Spring 2009 Bridal Gown Trends

With the upcoming release of the Spring 2010 bridal gown lines by many of the great fashion designers, I thought it was very important that we take a step back and review the trends for spring 2009 that struck our hearts only four months ago. There are still many designers putting their foot forward with their spring 09 lines and they are blending incredibly well with what we're seeing so far in the newer lines. Many of the spring 09 trends are continuing, being used in fascinating ways by designers who, at the same time, are embracing the new themes.

So today's post is about the greats from this spring's collections. They're still trendy, still chic, and oh so delicious!

First, we've got the ruffles and layers look. With just one, you've got a mid 2007 look going, but together, designers are coming up with some really incredible looks. In the photos below, the second row is of two dresses by Matthew Christopher. They both use the ruffles and layers look, but they are so drastically different. One's sweet and romantic, and the other's got so much sass walking out of a room it's making me blush!

Second, there's the mini-dress. It's been flirted with, it's been taken on one or two dates, but mama bought the cow! The cute touches of these dresses are uniquely to the mini-dress. Over-exaggeratins you can't get away with on a floor-length are very in. Big poofy bodies being broken up or just embellished are the thing. Amsale Bridal has really got it right - with the photo below, and the cute bow dress in the newest Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.

Speaking of bows - they're back. But not in a bad way. Mini-dresses have their own set of rules, but with floor lengths they are being paired with a belt, in a cohesive mono-tone way that's sweet, but not distracting. Floor-length gowns are being broken into top and bottom sections with these belt & bow additions, and it's really making people stop and give them another look in a way that last year's big "brown belt" look really didn't. Thank you fashion evolution.

Floral embelishments are in, and designers are going all-out. I'm seeing so many detailed petal designs, the most impressive the gown by Carolina Herrera in which the entire bottom half of the dress is one large flourish-y flower. On a shorter bride, this will make you look stalky and about 12 years old, but on the long and lean bride (thank you Pilates), this look is striking. Carolina's gown is a real gamble, but there's lots more floral dresses out there that will work just right with you.

And then we have the vintage look. Last year was the 40's and 60's. This year, we go back and hit up the 50's for all they're worth. So many designers are using the 50's inspiration with other looks (do you see it in the Matthew Christopher?), and some designers are just embracing the amazingly simple lines and creating dresses of such sleek beauty I'm really amazed. And this brings me to...

My #1 wedding gown dress pick of the season! I've seen hundreds of gowns, some so beautiful they made me cry. But this gown...this gown made me stop, and the incredible simplistic beauty made me fall in love. This gown is liquid love, spun into silk, and made into something so incredible it takes my breath away. With the incredibly liquidity that only silk mikado can give, my gown of the season is Valentino Sposa's "Eridanus" gown (bottom photo).

I do.



Clockwise from top left: Vineyard, Amsale, Carolina Herrera, Matthew Christopher, Valentino Sposa, Matthew Christopher


So where can you find great gowns like this? Here's a list of some of Seattle's top bridal salons:

Something Blue

La Belle Elaine's

Marcella's La Boutique

La Belle Reve

The Bridal Garden

The Princess Bride Couture

Here's also got some great videos of the Panache fashion show, and an interview with Something Blue, to get you excited for your visit to a bridal salon.

Happy planning!
Rebekah Ross
Weddings & Events

Fashionably Foreign

When I first found out today's wedding theme, fashion, I wanted to find an honest to goodness haute couture gown. Unfortunately, the bridal gown market has taken the term couture and labeled any piece of crap as couture. (Pardon my French).


Luckily for me, I know what couture really means (thank you Project Runway). From Wikipedia: "In France, the term haute couture is protected by law and is defined by the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris based in Paris, France. Their rules state that only "those companies mentioned on the list drawn up each year by a commission domiciled at the Ministry for Industry are entitled to avail themselves" of the label haute couture."


So I chose one of the very few designers that is officially recognized by the government of France, Elie Saab. The beautiful gown on the left, the splurge gown, is from Elie Saab's Spring 2009 collection and costs about $100,000. You heard me right. I noticed the gown looked so much like a fluffy sari, that I went with a fashion infused Indian wedding theme. The silver sandals are Jimmy Choo's ($750), and the earrings are Me & Ro ($1,250)- a jewelry designer I found on InStyle that is so in right now.


When thinking of an Indian wedding, the first thing that came to my mind was the beautiful henna tattoos on the bride's hands, or Mehndi. The designs on the left cost about $266 to have a professional do. For the bouquet? Authentic Indian water lily's (a real pain to find, worthy of the $500 bouquet cost). I love the invitations, woven paisley invites, surprisingly only $164 for 100 from Wedding Paper Divas. When you add the paisley theme to the cake (and yes, paisley is authentic Indian), I found this very chic cake from Carrie's Cakes for $480. Wrap the wedding with a ceremony and reception in an indoor "tent" made of loads of draped fabric ($10,000) and you've got a very name-brand, fashionable wedding for only $113,410.


Or you could save your money and have the steal wedding. The sari is direct from india, with woven lace and faux gold threads, for only $240. That's right, over $99,700 less. The sandals are gold (to go better with the sari) and are made by Dessa ($65). The earings are, surprisingly enough, also by Me & Ro, but cost only $389. So you're still getting designer label without spending a grand. The flowers are pink oriental lillies, with 40 stems for $169. So much easier to get your hands on, too. The invites, also by Wedding Paper Divas, are more on the cute side, but they're so fun you can't help but love them, and at $99.50 for 50, why not?


The cake's fun too, and at $300 it's certainly worth the money. Lastly, the tent. *Sigh*. This tent is from one of my all time favorite companies ever - Raj Tents. Oh man, I just got goose bumps. I'm gunna say it again. Raj Tents. Ooo! Whatever you do, check out this website. It is so lush. When I win the lottery I'm buying a whole lot of stuff from them. The neatest part - you can buy, not rent, buy, a square tent with the lavish fabrics, for only $2,000. And you can have theme siestas and tea parties with your friends. Ooo nosh. The total for the steal wedding? $3,271.44.

{Rebekah} Fashion: Fashionably Foreign by bekahross