For anyone who was at my wedding or who has seen pictures of it, you know that I love colour on wedding dresses. In a sea of white-clad brides, it's a way to distinguish yourself and make your outfit unique. Here are some tips on how to add colour tastefully.
I go back and forth on this David's Bridal gown. On the website you can choose from over 40 different colours, but I chose black because I find it the most interesting and unique. It is reminiscent of a little girl's sailor dress, which I like! It goes brilliantly with the beach in the background. What makes me unsure is that I don't know if this dress will stand the rest of time; will the bride still love her choice looking at photos ten years down the road? It's difficult to tell what will end up looking dated in photographs; however typically it's the trendiest trends look dated, and this certainly isn't the trendiest of trends.
If the trim on the David's Bridal dress is too whimsical or daring for you, a black sash is another elegant way to add colour and interest to a white dress. This dress on the left is from Alix & Kelly, and the one on the right is a Vera Wang. Both have the same feel of flowing organza, but are more traditional than the dress above.
Aside from bows and trim, another way to include black in your outfit is to ornate the dress with black stones. I love this Enzoani dress. I am normally not a fan of bustled skirts, but the long draping of the material prevents it from looking like a cupcake. The black stones at the top are also a great way to balance the look, not to mention how the high sweep of the hair balances the downwards lines of the fabric.
While black and other neutrals are classic options, more and more people are opting for vibrant colour accents in their wedding gowns, often taking a cue from their wedding day colours, or allowing the dress to help determine the colour palette of the day. This can be problematic, as brighter colours could appear childish or costume-like.
While I love red as an accent colour at a wedding, I rarely see a red-accented dress that I like. This Alfred Angelo gown (left) is reminiscent of my grade 7 Mrs. Claus Christmas pageant costume. The shade of red is straight off a primary colour wheel.
I prefer the embroidery on this Sincerity Bridal dress, as it is a darker red and more of a statement, but this combined with the halter straps and sash is way over the top.
While on the topic of red-accented dresses, I cannot let this next one pass:
Another very special Alfred Angelo gown, I guess. I don't even know where to begin. I generally dislike triangular embroidery at the bottom of dresses, but really, I'd take that over a boob-flap any day. It looks like she may pull a Janet Jackson at the end of this song, I mean wedding. Honestly, I realize everyone has different tastes, but there are so many other ways to make a statement with colour.
While I love the "periwinkle" colour of the bow on this Eden gown, the bow sits a little too low and a little too centre for my tastes. I'd like to see it slightly more to the bride's left, and have the bow sit slightly higher, just above the dropped waist.
Many affordable manufacturers allow you to choose a custom accent colours for many styles of dresses, as I mentioned above (David's Bridal and Alfred Angelo both do this). While this is a great feature, if a bride is matching colour accents on her dress with the colour palette of the decor, it is a necessity that swatches of all fabrics be ordered ahead of time in order to make sure the shades are exactly the same, or at least complimentary. This is essential when accenting your dress with a distinctive colour, such as green, blue, or red, since it will be very easy for guests to notice differences in tones. You don't want your wedding dress to be the only thing that doesn't match the napkins, the bridesmaids dresses, etc.
While I plan on doing a separate entry on colour coordinating later on, also consider how the coloured sash, bow, trim, or embroidery will look against a bouquet of flowers. Somehow I think the periwinkle bow shown above would look even stranger peaking out below a carried bouquet.
For more on accenting with coloured sashes, see my previous entry.
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