One of the most important aspects of a wedding is the bride’s dress. The marriage too, but let’s be honest, all eyes will be on the woman of the moment when she makes her triumphant walk down the aisle. With all this attention, you’ll definitely want your look to be picture perfect.
Wedding dress shopping is an experience. Making a dress or even just having one altered takes time. To make sure you stay on schedule, follow our wedding dress timeline.
12 months before the wedding:
– Research: Before you begin wedding dress shopping, you have to know what you want. Having a general idea of how you want to look will make the shopping experience that much easier. Scour Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration. It also helps to make a Pinterest board so that your bridal party and shopping assistants at bridal stores can greater understand your vision.
– Budget: Before you enter a store, you need to have a budget. If you don’t have a budget, you risk spending way beyond your means. When setting up your budget, make sure to include all the extra expenses such as alterations, shipping and accessories so that you have a ballpark figure that you cannot go over.
10 months before the wedding:
– Start wedding dress shopping: If you thought finding the One was tough, you haven’t gone wedding dress shopping yet. With so many silhouettes and styles available, it is easy to become overwhelmed.
Take your time and visit a few wedding dress stores to see what they have to offer. During this time, you can also start to get a feel of the the styles that look best on you, which will make your final decision much easier.
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8 months before the wedding:
– Say yes to the dress: After months of visiting bridal stores, now is the time to make your choice. By 8 months, you should have your wedding dress locked down and ordered. It may seem early, but choosing your dress this early leaves enough time for alterations and fittings which can often take months to complete.
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5 months before the wedding:
– Accessorise: remember the saying, “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”? Now is the time to incorporate it into your wedding attire.
Whether it be an extravagant veil or a bridal hair piece, there are so many ways to top off your bridal look. The 5-month mark is the perfect time to go shopping for shoes, jewellery and other other accessories to compliment your dress.
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3 months before the wedding:
– First fitting: Chances are, you’ll have two to three fittings to make sure your dress is the perfect. At your first fitting, you will cover all the alterations that need to be made, whether it be a shorter hemline or extra beading.
It is crucial to have this fitting months ahead of the wedding to allow your seamstress enough time to make all the necessary changes. Make sure to bring your shoes and accessories along so that you can see the final look a little more clearly and make the necessary adjustments.
6-8 weeks before the wedding:
– Second fitting: The second dress fitting is for minor revisions. You will be fitting on your dress to see how the alterations at your first fitting came out and if any other changes need to be made. Once again, make sure to bring along your shoes and accessories. If possible, have your hair styled and your bridal makeup done so that you can see every component of your look together.
2-3 weeks before the wedding:
– Final fitting: All the alterations should be complete at this point, so the final fitting is simply to ensure that everything is perfect. This is the time when your entire look will come together. It is advised that you come prepared with your shoes and accessories, and have your hair and makeup done to get the big picture of your bridal attire.
the week before the wedding:
– pick up your wedding dress: it’s finally done! Your next task is to pick up your wedding dress and leave it somewhere safe. If you are following tradition, you’ll want to keep your dress out of your partner’s sight, so you will need to be strategic about where you will store it.
the day of:
Enjoy your wedding day: this one is pretty self-explanatory. The day has finally arrived, and now is the time to bask in your happiness while wearing your dream dress.
Image: Unsplash
This might not be something men think about a lot, but the fact is, your groomsmen give just as much time, energy and money towards your wedding as…
Designers call it the modern-day ‘frothy dress’. Known for its dramatised aesthetic, tulle dresses are now taking over the runways and have made its way into the top list of wedding fabrics with a modern design. It is referred to as an aesthetic that you wear not to only look good, but also to feel good. The layering of tulle creates a fairytale-like design, encouraging the bride to feel like a little girl playing dress-up. And isn’t that exactly what it is though?
Tulle and organza are fabrics associated with haute couture, which leads to the end result being, what we call, ‘OTT’ – a look perfect for your big day. Tulle has been used in bridal gowns for decades but now designers are taking looks straight from the runway and creating a more wearable style for brides and their bridal party. Below are some of our favourite tulle gowns, ready to hit the aisle:
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By Rojaun Devos
Feature image: Unsplash
Proposing or announcing big news at someone else’s wedding is mostly frowned upon. Then again, it really does depend on the couple getting married, as some take delight…
Planning a wedding can be tough. With all the moving parts, you’re bound to feel overwhelmed. So why not rely on a professional to do it for you? Wedding planners are experts in all things wedding.
Hiring a wedding planner, however, doesn’t work for everyone. If you’re struggling to figure out if a wedding planner is right for you then check out our list of pros and cons.
Pros:
– Less stressful: Having a wedding planner takes all of the planning and scheduling off your hands. All you really need to do is say yes or no to the plan and sign the cheques. If you are someone who gets overwhelmed quickly, a wedding planner will be amazing for you. You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing someone else will put in the time and effort to bring your vision to life.
– Discounts: Since they have worked in the business for so long, wedding planners have connections and can often score discounts or deals with vendors. This way, you can actually save money on a service.
– New ideas: Let’s face it, you’re probably scouring Pinterest for wedding inspiration, which could lead to your big day being quite cookie-cutter. Wedding planners have seen and done it all, and often come with fresh ideas to create a unique spin on a classic. They can even show you ideas you would never have thought of. You can rely on them to make your wedding day special and memorable for the right reasons.
– They think of everything: A lot can go wrong on your wedding day. if you’re not a professional event planner you might not consider the smaller details that can all affect the day. Being professionals, wedding planners would have already factored all variables in and set a Plan B in place.
Cons:
– Less control: A wedding planner is both a blessing and a curse. After discussing your vision, you will have to relinquish control to the expert. If you are someone that likes to be in control and know every detail, then hiring a wedding planner might not be right for you.
– Costly: You’re paying for the wedding planner’s expertise and that can often come at a high cost. If you’ve got a tight budget then a wedding planner will probably not fit into it.
Image: Unsplash
It might sound unnecessary, or even a little vain but we’re not here to judge. All we know is, touch-up stations are becoming a thing! A touch up…
Your wedding will be a romantic affair regardless of your theme. However, a romantic theme is always appropriate for the day, especially if you are wanting your wedding to be a traditional, fairytale day.
Make use of an abundance of flowers, draping, calligraphy on stationery and signage, soft lighting, blush tones and delicate details to turn your wedding into a romantic rendezvous.
Have a look at these beautifully romantic wedding ideas:
Candle-lit and flower petal-strewn aisle:
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Blooming backgrounds:
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Archway to heaven:
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Floral ceiling:
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Central attraction:
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Monochrome magic:
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Cake it up:
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Blushing beauty:
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Feature image: Pixabay