Brought to you by Certified Wedding Consultant, Amy Allworth with Celebrations by Amy
301-712-7559 amy@celebrationsbyamy.com

November 6, 2007

Volume 1, Number 1

In This Issue

· What color will you wear???

· How to find great gowns at a great prices

· Fabric Choices for each Season

Great Gowns under $1000.00

Forever Yours Int’l.
www.foreverbridals.com

Alfred Angelo
www.alfredangelo.com

Jessica McClintock
www.jessicamcclintock.com

Great Gowns under $500.00

J. Crew
www.jcrew.com

White House Black Market
www.whitehouseblackmarket.com

FABRICS BY SEASON
Spring: tissue taffeta, silk, lace
Summer: chiffon, organdy, cotton, linen
Fall/Winter: satin, brocade, taffeta, velvet

Celebrations by Amy

301-712-7559

www.celebrationsbyamy.com

Certified Wedding Consultant serving MD, DC & VA.

What color will you wear???

Married in WHITE, you have chosen right

Married in GRAY, you will go far away

Married in BLACK, you will wish yourself back

Married in RED, you will wish yourself dead

Married in GREEN, ashamed to be seen

Married in BLUE, he will always be true

Married in PEARL, you will live in a whirl

Married in YELLOW, ashamed of your fellow

Married in BROWN, you will live out of town

Married in PINK, your spirit will sink

According to this Old English rhyme, you would be smartest to stick with white or blue on your wedding day. And it is true that over the last 160 years those have been the most popular colors to marry in – at least in the United States and Europe. The trend began with Queen Victoria in her 1840’s wedding when she chose to wear all white and have a public wedding. All of which were contrary to current tradition at the time. After her magnificent display of exclusively white bridal attire, including a white wreath of orange blossoms – brides wanting to ‘look like royalty’ began dressing in white for their wedding. Queen Victoria was not the first bride to wear all white: Ancient Greeks brides and grooms wore white robes for their betrothal, and Roman brides wore white to honor the fertility god’s favorite color…which was white.

The color blue has also been a popular choice for brides over the last few centuries. In 1821 President Monroe’s daughter, Maria wore a blue silk embroidered gown. And 130 years later, future British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wore a blue velvet dress. Blue is a significant color – it is the ancient color of purity, love and fidelity. Religiously, the Virgin Mary is almost always seen in a blue robe.

Since the time of Queen Victoria’s wedding, war and times of depression affected wedding gown traditions. Often bridal attire was simply that of a nice daytime outfit. In some years, only the affluent could afford to purchase a ‘one time wear’ dress. But in 1950, Elizabeth Taylor reignited the royal look dressed in all white with her highly publicized wedding.

Ethnic or religious background may also play a role in the color of a wedding gown. Eastern tradition considers red a color of good tidings and many Chinese or Hindu brides are seen in this color.

Color is a matter of personal choice. In modern bridal magazines, you will see more than half the ads have bridal gowns with splashes of every color under the sun. About 10% are entirely a different color than white.

Whichever color the bride chooses, it should be a color that embodies the vision of her dream. Your only limit is your imagination!

Great gowns, great prices!

A wedding gown does NOT have to break the bank, or the wedding budget. No matter what your budget, there is a wedding gown out there that will fit your price. A good budget allotment for the bridal attire is approximately 10%. So if you have a wedding budget of say, $25000.00 (the average cost of a U.S. wedding) you should allot $2500 for bridal attire. This is not the cost for just the dress – this is the budget for all things bridal attire: the dress, slip, alterations, shoes, hose, veil, necklace, earrings and any thing else you might want to wear on your wedding day!

So when you take all those ‘extras’ out of the budgeted amount, you are left with about $1500-$1800 to spend on the dress.

In the left column of this newsletter you will find some wedding gown designers such as Jessica McClintock and Alfred Angelo, who design absolutely gorgeous gowns in all price ranges but plenty in the under $1000.00 range. Additionally listed, are two resources for gowns under $500.00. While the wedding gown selection at J. Crew and White House Black Market is limited, the dresses are gorgeous and the prices are a great value. Add a veil and some beautiful jewelry and you will look like you spent thousands on your bridal ensemble.

There are other money saving ways and often unexplored places to find great gowns at an even greater value. Consignment may have high priced designer gowns at a fraction of their price. Renting a gown is an option in nearly all metropolitan area. And the prom and ‘special occasion’ section of department stores almost always carry white dresses.

Whatever your budget, you can find a gown that will be perfect for you. You may even want to investigate gowns well under your budget which will free up wedding funds for other unexpected expenses!

www.celebrationsbyamy.com • email: amy@celebrationsbyamy.com • phone: 301-712-7559