EVERY bride dreams of her perfect wedding dress: The style will match her personality and the fit will accentuate her form; the dress will become the centrepiece of her wedding and a keepsake for years to come.
While finding the right dress can seem like a daunting task, it's time for spring and summer brides to get started on the search.
Each year, designers showcase their new designs on springtime runways, and by October, bridal shops start receiving their choice samples. By January, the shops are stocked with the newest styles and it's time to browse; January to April is a busy time for bridal shops. Brides are encouraged to start looking for their dresses six to eight months before their wedding to allow time to order their dress and alter it to fit.
Blush Bridal and Special Occasions in West Vancouver and Isabelle's Bridal in North Vancouver are set for this year's wedding season and are revealing 2013's newest styles.
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"We're seeing a comeback in ball gowns," says Brittany Vickers, bridal manager at Blush, noting this year features fuller gowns. The look is more of a soft, romantic gown rather than a structured formal look, she explains.
"One of the big trends we're seeing is the flange skirt," she notes. The design features a soft but deconstructed look in the back; a layer detail for some added fullness.
Beaded cap sleeves are another detail emerging in this year's dresses, as well as illusion necklines. The sheer coverage detail is featured on strapless gowns for a little added coverage.
Dresses tend to alternate between modern and traditional styles, says Vickers. This year, dresses are featuring an updated version of the corset and a return to fully beaded gowns.
Removable overskirts are popular and are also functional. With a removable overskirt, brides can have one look for the ceremony and then remove the overskirt to create a less formal look for the reception.
Brides want to make a statement when they come down the aisle, then want to be able to enjoy the reception in a more practical gown, says Vickers.
While style details change year to year, the length of wedding dresses hasn't changed much.
"Most brides tend to stick with the full-length gown. We do have short dresses. A lot of brides are doing the short dress to change into for the reception," says Vickers.
Colour is also a consideration, but brides also still tend to stick to ivory dresses, although there are some dresses featuring hints of champagne and blush.
"We're (also) starting to see a little bit of the red wedding dress," adds Vickers. All of the sample dresses at Blush are ivory, but the dresses are also available in red.
Tulle and organza are still popular dress materials, but there is a newer material on the market now called a stretch silk mikado. It presents a more formal look with sheen on the fabric, but because of the stretch it's more comfortable.
"It's starting to be that it's a must that the gown is lightweight and comfortable," notes Vickers.
While brides have many reasons for choosing their dress style, the time of year doesn't have to affect their choice.
"I think brides are really starting to realize that anything goes for your wedding, you can make it whatever you want. The only thing I would say is that you probably won't see a bride wearing a destination-style gown at a winter wedding," says Vickers. "They tend to add a little more detail, like the beading or the ball gown skirt for those winter weddings."
After surviving stressful searches for their own wedding dresses, Cheri Hamm and her sister opened Isabelle's Bridal with the purpose of helping brides find their perfect dress in a stress-free environment. A family affair, the store is named after their mom.
Isabelle's Bridal is stocked for the new season, and Hamm agrees this year's dresses are leaning toward a soft, romantic look.
"We are seeing a lot of lace, there's a lot of lace. That vintage look is very, very popular," she says, noting the style is fit and flare, not quite like a mermaid style, but vintage and sophisticated. Lace was also popular last year, as was raw silk. Raw silk dresses are still quite popular because they are constructed to look like a wedding dress but the fabric is light.
"Raw silk is just so pretty, and it's very natural," says Hamm, noting brides tend to prefer a natural look and raw silk is very natural looking.
Despite the turn to more traditional touches, brides want their weddings to reflect themselves, and not everybody's looking for a traditional dress, says Hamm. "We have one super cool dress here in the store right now. It is a blush pink wedding gown and it is a high-low (higher in the front and longer in the back). It's more of a trendy dress, it wouldn't be for your typical bride."
A lot of brides are adding a touch of colour to the ceremony with blush, champagne or dark ivory dresses, but it's not always obvious.
"If girls are doing colour in their dresses we find that it tends to be more subtle right now," says Hamm.
Some brides are even choosing black-and-white wedding gowns. "I find if they want to go bold then they'll incorporate black," notes Hamm. The black is incorporated into the gown as embroidery, lace boleros with black lace, or in a sash.
"Sashes are huge," says Hamm. Their popularity started last year and continue into this season. They are used to add some bling or colour to the look, she notes. Sashes aren't the only popular added feature. Low backs are also popular, and when it comes to accessories, the most popular items to add to the look are sashes and boleros, and if brides are wearing a veil, they can put a flower in their hair for the reception, adds Hamm.
Some brides also switch up their jewelry to feature something classic for the ceremony and something less formal for the reception. Shoes have become another popular accessory thanks in part to the proliferation of photos on social media.
"Shoes right now are huge for weddings," says Hamm. Brides rarely buy typical white shoes these days. Hamm is excited by some of the colourful offerings she has seen recently: royal blues, hot pinks, fuchsias and greens.
"The girls have really put as much effort into their shoes as they have their wedding dresses," says Hamm. "I think it's just something fun."
Getting great pictures is a must these days for weddings, and fun aspects like striking shoes make for great photos, notes Hamm. She says she has seen brides in photos lift up their dresses to reveal fuchsia high heels with the groom and his party lifting up their pants to show off socks that match the shoes.
Brides are really trying to personalize their wedding experience and add their own fun and flair to it, notes Hamm.
