes, these dress styles continue as the fashion-forward option for brides.
Casual wedding themes
Classic weddings are an eternal favorite. Nevertheless, many casual and unusual wedding themes make their appearance time and again. Popular wedding venues for casual themes include beaches, barns and even backyards. Who would ever have expected to see weddings planned around rainbows, vintage circuses or woodland creatures? However, such themes are only some of the many unusual themes that are popular in the world of weddings these days. When everyone wants a wedding that is like nothing anyone’s seen before, wedding planners and clever couples come up with such ideas. So, it is not surprising that food trucks, ice cream vans and naked cakes are all part and parcel of the wedding world today!
Anything but cake!
Sometime back, we could never imagine a reception without a cake! After all, a huge tiered cake was the highlight of every reception in the 20th century. As couples fiddled and played with traditional favorites, it was time to give a twist to this tradition as well. And that is how cookie tiers, gourmet cakes and cheese tables came to replace wedding cakes.
Not only are these options economical, they are better suited to satisfy the various tastes of the guests. Some couples incorporate this into their weddings to just keep it unique. With interesting dessert buffets with a variety of options, I think this is something to appreciate. Pancake stations, cupcake tiers and individual portions of tempting deserts are always more inviting than a slice of cake. All the couple need is a gourmet cake for the cake-cutting ceremony, and everyone is happy at the end of the day!
Bridesmaids who do not match
Bridesmaids are the bride’s best friends, sisters and cousins. They always held an important role in the wedding from time immemorial. Nonetheless, it wasn’t surprising that most women dreaded this wedding day, for their outfits were hideous. Although brides eliminated bright colored comic costumes from the scene over time, brides still chose matching outfits for their bridesmaids. So, irrespective of their size, body shape, complexion or build, all the women would dress in copies of the exact same dress.
The story is totally different now. Matching bridesmaids are a thing of the past. Although we wouldn’t have expected it at time, it is delightful to see these women in dresses that actually make them look good. Another detail for the bride to work on, but different necklines, hemlines, styles and colors are the various factors that brides consider when mixing and matching bridesmaids outfits.
Specially styled beverages and bars
The bar which was once standard fare at weddings was also pretty expensive. Most guests looked forward to it when attending a wedding. There was a typical menu with a range of drinks served at every wedding. So, it wasn’t easy to replace. While limited bars offered a happy middle ground to open bars and hosted bars, it wasn’t an adventurous choice either.
That’s when the idea of signature cocktails, local wine collections and beers became a big hit. This is now pretty common at many wedding receptions. Couples serve up a collection of signature cocktails, local wines and beers to not only offset their alcohol bills, but also to make a lasting impression through their wedding parties.
Wedding websites
Although the internet has been in existence for ages, it wasn’t so popular in the early years of this century. Hence, wedding websites were unheard of. All information would be in wedding invitations and passed on by word of mouth. Something as simple as a wedding website revolutionized all this.
Now, almost every couple has their own wedding website. This is a one-stop destination for all information about the wedding. It has everything from the wedding details to extras like the wedding registry. It may even have photos of the couple and include their engagement story. The modern generation is naturally inclined to check the wedding website of a couple than scan through the information sent to them in the form of a traditional invitation card.
Wedding brunches
According to English tradition, high noon weddings were most stylish. However, this idea didn’t hold for long. By the turn of the century weddings were always evening affairs. Lavish wedding dinners was always a given at a wedding.
So, wedding brunches are a novelty when we think that the idea was non-existent in weddings of this generation. However, this option comes with its advantages. It is not only practical and simple, it is also budget-friendly. With the advent of casual wedding themes, a wedding brunch is good for hosting guests without bursting your budget. It is pretty fun too, as the daytime creates a relaxed ambiance that is more welcoming than a formal reception in the evening.
Hashtag weddings
I don’t think you would be surprised if you were to notice a poster or board at a wedding listing the couple’s hashtag. In fact, if you are clicking pictures on this occasion, you will probably be tagging yours with the same. However, this idea was entirely unheard of a few decades ago.
Although social media has been in the picture for years, the idea of segregating all the information from a wedding in a single location was not there. Instead of clicking pictures, most people just watched the wedding and let the photographer do his job. It was only after smart phones became popular that everyone became obsessed with this idea of posing and clicking pictures all the time.
Decor and venues that aren’t traditional wedding fare
Classic themes have continued down centuries. However, more and more couples today want to surprise their guests by thinking of extraordinary settings and elements for their wedding. This perhaps explains the popularity of burlap and wood at weddings that follow a vintage theme.
Vintage wedding themes not only embrace the wedding styles of yesteryear, but also often replicate more than what we’d ever expect at a wedding. So, weddings in barns, elements like bird cages, distressed wood and burlap are trendy on the wedding scene. These were never expected to play into the settings a few years ago.
Unconventional bouquets for the non-traditional bride
Bridal bouquets had names, like the nosegay, cascade or round bouquets. They were traditionally formed of flowers that a florist gathered fresh and dressed into a tight setting. This isn’t always the case today.
Modern brides experiment with a range of unconventional bouquet options for various reasons. With loosely gathered wildflower bouquets, paper flower bouquets, those with brooches, paper and even fruits and berries, the options are numerous. The composite is also a trending style. In this design, florists use several smaller flowers and make a single big flower.
Tradition meets modern in blue wedding shoes
We just love it when modern brides put interesting twists on tradition. Over the last decade,brides switched out traditional white and cream wedding shoes for blue beauties. This is a modern twist on a very traditional part of weddings. It is not just interesting, but beautiful too.
Brides needn’t any longer find shoes that match the wedding dress or dye shoes that may never be used again. Blue shoes can usually be worn with many different outfits. So, there is a good chance of the bride using it again after her wedding day.
The first-look shot
It was a common belief among brides and grooms that meeting each other before the ceremony was bad luck. Most couples kept up with this practice till someone discovered it wasn’t helping with good photographs.
So, with the support of their photographers, more and more couples ignore this belief. This means better photographs for the album, and a chance for the bride and groom to see each other and enjoy their private moment before the wedding.
At Best for Bride, we love both traditions and modern practices. Hence, we are the best destination to fulfill your bridal shopping needs. Whether you are a traditional bride with a penchant for classic style, or a modern bride who wants everything unique and surprising, come and visit us. We have a vast collection of both traditional and modern wedding dresses. For more details on our bridal dress inventory, dresses for the wedding party, wedding services, accessories and online shopping option, check out our website here.
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