New Hope Soap Blog

Wedding Dresses and Bridal Gowns, who are the trendsettering fashion designers influencing brides today!

You have dreamed about your wedding all your life.  You want this once in a lifetime event to be as perfect as possible.  Begin this dream by starting with the perfect wedding dress.  We have researched the 15 Most Influential Bridal Designers to help you decide on that once in a lifetime dream wedding dress. 

1. Vera Wang: 

Vera Wang is an ex-ice skater turned fashion designer.  If you are looking for a traditional wedding gown, Wang may not be the designer for you.  However, if you are looking for something that is unconventional, unexpected, and dramatic you will be pleased by her gowns.  Wang pays special attention to create a feminine feel to her gowns.

2. Oscar de la Renta: 

Oscar de la Renta is an American fashion designer.  De la Renta's gowns are for the type of woman who embraces her femininity.  His gowns can be anything from glamorous and sophisticated to whimsy and playful.

The wedding dress is usually the one item that takes a huge bite out of the wedding budget, but it does not need to. A bride may have more options to affording the perfect wedding dress than she realizes. 

1. Something Old  Something Borrowed

As a young girl, did you dream of getting married in your mother's or grandmother's wedding dress?  Money could not buy the sentimental value in wearing a dress that has been handed down through the family.

2. Shops

Take the time to shop around.  Consignment shops are a great place to look for wedding dresses.   Also, do not be afraid to ask the owner to contact you when a wedding dress does come into their shop. 

Talk to the owners of your local bridal shops, and ask them what happens to the sample dresses and the dresses on the mannequins.  You may be able to score that designer dress without paying the designer price.

3. Rent A Dress

If you are not planning on keeping your wedding dress for any sentimental reasons, consider renting your dress.  This option may allow you to get that dress you fell in love with in a magazine but could never afford.  There are also many websites that sell previously owned dresses as well.

Health and Fitness tips to get ready for the Wedding

Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day. You will have these wedding pictures hanging the walls of your home and the homes of your parents and in-laws for all of the foreseeable future. You will forever be memorialized the way you look on this one day. It's too easy to stress out over your body. But here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Plan ahead. If you plan on losing weight, do it months before your wedding. There is nothing worse than realizing the day before that your wedding dress isn't going to fit. Make sure you have time to make the proper alterations. 

2. Focus on the face. Wedding dresses these days are incredibly flattering. Most of what people will focus on will be from the shoulders up. Make sure you are using the right face wash, exfoliates; face lotion, etc. for your skin type, and the right shampoo, conditioner, and product on your hair. Also do trial runs with several make-up options and hairstyles beforehand. 

You've found the groom, the venue, and your perfect wedding dress--but now don't forget to dress the ladies who will be standing by your side on the big day. Bridesmaid dresses can be tricky, and sometimes the prospect of picking out a dress that fits the wedding and your bridesmaids can be overwhelming. Don't panic: if follow the suggestions below, both you and your bridesmaids should be happy with the result.  

1. Be budget-minded

You can't expect your bridesmaids to break the bank on a dress that--let's be honest--they probably won't have an opportunity to wear again. When you're first going dress shopping, decide on a reasonable price per dress and stick to it. 

2. Stick to a timeline 

You should begin looking for your bridesmaid dresses six-to-eight months before the wedding. This leaves plenty of time for you to pick the perfect dress, have fittings, and get alterations done, and doesn't leave you stressing for time at the last minute. 

3. Complement your style

You don't want the bridesmaid dresses to clash with your dress--or even worse, overshadow your dress completely. You also want to keep in mind the colors, theme, and location of your wedding. A short, flashy dress may not fit seamlessly with a traditional church wedding, and a taffeta gown probably won't complement a boho beach wedding. 

Have you discovered Etsy yet! Originally started as a site to sell handmade arts and crafts items, it has grown to be so much more! Now Etsy is an online  shopping destination that is home to everything from best friend bracelets and infinity scarves to antique tea cups and colorful hobo bags, Etsy appears to have everything and anything you could ever want, while still staying true to its origins, lots of handcrafted products for sale by the artisans who so lovingly and artfully practice their crafts.

Resources that could make your wedding planning less stressful and more productive!

Ah, weddings!  Love and romance fills the air while dreams of a future together occupy the heart and mind.  The wedding plans themselves, however; can frustrate and sap the energy of even the most excited bride-to-be.  To keep you from biting your nails over the plethora of decisions that must be made, take a look at these wedding planning resources created for helping a bride plan her own wedding.

Staying within your budget is important

This should be the first thing to consider.  From choosing the venue to bridesmaid’s gifts, before you know it, you’ve over-spent your wedding allowance.  See Bridal Guide, The Simple Dollar, and The Knot, for budget-friendly advice.

Organizee your ideas

To keep your ideas together, especially if you are playing around with more than one theme idea, a wedding journal comes in handy.  Zazzle offers an array of notebooks just for the occasion that range in price from $5 to $50 with a variety of subject and design options.  Of course, if you’re a super-organizer, any pad of paper will do.  For the computer savvy, there are web sites that offer online planning software to organize your thoughts and ideas.  The Knot offers iPhone apps such as a planning checklist, wedding budgeter, and guest list manager, as well as personalized wedding websites to help organize details and showcase your ideas to family and friends.

1. Match the wedding dress without outshining it. Make the dresses a similar style, but more plain and simple.
2. Don’t limit yourself to bridal stores. You just might find the perfect dresses at a prom store or a department store, or even online.
3. Don’t even look at dresses outside the price range. It just creates problems. If you are paying for them yourself, don’t let your bridesmaids talk you into extravagant dresses. If your bridesmaids are pitching in, keep in mind their limited budgets, too.
4. If the maid of honor has a different dress…
5. Keep in mind the different body types. Some dresses work better with bustier bridesmaids, while some work better with the long and thin girls. Look for dresses that will be flattering on all of your bridesmaids.
   

By Linda Hilliard - Author of the Book
E-mail Your Weight Away - Diet Dialoges for Women

Every bride looks beautiful on her wedding day (and let’s hear it for the mothers-of-the-bride and groom, too).

As the guests ooh and aah over the loveliness of the wedding party, it’s probably just as well if they don’t know about some of the behind-the-scenes angst. Didn’t there used to be a television show called Bridezilla? I never saw it but I can imagine losing weight so a dress fits could take up several episodes and reveal the worse side of a bride’s personality.