Wedding Preparation

Picture this. You’re standing at the back of the church, waiting until the music starts and it’s time to take the biggest steps of your life. The church is packed and every pew is filled with the familiar, smiling faces of your family and friends. Everyone stands and turns around as you begin a slow walk down the aisle towards the man you’re going to marry. With everyone watching you should be nervous, but in your couture wedding gown you know you look like a princess straight out of a Disney movie.

Every girl dreams about her wedding day, and if you want yours to be as perfect as the one we described there are a few things you have to remember when shopping for a bridal gown. In the first part of this two part blog series we’ll discuss some of the do’s of wedding gown shopping.

• Make an appointment. An appointment will give your bridal gown shopping experience priority over the brides who did not make an appointment. At Dimitra Designs Bridal Emporium we have bridal consultants who specialize in making this important time a memorable one.
• Bring pictures of styles you’ve seen online or in magazines. This will give the bridal consultant a better feel of what you want to look like on your wedding day.
• Keep an open mind when you’re shopping. Your bridal consultant knows the inventory and has a great eye for what dresses would complement you, while keeping your unique style in mind.
• Be upfront about the budget you have set for your wedding attire. One of the biggest mistakes that a bride-to-be can make is falling in love with a gown that is way out of your price range, which can make finding your dream dress a disappointment.
• Enjoy yourself! All of the bridal consultants at Dimitra Designs Bridal Emporium want to help you find the perfect wedding dress, but most importantly want you to have a memorable experience.

To request an appointment with the bridal consultants at Dimitra Designs please fill out our request appointment form, or call us toll-free at 866-866-0968. Make sure you check back with us next week for part two of our guide to wedding dress shopping.

There are certain parts of a wedding that are traditional and expected, such as the wedding reception, bachelorette and bachelor parties, and the engagement party, but perhaps one of the least talked about events is the rehearsal dinner. DimitraDesigns.com is here to answer all of your rehearsal dinner questions from cocktail dresses to invite lists!

Q: When is the rehearsal dinner usually held?

A: The rehearsal dinner is typically held the night before the wedding ceremony. Although, it’s referred to as a dinner, you can choose to hold a lunch or even a brunch.

Q: Who hosts the rehearsal dinner?

A: It’s customary for the groom’s parents to host the rehearsal dinner.

Q: What should I wear to a rehearsal dinner?

A: Since the rehearsal dinner comes after the wedding ceremony rehearsal, the people who attend the rehearsal dinner usually dress up. Men should wear a suit and women should wear a rehearsal dinner cocktail dress.

Q: Who is invited to a rehearsal dinner?

A: The wedding party, the bride and groom’s parents, any people who are reading during the ceremony, and spouses or dates should be invited to the rehearsal dinner.

Q: Is the rehearsal dinner a full meal, or is it more of a snack?

A: The rehearsal dinner menu can be anything you’d like or anything that suits your budget. There’s no set menu.

Do you have a question about rehearsal dinner etiquette? Let us know with a comment. Whether it’s picking out the perfect rehearsal dinner dress or who to invite, Dimitra Designs will help you with all of your rehearsal dinner questions and problems.

You’re about to take the most important step of your entire life, marriage. With your impending nuptials comes the most important fashion decision you will ever make, choosing a wedding dress. Be prepared, and make sure you choose the right wedding dress for you.

You'll feel like a princess on your wedding day, wearing a ball gown wedding dress.

When you’re shopping for a wedding dress you need to know what type of dress you’re looking for. There are a few style options – the A-line, empire, column, ball gown, and mermaid.

Mermaid Wedding Dresses: This type of dress hugs the body, and fans out at the bottom around the calves. Since it’s so slim-fitting we recommend this style wedding dress for slender brides.

A-Line Wedding Dresses: An A-line dress adds height to the person wearing it, and it will also make you look slimmer.

Empire Wedding Dresses: This style dress draws attention to the neckline, and works best for brides who want to distract attention from their bust.

Column Wedding Dresses: If you want a wedding dress that will hug your curves and make you look taller, then a column styled wedding dress is just the dress for you.

Ball Gown Wedding Dresses: It’s your big day, and you’ll want to be the belle of the ball. What better way to do that then by wearing a ball gown wedding dress. This style dress usually has a full skirt and a slim fitting top.

When you shop Dimitra Designs you’ll find all of these wedding dress styles by popular designers, such as Alfred Angelo Bridal, Justin Alexander, and many more!

Don’t you just love this time of year? The chill is slowly disappearing from the air, and the flowers are starting to blossom and bloom. Weddings are wonderful any time of year, but there’s something about a spring wedding that radiates romance. Maybe it’s the soft colors or maybe it’s the new flowers breathing life into the world. Whatever it is, you’ll be thrilled with this spring’s hottest wedding trends.

- As you plan your wedding think carefully about the colors you choose. Soft, romantic colors are so in this season. Think about using soft pinks, lavender, sea green, sky blue, etc.

- This spring’s wedding dress trends include fairytale type wedding dresses with layers of tulle, and sequin designs.

- Your love is in bloom, as it is in nature, so it’s perfectly understandable why this season’s wedding table fashions are all about decorating with beautiful flowers. For evening weddings and receptions, line tables with candles.

- As in the past, DIY wedding trends are big things spring. From favors to your wedding dress, there are many different DIY wedding ideas for your big day.

- Some of the flowers often used in spring weddings include, daisies, tulips, roses, and peonies.

What are some of your favorite spring wedding trends? Let us know with a comment, and check back with Dimitra Designs to keep up with the latest wedding news, trends, and information.

There are so many different ways to express yourself on your wedding day; it’s fun to be creative! Besides jewelry, hair, and makeup there is one other accessory that is a must for brides: your shoes! We gathered together the most popular bridal shoe options for you!

Bling Heels: Crystals, rhinestones and diamonds are everywhere since 2012 is the year of bling! Maybe you’re looking for pumps, stilettos, or kitten heels? Well lucky you, bling is in on any type of couture bridal shoes!

Fabulous couture heels!

Neon Pumps: Yes we said it, neon! Neon accents are in this year; brides are choosing to wear a hot pink pump to present an edgy twist with a traditional white dress.

Flip Flops: This comfortable shoe choice is seen most on destination brides. There are solid options along with rhinestone flip flops which are much easier to navigate in sand than a heel!

Wedges: Heels can be difficult at outdoor weddings since the heel tends to poke into the grass and create an awkward walk down the aisle. Brides are turning to sassy wedges which make it easy to walk and now come in dressier styles.

Express your own individual style by choosing what shoe works best for you and looks fabulous with your dress! Forget the rules and wear what you want to wear; after all, it is your day!

Just as you want to wear the perfect dress as you profess your “I do’s,” you also want the ladies standing alongside you to look beautiful too. This year it’s all about bright colors, beads, and short bridesmaid dresses.

Black – You cannot go wrong with black. Brides are choosing black to flatter the many shapes and sizes of their bridesmaids and for the elegant look it brings to the altar.

White – Believe it or not, many brides love the all white look for their bridesmaids. Maid of Honor Pippa Middleton made this color famous again!

A coral, strapless dress is a chic bridesmaid option!

Bright Colors – It’s all about the rainbow. From coral to raspberry sorbet; teal to lime green, brides are going all out with their color palette when it comes to dresses.

Short – Straying away from the long dress, short bridesmaid dresses are picking shorter styles for the wedding party. The trend of spry tanning shows of toned legs and gives the party a less formal appearance.

Strapless – For all the spring and summer brides, strapless is in. Make sure your bridesmaids dresses fit properly so they do not need to keep pulling up!

Depending on the body structure of your bridesmaids, you may want to choose a safe and chic option. It is helpful to have an idea of what you’re looking for and in what color before you begin your dress shopping excursions with the group of woman!

Shoulder-bearing styles are back and better than ever! Off the shoulder wedding gowns can be deemed classic or modern and designers are rapidly choosing to resurrect this chic style that was made popular in the 1950s.

Benefits of the shoulder-bearing option:

Hide trouble spots: This type of gown is ideal for the bride who is self conscience of her upper arm. This hides the trouble area, yet keeps the shoulder exposed.

Accentuates the collar bone: Women love to accentuate their collar bone, which is simple with alluring off the shoulder wedding gowns.

Choose your length: With this style you can choose what length is best for you. Maybe you want floor length, tea length, or a short dress; whichever you prefer, you can still show off your shoulders you worked hard to tone!

Flattering to most figures: It’s often hard to find a neckline that flatters a thin or a fuller figured bride. This neckline falls right below the shoulders, flattering either a small or large bust.

You want to be comfortable on your wedding day. Off the shoulder gowns are a perfect choice for brides who don’t want to worry about their dress sliding down or who know they are going to do a lot of dancing! This elegant style will have your man swooning and your guests gazing at your stunning silhouette.

All wedding planners are not created equal! It’s extremely hard to find a wedding planner that won’t treat you like “just another bride” or force his or her ideas onto you. This is not what you want on your wedding day! You want someone who takes the time to get to know all about you. Not just about your budget or your color scheme, but about your dream San Patrick wedding dress, your vision, personality, passions, and the formality of your event. You can find all of these fabulous traits in our featured wedding planner Tara, also known as the “Diva Gone Domestic.”

When Tara meets with a bride, she knows what they’re going through. She had a romantic engagement and married her high school sweetheart, yet had a hard time trying to find a wedding planner who would take the time to make her wedding special. Tara decided to work with other brides to create her dream wedding, and now she wants her customers to have theirs! She will work together with you until it is just as you envisioned it – and in most cases it blossoms into more than you could have imagined!

Tara is a designer and crater at heart. Her blog contains awesome samples from her designs that range from invites, to fabulously unique table cards. We love her twist on the library/book wedding theme! She enjoys spending her free time discovering unique ideas to try, DIY projects and meeting other handmade artists. She also loves blogging about other small businesses and believes in helping smaller businesses grow. Tara truly believes that this is where you get the best quality and service since small businesses, such as hers, thrive on making customers happy!

Take a look at her gorgeous wedding inspirations on the Diva Gone Domestic Shoppe and pass her name along to your fellow brides!

When you can’t be with the ones that you love, well it doesn’t mean they can’t still be your bridesmaids! While many best friends move apart, emotionally you’ll always remain just as close of friends as ever. All of the bridesmaid’s duties such as providing hands on advice on the wedding dress, helping with decorations and making favors seem like impossible tasks once you realize the time and distance separating your bridesmaids!

So how can you still get that old school connection with your bridesmaids?
- Set up regular Skype or Oovoo dates to see each other online. You’ll be able to stay on the line, without having that cramp in your neck that comes from holding a phone under shoulder the whole time. Also, you’ll be able to show her your wedding dress from all angles and have her help accessorize all over the video chat!
- Use texting to your benefit. Have a question, text your friends! Many brides admit to texting photos of the many wedding dresses they try on to friends in order to get their opinion.
- Create a Facebook group for all of your bridesmaids, and make polls so they can all vote letting you know their favorite picks!

Bridesmaids are going to be there for you during the entire wedding planning process, no matter what! How do you plan on getting your bridesmaids help?

Hand stitched every gift, made her own hair pieces, and baked all the deserts; sure some brides have the talent, time, and resources to do it all. To be the ultimate DIY bride though, you need all three of those things. Missing just one and you’re going to need to say no to the flower arrangement classes and just order them! Some things are just easier, and done better, when bought. Here’s our advice for when to buy and when to D.I.Y.

Talent & Time to Spare
If you have a special talent, in as baking, decorating, music, etc. then embrace it for your wedding. Just remember that there are time constraints. Sure, you’d rather be arranging your own music to walk down the aisle to – but this means sacrificing your wedding planning time for something else. While you may be an excellent seamstress, picking out your dream wedding dress and then making your own alterations can be great alternative to crafting your own dress by hand. You don’t have to cater your entire wedding, but can cook the rehearsal dinner, just the cake for the reception, or just make your favorite desert as wedding favors.

You don’t have to go above and beyond everybody’s expectations – your wedding it about meeting your own expectations and having the dream day of your life! Have a wedding that you’ll be gushing about for years to come!