Last year was a year of large weddings, with a wonderful array of wedding dresses to sink our teeth into, and if you’re planning to have your wedding in 2019/2020 then I wanted to share some of my personal favourite styles and how to work them to help you feel your best on your big day!

Meghan Markle – Natural Styling

I loved how Meghan looked in this demure wedding dress, it was, of course, in need of sticking to some rules as a new member of the royal family, such as covering her arms, but this didn’t stop her from looking truly wonderful. Designed by Clare Waight Keller, the first female artistic director at Givenchy, it was a simple piece, showing off her collar bone and shoulders to add a little sex-appeal, without going anywhere near raunchy. Another touch that we now know about is that, Meghan chose to include embroidered flowers from all the Commonwealth countries in her veil, which was a beautiful addition to her personal and demure nod to the family she was joining.

How to take inspiration for your own wedding – this look is perfect for brides looking for a demure and natural look. If you love your shoulders and collar bone, whilst potentially feeling either less confidence about your arms, or simply want a dress more suited to a religious ceremony, then this style is excellent. Due to its a-line skirt, it is also well suited for those of us with larger hips, as it will skim past the widest point of our body, and flow to the ground. It may not be suitable for a summer’s day, however, as it’s long sleeves and heavier fabric could cause you to want to have a sit down before the speeches even get started!

One way to help with this is to take a page from Meghan’s book, and have a reception dress which is much more suited to the dancing in the evening. Meghan came out in a beautiful Stella McCartney halterneck dress which she chose to wear for the evening, a much better suited piece for a party, or evening reception. She looked stunning, and although her arms were on show, it was still an elegant design, suited to the royal family’s expectations.

Chiara Ferragni’s Classic Ceremony Dress to Creative Reception Styling!

I love making the most of one item of clothing, and this amazing Dior two-in-one piece is something that truly went the whole way with its usability – not only was it a stunning classically styled crochet long-sleeved bodice with a tulle ball-gown skirt, but, after the ceremony, she whipped off the skirt to showcase an all-over crochet playsuit! This is a piece that she could use after the wedding day, making it a more than one use piece, which, in this age of environmentally friendly options available to us, I am on board! Ferragni then went onto the dinner dress, a pale pink tulle and silk organza evening gown, which was embroidered with motifs that showcased Chiara and Fedez’s history together. These included lyrics from Fedez’s song to Chiara; emblems of the cities in which the pair had lived; a lion to symbolise their son; their wedding date on the straps; and other additions which were beautifully added to make this dress not only beautiful, but meaningful too.

After the dinner, Ferragni removed the long skirt to reveal a shorter, ballet-inspired style with matching ballet pumps – perfect for dancing the night away!

How to get inspiration from these pieces - I love how Ferragni used design aspects to create dresses and other outfits from her wedding dresses – going from classic, to fun and quirky, it truly was a great way to show off her personality. It was a very smart and fun way to change up the designs and be suitable to the changing needs of a wedding day. Ballgowns are a perfect option for most body shapes, and it is a classic princess style. Having a shorter dress for the reception is a fun option for those of us that love our legs, and if you are slightly more self-conscious of showing your legs during a wedding, no matter the time, then you could have a dress with a ball gown skirt for the ceremony, and then a more a-line style to change to for the reception. Pink is a fun option, with dusty-rose being hugely popular for brides looking for a colour that isn’t a classic white.

The crochet bodice is a rather daring move, I must say, but I love it! It’s a beautiful way to show-off your shape with such a overwhelming skirt, and if you wish to have such details, you can have a lace bodice with a skin-tone fabric underneath, for a softer option.

Mandy Moor’s Boho Pink Dress

I love a little creativity, and Mandy Moore showcased her boho style with this pink custom version of a Rodarte Haute Couture gown, which was made from Swiss-dot tulle and have beautiful floral appliques around the waist line. She finished this comfortable, and boho feel, with pink flat embellished pumps and a veil which had floral embellishments through it. As boho styles go, this was perfect for her shape – with layering of the fabric to create volume and movement across the bottom of the dress, with a high neck and simple details across the top. She looked truly comfortable and beautiful throughout the day, without any boning to restrict her whilst moving.

How to get inspired by this look – you can use this wonderful pink creation to showcase that white is not a necessity! Pink is a very popular colour, and if you wish to show off your personal style with a colourful dress, finding the right pink (or any colour for that matter) will truly help you shine. White can be a tricky colour to choose, so I’m delighted to see some colourful gowns coming to the forefront of the fashion world. If you are a more boho/relaxed bride, then this look is great for you, consider the sleeves, however, as this isn’t a perfect fit for everyone, as the added volume could bring attention to an area that many of my brides feel conscious of – I say don’t feel conscious of them but, we all have areas we love and don’t love as much!

I hope you find these wedding dresses inspiring, and I wish you luck finding your perfect wedding dress for your big day! I will share some more of my favourites in future posts to keep you inspired, and if you have any favourites you’ve been inspired by, I’d love to hear them in the comments below!

If you are looking for someone to help you find a dress or wedding pantsuit you’ll never want to take off, that will keep you feeling confident all day, I’d love to help, I have a special wedding service I can provide to brides and grooms to take the stress of shopping away from the process. Contact me to find out more.