Even now in some cultures, white is overlooked for other

Elegant And Iconic Wedding Dresses

Elegance is in the eye of the beholder, much like beauty. It depends more on attitude and quality than it does on price. A simple definition of elegance is grace of movement, polished expression and refinement of beauty. If youre determining which wedding dress style is right for you, take a look at some of the most memorable iconic wedding dresses of all time to get some inspiration.

Queen Victorias Wedding Dress

Queen Victoria started the trend of white wedding dresses. Prior to that point, wedding dresses were every color and meant to be worn as the woman's best dress rather than just once on her wedding day.

Even now in some cultures, white is overlooked for other traditional colors. Red is the color of choice for Chinese brides. Indian brides choose brightly colored and richly embroidered saris. And Japanese brides will wear a wedding kimono and often change into a western style white wedding dress for the reception.

So what did Queen Victoria's wedding dress look like? It was white satin accented by nosegays of orange blossoms at the bosom and scattered about the full skirt. Her lace veil was designed exclusively for the wedding. The pattern was cheap junior bridesmaids dresses later destroyed so it couldn't be used again. Nearly 200 people labored for six weeks to produce the lace veil and lace for the trim of her dress. The neckline left her shoulders bare. Sleeves were full, starting off her shoulders and ending above the elbows.

Queen Elizabeth IIs Wedding Dress

This beautiful queens dress was richly embroidered ivory silk with a satin train. The ball gown had a scoop neck, full skirt and long sleeves. It was embroidered with 10,000 seed pearls. The 15-foot train was made of delicate lace embroidered in the same pattern as the dress, including flowers, the white rose of York and wheat heads, a symbol of fertility. The queen wore a veil made of white tulle attached to a diamond tiara. Around her neck she wore a double pearl necklace.

It is said that Queen Elizabeth II had two wedding dresses. The first was worn when she married Prince Phillip and the second at her coronation when she wed the people of the United Kingdom. That dress was designed by Norman Hartnell who also designed her wedding dress. While the original design called for white satin and little embroidery, the final design remained white satin but was heavily and richly embroidered with plants or flowers to represent each of the entities that make up the commonwealth. The embroidery was in pastel colors and accented by gold and silver threads with diamonds, amethysts and colored crystals.

Grace Kellys Wedding Dress

She was a real fairy tale princess whose gown has been a timeless inspiration for brides since her wedding day in 1956. The gown was white satin with a high neckline and long sleeves. The bodice and sleeves were antique Valenciennes rose point lace. Twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and ninety-eight yards of tulle were used. Her headpiece fit close to her head with a fingertip length veil in grey evening dresses front and longer veil in back. Her wedding dress and veil were designed by Helen of MGM studios and given to her as a wedding gift from the studios. She carried a small bouquet of lilies of the valley over a white Bible.

Princess Dianas Wedding Dress

Princess Diana had one of the most stunning and talked about wedding dresses ever created. Actually, there was more than one dress designed and made to keep the media guessing as to what she would wear on her wedding day. Immediately, brides all over the world wanted the full sleeved, full skirted over the top style of gown for their weddings.

Celine Dions Wedding Dress

This well known Canadian singers wedding gown was a stunning extravagance of white satin embroidered with crystals and pearls. The ball gown had a full skirt, sweetheart neckline and long sleeves and a 20-foot train. Her crowning glory was literally a crown consisting of 2000 Austrian crystals which weighed seven pounds. Attached to the headpiece was a Cathedral length veil. Before and after the wedding she wore a white fur coat to keep her warm.

Melania Trumps Wedding Dress

When you're marrying a Trump the sky's the limit. Melania Trump's wedding dress is rumored to cost nearly $100,000. Designed by Dior, the dress weighed close to 50 pounds and had a 13-foot train, complemented by a 16-foot veil. The veil was artistically arranged in a swirl pattern to match the swirls in her dress. The dress was in the mermaid style, fitted through the hips and flaring out starting about mid-thigh. While the bride had fittings for the dress, she had never walked in the gown until her wedding day and stumbled a bit when she first started down the aisle. Obviously, that dress was not meant for dancing. Melania changed into a simpler and much lighter dress for the wedding reception.

Wedding gowns have changed a lot since the Victorian ages, but theres still so much inspiration we can glean from yesterdays style icons. By blending your personal style and personality with some elements of these unforgettable wedding dresses, youre sure to have en elegant mnm couture 2013 wedding dress that you and your guests will remember forever.

Homecoming Dress black long sleeve maxi dress Prices Skyrocket

Each year, high school girls spend more and more on gowns for homecoming. This year especially, prices are rising exponentially. The increase can be seen across the board, not only with designer and name brand . Finding high-quality dresses for less than a few hundred dollars has become virtually impossible. Prom and homecoming consultant Ashley Baldauf explained several reasons for the upped prices, saying, n the current economy, many dress designers have closed down some of their factories in China. As a result, there are less workers trying to produce the same amount of dresses, so it takes longer to make each dress. Each one takes hours to make.? here more beading on the dresses, as well as feathers, both of which have to be sewn on individually by hand,?added Nicole Jelinek, a sales representative for popular local homecoming and prom store One Enchanted Evening. he beads themselves are also getting more and more expensive. The heavier the beads, the more they cost,?Baldauf stated. Last year, One Enchanted Evening most expensive gown was a Jovani design for $750. The rest of the dresses ranged from $200 and up. This year, the store carries several dresses for $850, and many more in the $600 and $700 range than the previous year. The dresses come from designers like Jovani, Sherri Hill, and La Femme who focus specifically on prom and homecoming gowns. Another contributing factor is the ever-increasing price of gas. The shipping costs for dresses are growing more and more expensive, and as a result, stores have to charge more for them to make up the difference. And the big brand name dresses aren the only ones costing more each year. Nordstrom dresses are anywhere from $50 to $2,250, although the dresses at the highest prices are Herve Leger. For lesser known designers, Nordstrom dresses cap at about $800. BCBG, another common source for homecoming, sells dresses that can cost anywhere from $200 to $1000. Popular websites like ModCloth sell cocktail dresses toward the lower end of the spectrum, from $60 to $200, but many are more casual and not necessarily intended for homecoming. Cache dresses fall between $60 and $200. Comparatively, dresses from department stores like Macy and JCPenny are much more affordable, falling between $50 - $160 and $30 to $60 respectively. Department store dresses, however, are widely recognized as lower quality and often include no beading, feathers, or any special detailing that would cause the price to go up. Prices show no sign of coming down anytime soon, and prom prices are likely to be even higher. If youe planning on buying a prom dress this year, or if you haven bought your homecoming dress yet, make sure you save up.

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