It wasn’t that long ago that the words “maternity” and “wedding dresses” simply couldn’t appear in the same sentence. The idea of a woman who is not only pregnant, but visibly pregnant, getting married – well, it just wasn’t done! But, times have changed and it is now acceptable and even common to see a beautiful, pregnant bride.

As recently as a generation ago, you were very unlikely to hear of a visibly pregnant bride. A pregnant bride was often married quickly, out of town, or in a civil ceremony. Because of her status as future mom, she was denied the type of wedding most women dream of.

White weddings are no longer limited to virgins. There is nothing wrong with a white maternity wedding dress, but if the bride is fearful of whispers, she can always dress up a beautiful white maternity wedding dress with a few colored flowers or lace.
Finding maternity wedding dresses is actually easier than you may think. Many bridal shops now carry several styles of maternity wedding dresses, and a recent search of eBay.com turned up over 50 maternity wedding dresses for sale.

Seamstresses are often able to convert traditional wedding dresses to maternity wedding dresses, by adjusting the waist and adding more fabric. There are even patterns available if you want to sew your own.

The most important part of buying a maternity wedding dress is, of course, the fitting. You will be expected to anticipate both your weight and size at a future date, and sometimes that is simply very difficult to do. In order to minimize any fitting mistakes, try to arrange for the alterations to be done as close to the wedding day as possible.

Oh, and don’t foreget plus size wedding dresses. They can be an option as well.

Don’t be shy, and enjoy your wedding day as a beautiful, pregnant bride. There are plenty of beautiful styles of maternity wedding dresses available from which you can choose.

]]> http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/welcome-to-the-21st-century-%e2%80%93-maternity-wedding-dresses/feed/ 3 http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/bridesmaid-dresses-after-the-big-day/ http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/bridesmaid-dresses-after-the-big-day/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:36:59 +0000 Beginning Two End http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/?p=39

So many brides these days are trying to find bridesmaid dresses that can be worn after the wedding. Well, collection Queue has heard the news through the grapevine. Collection Queue has created these fabulous bridesmaid dresses that are perfect for the wedding and after the wedding is over. The dresses are on the higher end of the spectrum but if you plan the wedding far in advance it will give your bridesmaids time to pay for their dresses. They cost between $230-$580. The Queue collection is currently available at queuecollection.com and select Bella Bridesmaids locations

Photo Courtesy of Queue

Many women have a very precise view of what a wedding dress should look like. White and flowing, tight in the bodice, with a train and a veil – dresses should be elegant and to wear for one day only. But wedding dresses were not always that way.

Before the 1920s, wedding dresses generally followed the styles of the time, with hemlines rising with popular fashions. But, as hemlines approached the knee, many women reverted to wearing longer, more traditional styles. During World War II, wedding dress styles were very conservative, often using as little fabric as possible in order to save resources for the war effort. To be married in an elaborate gown would have been considered un-American.

By the 1950s, long wedding dresses were back in fashion, sometimes having jackets or under-dresses which could be used as a cocktail dress after the wedding. Fine fabrics and intricate stitching was back and many women had long trains and veils. The 1960s saw an increase interest in veils and hats, with longer trains, and tight-fitting bodices. It wasn’t until the end of the decade that less form-fitting dresses became popular.

The 1970s saw the recurrence of wedding dresses with long and extravagant sleeves, fashioned after the wedding dress of Britain’s Princess Anne. Princess Diana was the major influence for wedding dresses during the 1980s. Fashioned with large, flared sleeves, rich materials, plenty of decorations, and long trains, many wedding dresses appeared as if they came right out of a fairytale. When Sarah Ferguson was married, later in the decade, wedding dresses followed her particular style, as well.

Wedding dresses of the end of the 20th century tended to show a little more flesh, with low necklines and plunging backs and off-the-shoulder sleeves. Wedding dresses tended to maintain a fitted bodice, but included fabrics that were more flowing and fluid than previous decades.

Article written by renowned wedding coordinator,
Syvella Brantley of Beginning Two End, Inc.
Maryland Wedding Planner
1-866-798-3552

We have asked all of our brides why do they purchase their wedding dress first and they say, “it’s the most fun, easy, and exciting thing to do of all the planning.” We get that!!
Here are a few tips on what should you do when shopping for your wedding dress:
· Set a budget on how much you are willing to spend on your wedding dress. This will keep you form looking at dresses that will not fit in your budget comfortably.
· Take someone with you whose opinion you trust very much
· Take a camera and have someone take pictures of you in the dresses that you admired most. We do not suggest taking pictures of all the wedding dresses you try on, it will be too many to decide from; you want to keep your choices to a minimum.
· Let the store consultant know what your budget is and to show you gowns that would fit into it.
· Try on veils while your trying on the wedding dresses do this will help you envision what veil and accessories will look great with your wedding dress. Make sure you purchase your accessories after you have decided on a dress.
· Once you have decided on a dress you will most likely be asked to sign a contract. Make sure you read it over carefully and make sure the price, size, style number, designer, color and all other pertinent information is on the contract before you sign it. In addition, make sure you find out what the cancellation policy is because even though it is the easiest and most exciting item to buy it will be the hardest item to return.