Designer Wedding Dresses

From sweet to sexy, svelte to bouffant, designer wedding dresses are creations that bring glamour to a bride's big day. In one of the new designs, you'll bask in the spotlight while you field compliments on your beauty and your gown.

Here's what designers are working on for the coming season of wedding dresses. The popular fashion is still the strapless gown, sometimes with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice is often embellished with gems, swaddled in ruffles and nipped in at the waist. Lace appliques along the full-length skirt lend the dress a sense of tradition. The designer might use gemstones, paillettes, sequins or other glitter to bring contemporary glamor to a gown. The design elements we notice most are ruffles used with a free hand, ruffles layered down the dress, ruffles on the bias, ruffles on the bodice, and ruffles cascading to the hem of the dress.

The Designer Wedding Dress in Black

The astonishing new look in designer wedding dresses is the black bridal gown. Even the doyenne of wedding dress designers, Vera Wang, is showing black for the bride this season. You don't often see black, but when you do it makes a big impact. Black on the wedding bride is a recent style innovation. It makes an aggressive contemporary statement that throws tradition to the wind. Black is for the bride with a strong sense of herself, who can carry it off.

The Princess Designer Wedding Dress

The princess fairy tales of Walt Disney have influenced a new line of designer wedding dresses, a stunning collection of seven gowns for today's enchanted bride. These are wedding dresses named for Disney's animated storybook princesses, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White and Tiana. Naturally, all seven of the dresses feature the princess silhouette. And wouldn't you know it, Ariel's dress is designed with a mermaid skirt.

Kate Middleton's Designer Wedding Dress

It's no secret that designers and brides take their cue from the wedding dresses of public figures, celebrities and performing artists. This year, the wedding gown chosen by Kate Middleton, bride of Prince William, has influenced styles in the showrooms. You'll see that Kate's conservative wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, has inspired dresses with lace full-length sleeves and a vee neckline, with or without the cathedral train. Kate's dress was made of ivory and white satin gazar, with French Chantilly lace and English Cluny lace used throughout the bodice, skirt and underskirt.

Features of This Year's Designer Wedding Dresses

Wedding dress designers are showing taffeta gowns featuring multiple layers of dreamy gossamer tulle. Frequently they use tulle and glitter net over taffeta and satin with touches of organza and lace. The details are drop-dead gorgeous. A lace and crystal beaded bodice, draped satin, ruching down the dress, jeweled waistband or a jeweled halter, with lace applique; details like these speak to the bride's elegance. Decorative use of pearls, rhinestones, metallic accents and crystal beading add to the glamour. A lovely colored satin sash and bow can add back interest to the wedding dress.

Designers feature wedding dresses with a detachable shrug, overskirts, detachable sleeves, satin ribbon at the waist, or self-fabric flowers, For the most part, wedding dress trains are chapel length or semi-cathedral. The princess silhouette and the mermaid skirt are often used.

I wish you a happy day full of romance and memories as you plan your wedding.

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Designer Wedding Dresses