Wearing a casual wedding dress is absolutely a valid option these days. Especially for a spring wedding or for a summer wedding that takes place in the backyard or on the beach, a formal dress would actually be inappropriate – a casual wedding dress would look fabulous.
Of course, “casual” need not mean “sloppy!” Your casual wedding gown can still look great – it can be white and flowy and very flattering – but it likely won’t have a long train and will not be very structured.
You can buy a casual wedding gown off the rack – any long white gown will do – or you can opt for a “proper” bridal gown but go with a simple style.
Personally, I love the following styles by Anya Bridal, who offer wedding dresses in Atlanta:
Allison Wedding Gown
I love the way the model is wearing this gown with her hair down. Very appropriate for such a simple, gorgeous style that would look perfect in a backyard wedding.
Brittany Wedding gown
Another simple style that’s very appropriate in a casual setting yet elegant enough for a more formal wedding.
When picking a wedding dress style, it’s very important to make sure that the style is appropriate for the ceremony. Casual would likely look out of place in a church or in a fancy hotel. Formal would probably raise eyebrows on the beach or in your parents’ backyard!
If you’re a small bride, your main concern is that you don’t want to get lost in a sea of fabric. You want to wear the dress – you don’t want the dress to wear you!
since many wedding gown designs are traditionally made with elaborate details and lots of fabric, finding the perfect wedding dress for you is going to be fairly challenging – but it can be done.
Regardless of how your “dream” wedding dress looks, if you’re a short bride, puffy wedding gown styles are probably not the best choice for you. Instead, go with a simple, clean, unfussy look. A simple sheath dress will look great on you. Keep the train and the veil short too – the less cluttered the look, the better.
For petite brides, I really like the Victoria style from Anya Bridal (Atlanta wedding gown designers):
It is clean and simple, yet elegant and sophisticated.
I also like the Tanya style:
Remember that while it may be tempting to wear very high heels to your wedding in an effort to make yourself appear taller, the price you will pay in terms of discomfort and possibly pain and inability to enjoy yourself is too high! Choose a wearable 2-3 inch heel and a sleek dress style and you will look gorgeous AND enjoy your big day.
Even though most brides wear their wedding gown just once, it is very important to make sure that the dress you purchase is of a high quality. A high-quality, well-constructed wedding dress will be truly flattering and will also be comfortable. A low-quality dress will simply not look right.
A few things you should look for in your wedding gown:
1. Fabric: Your wedding gown should not just look beautiful. The fabric needs to be resilient so that it won’t snag or tear easily.
2. Seams. Make sure the seams are straight and even. A high quality dress with straight seams will lie flat against your body rather than bulging in all the wrong places.
3. Detailing. All detailing, such as beads, must be securely fastened.
4. Buttons and Zippers. Buttons should be well-secured to the dress. Zippers must be flat and never bulky. They should also be easy to zip and unzip.
5. Trains. The train should flow naturally and gracefully from the dress to the floor, and appear round and even.
While high quality often means paying more, it IS possible to find affordable, high quality wedding gowns. Anya Bridal, for example, who offer wedding dresses in Atlanta, have a wide selection of beautiful, well made, affordable wedding gowns.
Photo by e.t.
