Fashion Friday: A Panorama of Wedding Dresses

With New York Fashion Week in its second day, we're already taking note of our favourite styles from the Spring/Summer 2015 collections - an abundance of white dresses to inspire our brides. Since travelling across the Atlantic isn't an option, we're watching the shows online and we've come up with an alternative solution - an exhibition dedicated to wedding dresses at the Victoria&Albert Museum, in London. 
  
Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 exhibition at the V&A offers a panorama of fashion stretching across two centuries of designer bridal wear. Displayed chronologically across two floors, you’ll find over 80 pieces – from romantic and glamorous to more extravagant wedding outfits.

Some of the most famous outfits in the gallery include the Dior wedding dress worn by Gwen Stefani in2002, the Duchess of Cornwall’s embroidered silk coat designed by Robinson and Valentine in 2005, and the couture Galliano gown created for KateMoss’s wedding in 2011.

                    

    

The exhibition hosts not only superb dresses and grooms wear but also accessories including shoes, jewellery, veils, garters and corsetry as well as fashion sketches and personal photographs. What better way to satisfy your curiosity about the history of garments than with an intimate insight into some of the wearers’ fashion choices and personal details.

The choice of designs reflects the changing attitude to wedding ceremonies and fashion over the years – early silk satin dresses in 1775,19^th century white muslin embroidered styles and modern innovative designs from Ian Stuart and Gareth Pugh.

  

WeddingDresses 1775-2014 takes place in the V&A Fashion Gallery, from 3 May 2014 – 15 March 2015. It is open daily 10:00 – 17:45 and until 22:00 every Friday, with tickets costing £12. You can also get your hands on the accompanying book, The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashions by Edwina Ehrman (the exhibition curator) for £25.

Let us know if you're going to the exhibition and how it may influence your choice of wedding outfits. Don’t forget to Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Photos: courtesy of V&A Wedding Dresses 1775-2014

V&A
T: 020 7942 2000

South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL

W: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/wedding-dress-1775-2014/

Miscellaneous Monday: It’s festival fever!

For our Miscellaneous Monday this week, we’re looking at ways to celebrate your wedding day outdoors, whatever the weather. 

Festival wedding venue: Outdoor celebration

If you’d like to have a relaxed, laid back feel for your wedding day, then why not consider a festival theme? With summer music festivals and local fetes all across the West Country at this time of year, there are plenty of local suppliers that can help with everything you need. With a few simple touches, you can transform your parents’ garden into a wedding-worthy venue. Weather permitting, you could be making your way down the aisle on a carpet of daisies, with guests sitting on hay bales, and say ‘I do’ under a beautiful floral arch. And if you're embracing the festival theme fully, then invite your guests for a wedding picnic under the blue sky - do ask them to bring wellies and a brolly, just in case!   

To get you started, we’ve put together a Festival Theme board on Pinterest, which you can share with your bridesmaids and maybe inspire you to create your own. We'd love to hear your thoughts in a comment below or drop us a message on Twitter!

Follow West Weddings's board Festival wedding theme on Pinterest.

Festival wedding details: Wild flowers   

From bouquets to center pieces, think mismatched wild flowers in different shapes and shades that look like they’ve just been picked from a meadow. Take inspiration from Kate Moss and go for a natural look – think soft dresses, loose curls, floral garlands and bare feet!  

Festival wedding music: Live band

There’s no better way to create a festival atmosphere for your wedding than with a live music performance. Choose a band whose style you both love and agree on a playlist that will get everyone on the dance floor. Add some festival flags, fairy lights and glow sticks, and your guests will feel like they’re at Glastonbury! 

Grooming the groom

Although on these pages we tend to focus on the bride, we like to consider the men from time to time. After all, they take centre stage on their wedding day too. So with this in mind, West Weddings went in search of tips to ensure your groom looks as groomed as he can be...

Don't worry, we’re not necessarily advocating that you start using ‘guyliner’ or foundation (although more power to you if you do want to give these a go), but in the run up to your wedding, it’s definitely time to get groomed.

Kate Moss checks the quality of Jamie HInce's grooming on their wedding day

Starting at the top, make sure that your hair is at its best. Bristol barbers RSR are experts when it comes to making grooms look good. Owner and lead stylist Rachael has been at the razor’s edge of men’s grooming for 15 years, and has a wealth of ideas for men wanting to rock a stylish haircut on their wedding day.

“It’s fashionable at the moment for men to not look overly styled,” says Rachael. “The most popular cut is a short back and sides but longer on top, similar to the way men wore their hair in the 1940s. The main difference nowadays is the products. Dry and matte waxes and creams create texture and movement but without looking overly wet or greasy.” Rachael recommends American Crew Fiber wax or Fudge Matte Hed texture paste.

For your wedding haircut, preparation is key. Rachael advises coming in a week to ten days before the wedding for a cut. “It takes about three days for hair to settle down,” she says. “So you want to make sure that you give it enough time for any sharp edges to soften.” RSR can also wash and style your hair on the day, ensuring that your new cut is shown off to its full advantage.

When it comes to your skin, don’t think that moisturiser is just for your bride - men’s skin needs as just as much care as women’s. There are lots of products on the market now that are designed specifically for you, with big names such as Nivea and L’Oreal creating whole ranges based on the specific needs of men’s skin. If exfoliator and eye roll-on gel seem a bit too much effort, however, at least take the time to use moisturiser on a daily basis to ensure your skin looks smooth and in tip-top condition for the photographs.

If the thought of walking into a shop and buying male moisturiser causes you to shudder with horror, a more cunning option is to buy a cream that both you and your new wife can use. Eternal Skincare’s aloe super hydrating moisturiser is unscented, meaning it’s suitable for both men and women. It also multitasks as a face cream, body moisturiser, after sun and massage lotion, so you’ll have more room in the suitcase when you go away on honeymoon.



Eternal Skincare's aloe cream is a clever multi-tasker

A visit to a spa is also an option for some body TLC – after all, why should pampering be just for the ladies? Robin James Aveda spa in Bristol offers a number of treatments tailored specifically for men. These range from stress-relieving massages and facials to more adventurous options including eyebrow shaping, manicures and pedicures. There is even a back and chest wax for those of you who can handle the pain! Robin James also has a ‘groomsmen’ package, which combines a number of treatments for you and your best men plus lunch or afternoon tea and champagne. This is the perfect chance to relax and unwind before the big day.

You’ll be looking at your wedding photos for years to come so it’s definitely worth investing some time and effort into your appearance. After all, your wedding suit might date but a good hairstyle and clear skin never go out of fashion.

 

The death of the strapless dress?

You know wedding season is coming up when searches for wedding hats have increased by 235% in the last month. How do we know this? Well, Twenga, the new-generation search engine which enables shoppers to see items from different retailers across the world in one handy place, has released data today about what brides in 2011 are looking for online.

The dress silhouette of the moment, according to the research, is the princess cut, closely followed by the mermaid and empire line. Perhaps marking the end of the strapless dress' dominance over the last few years, the most popular necklines are off the collar, scoop and v necks.

Veils are also up in popularity, with Twenga noting a 113% increase in searches for this item.

Pronovias is the most searched-for brand, but Ronald Joyce and Justin Alexander, in second and third place, have seen a rise in their popularity. In fourth is Benjamin Roberts and  budget-savvy brides have resulted in Nicholas Millington coming in fifth.

Of course, with two Royal Weddings coming up in the next six months - as well as fashion royalty Kate Moss - it will be interesting to see how the dresses chosen will influence other brides' choices. Just as copies of Oscar gowns go on sale immediately after the ceremony, so too have Royal Weddings traditionally led to dress styles being emulated within days of their first glimpse - something that began in Victorian times. Whatever Kate, Kate and Zara opt for will soon be showing up in Twenga's search results.