Wedding gowns have changed a lot since the Victorian ages,

Coordinating A Wedding Veil With Your short ivory dresses Wedding Dress

As every bride knows, choosing the right wedding dress can go a long way towards making a wedding day even more memorable. However, finding the right wedding dress is just the beginning of this important process. For many brides, the perfect wedding veil completes the look.

It is especially important to coordinate both the dress and the veil. The veil should always complement the dress, rather than steal attention from it. Your choice of a veil may also be influenced by other factors such as your overall build, the style and length of your dress, as well as the overall look you are trying to create. Even the style of your hair can influence the size and style of veil that works best.

When coordinating a wedding veil with a dress, it does not always have to be the same color, although there are some guidelines that should be followed. If your wedding dress is white or ivory, your veil should be the same color; for example a diamond white veil will match a silk or an antique wedding dress. And if you are wearing a dark ivory colored wedding dress, a champagne colored veil will complement it well. In general, to achieve the best effect, if your dress and veil are of different shades, the veil should always be at least a shade or two lighter than the dress.

Even though there are three basic lengths of wedding veils, make sure that you choose the length that best coordinates with your gown. An elbow length veil is about 30 inches long and will look good with most gowns; it will also help draw attention to any detail at the waist of the gown. A fingertip length veil is about 36 inches long and goes best with a full length gown without a train. And a cathedral length veil, which extends up to 4 feet beyond the edge of the dress, is the most formal type of veil ?perfect for an elegant and ceremonial look.

The length of your wedding gown is also an important consideration when trying to successfully coordinate the dress and the veil. Traditionally, the bride veil should not be any longer than the wedding dress and ideally, it should be quite a bit shorter ?the only exception to this rule is if you are wearing a dress with a train. Elbow length veils or fingertip veils are both considered to be safe and acceptable choices if you are wearing a floor length wedding dress. A petite bride should not wear a veil that will only make her look pretty evening dresses smaller, such as a high bouffant veil.

Although a veil should complement a wedding dress and not clash with it, there are some occasions when it is acceptable to break the rules a bit. If your wedding gown is simple and understated, it can create a striking effect by having a lavishly decorated veil. You should try to avoid a look that clashes too much ?a romantic style wedding dress that is decorated with lots of small pearls would not go well together with a wedding veil that is decorated with sequins, for example. Some brides choose to add a touch of color to their veil ?perhaps some colored embroidery ?to complement the colors in the bouquet, or the colors of the bridesmaids.

Just as a wedding dress can be altered, a veil can be altered too. In most cases, a wedding veil is altered in order to make sure that the dress and veil coordinate well. If you are wearing the veil that your mother wore when she walked down the aisle and are concerned that it is just a little old-fashioned, don be too alarmed ?it is easy enough to have it professionally altered. The length, trim and shade of the veil can all be easily and inexpensively altered to make sure that everything is just the right match and has the desired effect. You also might want to try on several veils, to ensure that everything matches.

Birdcage veils, so-called because of the mesh that covers the top part of the head, are fashionable at the moment and will match just about any style of dress. Some birdcage veils have a rather elegant and old-fashioned look to them and coordinate particularly well with a vintage or older style dress. These veils also have either a French net, which has more of a soft elegant look to it; or a Russian net which has a scalloped edge and is a little bit more modern and trendy.

Choosing the right veil is almost as important as choosing the right wedding dress. Take the time to make sure your veil and dress match ?it will help to make your special day that much more memorable.

Elegant And Iconic Wedding Dresses

Elegance is in the eye of the beholder, much like beauty. It depends more on attitude and quality than it does on price. A simple definition of elegance is grace of movement, polished expression and refinement of beauty. If youre determining which wedding dress style is right for you, take a look at some of the most memorable iconic wedding dresses of all time to get some inspiration.

Queen Victorias Wedding Dress

Queen Victoria started the trend of white wedding dresses. Prior to that point, wedding dresses were every color and meant to be worn as the woman's best dress rather than just once on her wedding day.

Even now in some cultures, white is overlooked for other traditional colors. Red is the color of choice for Chinese brides. Indian brides choose brightly colored and richly embroidered saris. And Japanese brides will wear a wedding kimono and often change into a western style white wedding dress for the reception.

So what did Queen Victoria's wedding dress look like? It was white satin accented by nosegays of orange blossoms at the bosom and scattered about the full skirt. Her lace veil was designed exclusively for the wedding. The pattern was later destroyed so it couldn't be used again. Nearly 200 people labored for six weeks to produce the lace veil and lace for the trim of her dress. The neckline left her shoulders bare. Sleeves were full, starting off her shoulders and ending above the elbows.

Queen Elizabeth IIs Wedding Dress

This beautiful queens dress was richly embroidered ivory silk with a satin train. The ball gown had a scoop neck, full skirt and long sleeves. It was embroidered with 10,000 seed pearls. The 15-foot train was made of delicate lace embroidered in the same pattern as the dress, including flowers, the white rose of York and wheat heads, a symbol of fertility. The queen wore a veil made of white tulle attached to a diamond tiara. Around her neck she wore a double pearl necklace.

It is said that Queen Elizabeth II had two wedding dresses. The first was worn when she married Prince Phillip and the second at her coronation when she wed the people of the United Kingdom. That dress was designed by Norman Hartnell who also designed her wedding dress. While the original design called for white satin and little embroidery, the final design remained white satin but was heavily and richly embroidered with plants or flowers to represent each of the entities that make up the commonwealth. The embroidery was in pastel colors and accented by gold and silver threads with diamonds, amethysts and colored crystals.

Grace Kellys Wedding Dress

She was a real fairy tale princess whose gown has been a timeless inspiration for brides since her wedding day in 1956. The gown was white satin with a high neckline and long sleeves. The bodice and sleeves were antique Valenciennes rose point lace. Twenty-five yards of silk taffeta and ninety-eight yards of tulle were used. Her headpiece fit close to her head with a fingertip length veil in front and longer veil in back. Her wedding dress and veil were designed by Helen of MGM studios and given to her as a wedding gift from the studios. She carried a small bouquet of lilies of the valley over a white Bible.

Princess Dianas Wedding Dress

Princess Diana had one of the most stunning and talked about wedding dresses ever created. Actually, there was more than one dress designed and made to keep the media guessing as to what she would wear on her wedding day. Immediately, brides all over the world wanted the full sleeved, full skirted over the top style of gown for their weddings.

Celine Dions Wedding Dress

This well known Canadian singers wedding gown was a stunning extravagance of white satin embroidered with crystals and pearls. The ball gown had a full skirt, sweetheart neckline and long sleeves and a 20-foot train. Her crowning glory was literally a crown consisting of 2000 Austrian crystals which weighed seven pounds. Attached to the headpiece was a Cathedral length veil. Before and after the white tea length dress wedding she wore a white fur coat to keep her warm.

Melania Trumps Wedding Dress

When you're marrying a Trump the sky's the limit. Melania Trump's wedding dress is rumored to cost nearly $100,000. Designed by Dior, the dress weighed close to 50 pounds and had a 13-foot train, complemented by a 16-foot veil. The veil was artistically arranged in a swirl pattern to match the swirls in her dress. The dress was in the mermaid style, fitted through the hips and flaring out starting about mid-thigh. While the bride had fittings for the dress, she had never walked in the gown until her wedding day and stumbled a bit when she first started down the aisle. Obviously, that dress was not meant for dancing. Melania changed into a simpler and much lighter dress for the wedding reception.

Wedding gowns have changed a lot since the Victorian ages, but theres still so much inspiration we can glean from yesterdays style icons. By blending your personal style and personality with some elements of these unforgettable wedding dresses, youre sure to have en elegant wedding dress that you and your guests will remember forever.