1. Make sure you have enough time to shop.
Saying yes to your future spouse is a pretty easy decision. Saying yes to the perfect dress or suit to wear for the occasion, however, is less so. Georgia Voice sat down with both an up-and-coming wedding designer and a bridal couture expert to preview what’s hot for the upcoming wedding season.
“Dresses that aren’t white are super-in this year on runway,” said Josiah Loyarr, co-founder and executive designer of Atlanta and Nashville-based Ninth & Everett: A Design Firm. “People are getting married in navy dresses … or also ombre dresses that start white at the top and fade into gray or fade into blue.”
Unusual elements like feathers and colored lace are also gracing dresses, as are design elements like low-cut fronts, deep sheer panels and low backs. Mara Urshel, co-owner of Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, said capes, detachable trains, sleeves and bling are also must-haves for brides.
Urshel said for lesbian couples, both brides will work with consultants to ensure their dresses are complimentary, but reflect the wearer’s personality.
“Pantsuits are a really big trendy thing regardless of sexual orientation,” Loyarr said. “Fortunately, because gay marriage has been legalized for two years now, I feel like several wedding dress designers that are higher-end are catching on to the potential that there’s a market for women who are getting married to other women.”
These suits are not so much a blazer
2. Know your budget and be honest.
Many couples forget they have to pay for alterations, headpieces, etc. Accessories can add up quickly.
By DALLAS ANNE DUNCAN
3. Keep an open mind.
and tie like a men’s suit, but rather a trendy trouser with a vest — elements of menswear, but not 100 percent menswear, Loyarr said. For something more along the lines of a traditional men’s suit, he recommends edgy brides look into companies such as Alton Lane, which custom-create a suit to the bride’s body type and style, instead of purchasing a men’s suit and tailoring it.
Urshel said designers including Lakum, Christian Siriano and Roland Mouret also designed both two-piece pantsuits and jumpsuits for brides-to-be.
Custom suits are also a hot commodity for grooms. Coordination is in — matching blazers, but perhaps one groom has a tie and cummerbund and his husband a bow tie and suspenders — and complete matching is out. Loyarr said another trend for men is colored and patterned socks, giving outfits a
March 31, 2017
hint of personality.
Vests are in for groomsmen, as are matching elements that coordinate with those of the grooms they’re standing with. For example, only the grooms may be wearing boutonnières, or the grooms may have ties of one color and groomsmen another color in the wedding palette. “It’s definitely in this year for bridesmaids to get to choose their dress, when they’re given a color,” Loyarr said. “That way girls with different body types can wear the same color, but they don’t have to be matching, exactly.”
For trendy wedding parties, Pantone’s color of the year, “greenery,” is expected to be popular in both fashion and décor. Loyarr said that if a couple wanted a green-heavy wedding, bridesmaids could wear coordinating colors like cream or gold, and accessorize with mixed metals.