BREAKING WITH TRADITION

By Amy DuFault

The bridal industry for a long time has been slow to make changes when it comes to outfitting brides. Women hoping to wow guests on their special day are often left to tout a colorful sash, a concentrated pattern of rhinestones or an Empire waist. Hardly a celebration of one’s individuality.

But in a dramatic turn of events, the spring 2008 bridal fashion has arrived full of promise and significant changes. The tried-and-true formula of billowing dresses and long trains is being replaced by edgier looks that transcend traditional bridal garb.

Dress styles are making brides feel contemporary, says Meredith Lane, owner of Meredith’s Bridal Boutique in Mashpee Commons. The new, more sophisticated and enhanced look incorporates more layers of lace rather than beading or embellishments and adds a couture bolero jacket made of an Alençon lace to match the gown.

Yolanda Celluci, owner of The Event Center at Yolanda’s in Waltham, says designers have created a niche for two new bridal extremes: the mermaid and the baby-doll look. The major trends right now are body-conscious, like the mermaid figure or the high Empire-waist, baby-doll dress. A lot of the angled ruching and layering effect from tiered fabric is being designed to actually make the bride look slimmer, Celluci says, adding that designer dresses by Badgley Mischka, for example, and Kirstie Kelly for Disney, are offering brides these choices and also complementing them with beautiful bridesmaid styles.

Kelly draws on a bride’s fantasy of walking down the aisle in a fairytale wedding and makes that dream come true but with a much more modern spin. The heroines of classic tales, like Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine from Aladdin, comprise her line, Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, launched by Disney in the spring of 2007. Kelly uses the expertise she developed from her studies at the Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles to make a happy marriage of sheer netting cut away at the shoulder, refined trumpet skirts and the blending of chiffon and satin.

Celluci says many of her brides come in searching for a look that puts them on a pedestal but not by emulating what their mothers looked like, clad in tulle headpieces and full skirts for their weddings. Today’s bride wants to be significant and will try every venue to achieve her look. Unfortunately, what the bride typically brings in to her boutique torn magazine pages and clipped examples that seemingly have no rhyme or reason – actually creates more problems when it comes to achieving an actual look that the bride envisions.

“The average woman tries on thirty-five dresses or more ... because they’re so confused. They pick up an issue of InStyle or Modern Bride, even J Crew, and brides (become) very confused (about) how they want to look,” says Celluci. “Brides not wanting to spend over $1,000 on a dress are horrified to see most of the prices average $5,000 to $6,000.”

But that’s the dollar figure for the modern dream wedding and many brides – or their parents – are willing to invest it to make sure the day matches the vision of a perfect wedding.

“As far as color goes, more brides are choosing blush as the color of their gown.  It’s a soft, romantic color that doesn’t photograph as pink as one would think and is a great color for women with dark hair and fair skin or strawberry blondes,” says Lane. Other noteworthy trends include the wedge shoe – which avoids the problem of a high heel sinking into the ground or sand – perfect for garden or beach weddings.

Aimee Guthinger, owner of Bedroom I’s Lingerie in Osterville, says that regardless of anything trendy, the solution to many bridal-garb woes will be simple – start with the right piece of underpinnings.

“I wholeheartedly suggest that a bride come to be fitted for the undergarment prior to selecting the dress.  It actually makes dress shopping so much easier if they are wearing a convertible/versatile seamless foundation ahead of time.  Most do not tackle the job this way, because, let’s face it, these ladies are not waiting for that proposal to go foundation shopping.  They want to focus on the dress, and who can blame them, right?” says Guthinger. But the right undergarment also helps avoid the possible disappointment of falling in love with a dress that in the end just will not work.

“We have seen this happen a few times in the past few years, and in truth, I hate to admit that it does, but there is only so much a foundation can accomplish.  If the dress has specific openings or the fabric is too sheer, it can become an impossible challenge ...  to get the lift and support necessary to wear the dress well,” says Guthinger.

After finding the wedding dress for their big day, brides have another part of the equation to solve – dresses for their bridesmaids. And for those women, says Lane, “it’s all about the bubble skirt this season. It’s a great look for the bride who wants her maids to wear cocktail dresses. But the bubble skirt is just more fun than the plain tea-length that has ruled for the past three seasons.” Some brides let the maids show their own personality by allowing each to choose her own dress.

Charlene Colon at Sposabella Bridal says bridesmaids are getting a voice of their own in wedding decisions. Although most brides still have the final say as to color and style, their bridesmaids frequently are more willing to exert their opinions.

“One of the most-asked maid questions is what color to put the maid and matron of honor in. Should they put her in the same color as the other bridesmaids or just choose a different dress style or different floral arrangement for her?” But, ultimately, she says, the bride makes the final decision.

Although the second most important person in the wedding, the groom, is often overlooked and pigeonholed for a traditional tux, most people would agree that a classic look is the most handsome.

Emma Gauvin, manager of Mr. Perry’s Tux, says the best bet for a groom is something clean-cut, well-fitted and suited to his physical dimensions. “Think George Clooney,” Gauvin says. “...He looks great in a tux, and it’s not because he’s George Clooney. It’s because his stylist knows traditional style, and great quality is how to make a statement.

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