Choosing a wedding dress is probably one of the most time consuming and difficult things for a bride to do. There are so many styles to choose from that it can be quite overwhelming. When you break it all down, there are basically 5 choices, the A-Line or Princess, Empire, Column, Ball Gown and Mermaid. A-Line or Princess StyleThis is a great dress that is suitable for most body types. The way the dress is made gives the impression of height and is good for the bride who wishes to look taller. The cut also helps to make the bride look slimmer which is a bonus. The style means that there is a full skirt and the whole dress is very versatile. It accentuates the best bits of your body and hides the others!EmpireThis is a very good dress again for most body types but especially good for those women with a smaller bust or those with a larger bust. This is because the dress brings the focus of attention to around the neckline. With some jewellery here, the effect is increased and the neckline becomes the centre of attention. ColumnThe column style dress is quite well fitting and is more suitable for the slimmer lady. It is not the most forgiving so if you have body areas that are perhaps a little larger than you are happy with, this dress will not do well to hid it. Due to the hugging nature of the dress, it will make the bride look taller, the downside is that it can be a little harder to move in!Ball GownThis style of dress is good for the slimmer bride and also for those who do not wish to show off the leg area too much. The way the dress fans out at the bottom does not show off the legs at all but the centre of focus if at the upper half of the body. This style is also probably not best suited to shorter women as it can look proportionally unequal. MermaidThis style of dress is best suited to the slender bride as it does show off the figure and does not look flattering for those who do not enjoy their body curves. There are a range of styles to choose form and you can see if there is one for you. Just remember that once you have decided upon your dress, you need to invest in the proper dress storage box for it otherwise you risk ruining your investment in many years time through fabric degradation.
Archive for December, 2009
Wedding Dress Styles – Choosing the Right One
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009Why you need an acid-free, pH neutral storage box for your wedding dress
Friday, December 25th, 2009Some people may think that a large plastic bag or any old storage box will do when it comes to properly storing a wedding dress, but the fact is that you need to use an acid free pH neutral storage box for your wedding dress to keep it it in the most optimal condition. Why?Acids Destroy Fabric The acids in the cardboard box will damage the fabric over time. The point of storing your dress is so you can have it perfect condition in however many years, to pass on to a daughter or a sister, or maybe even wear it again when it is time to renew your vows. Why pH Neutral? Even if they aren’t acidic, the boxes may have a reverse alkalinity which may also work to damage and discolour the fabric. This is why it is very important to make sure that the box you store your dress in is not only acid free but pH neutral. This will keep the box from causing any damage to the dress. Viewing Window or No Viewing Window No viewing window, because light will cause the fabric to discolour. When you are looking for a wedding dress storage box, make sure that in addition to being acid free and pH neutral, the box has no windows to let light in. Once you have selected the proper box for your dress, remember not to use tissue paper inside (unless it is pH neutral!) the box to cushion the dress, because with the right box, you should not need the tissue paper. Also remember to clean the dress and allow it to dry completely before storing it to ensure that it will be in the best condition possible later.
Temperature fluctuations could also cause damage to the fabric, so the place where the box is stored should be a fairly consistent temperature year round. Store in a dry, dark place to prevent discolouration. Take time to inspect the dress each year to ensure there are no new stains and admire its beauty. So, the key is a pH neutral wedding dress box.
A Wedding Dress Box vs a Plastic Bag For Your Valuable Dress
Saturday, December 19th, 2009When trying to decide what kind of storage to use for your wedding dress, you may be stuck between a proper wedding dress box, or a plastic bag. Let’s take a look at reasons why you should use a proper box instead of a bag. A Proper Wedding Dress BoxA proper wedding dress box will be acid free (because the acid will break down the fabric and cause discoloration) and will also be pH neutral, because a box that is acid free without being neutral will likely have a reverse alkalinity which will cause the same kind of damage as not having a acid free box. The proper wedding dress box will also be solid with no viewing window, because a viewing window will let light in. A Plastic BagWhile it may be good to help you get your dress from the store to the seamstress for alterations and to the cleaners after the wedding, using a plastic bag allows light to get to the dress which will break down the fabric and lead to discoloration. In addition to light, the bag will likely be more susceptible to moisture which can cause the dress to mildew and mold. As time goes on, the plastic bag will break down, whereas the proper dress box will stay intact. Chances are the plastic composition of the bag will also contain acids that will break down the fabric. While it may be more cost effective to store your dress in a bag initially, in the end it will do more harm than good when you go to take out the dress in a few years to give to your daughter, friend, or other loved one to find it ruined with discoloration and weakened fabric.
Save yourself potential heartbreak later and store your dress correctly with an acid free, pH neutral wedding dress box. This way you know your dress will be safe through it all and when it is time to renew those vows, you will be ready to go.
Cleaning Your Wedding Dress
Monday, December 14th, 2009Most brides spend hundred and even thousands of pounds on their wedding dresses. Dresses are not cheap and are probably the most expensive piece of clothing you will buy during your lifetime. Traditional and with the majority of wedding dresses, they are white or a very light colour like beige. Obviously this means that any marks or dirt will show up more readily. During the actual wedding, in having a great time and enjoying yourself, your dress will get some dirt on it no matter how careful you are trying to be. Panic not as you can always clean your dress. You can always try and clean the dress yourself but this is not recommended! There are professional dry cleaners who specialise in cleaning wedding dresses. Wedding dresses are usually substantial garments and therefore cleaning them is a a task in itself. Not only that, the value of wedding dresses means that the dry cleaners do need to cover themselves with insurance in case anything goes wrong. Due to these factors, having your dress dry cleaned is an expensive business. It can cost a couple of hundred pounds and in some cases can cost a percentage of the cost of your dress. I have come across people who were charged 10% of the cost of the dress! A large proportion of this goes towards the insurance. Once your dress is dry cleaned, then you need a proper dress storage box for it that is the right size and more importantly is pH neutral. This means that there is no acidity or alkalinity within the material of the box. This is important because over time, any acidity or alkalinity can over time degrade the fabric of the dress or discolour it. So, when you have your dress boxed, store it somewhere at room temperature so you avoid wide temperature fluctuations. The main piece of advice on this site is to invest in getting your dress professionally dry cleaned rather than doing it yourself. Once cleaned, store it properly in a pH neutral dress box.
wedding dress
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Image taken on 2005-03-19 00:00:00 by wonderfully complex.