July 27, 2011

{Let's Talk About Those Strapless Dresses!}


Dear Bride-to-Be:
One of the things I liked about the recent royal wedding (and there were many features I adored) was that the lovely Kate Middleton did not wear a strapless dress! Now, before you get your noses out of joint, all you strapless gown lovers, hear me out!

I wrote a long article years ago offering some tips with things a bride could do and/or remember so she looked fabulous all day or evening for her wedding when wearing a strapless style gown—if I couldn’t talk her out of  wearing one! I realized that when it came to selecting one’s wedding gown, it was hard not to get carried away with some starry-eyed, romantic notions that sometime blur a bride’s vision. For instance, when you’re trying on dresses, you’re not always thinking about practical considerations, like how it will “move” on you (or not move on you); or how revealing it is (the good, the bad, and the unflattering).

Therefore, if you want to get some friendly “360 degrees” (a view you can’t see yourself—even in a three-way mirror!) of advice on wearing a strapless dress because you may not know how to move in one (trust me, it’s different from other styles!) ... or you may not realize some things not to do so you can always look graceful and beautiful—you just may want to read the article, Consider Not Wearing a Strapless Dress, Unless... (Because sometimes a more informed bride is a more beautiful bride!) 

So ladies—let’s talk about those strapless dresses!

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia

[Photographs: Jason Hudson]

July 20, 2011

{Celebrating YOU Every Day}


Dear Bride-to-Be:
I’ve interviewed hundreds of women through the years with questions about their wedding (or weddings.) Some of them were brides only a few months before and for others it had been decades. Women usually remember the moment they first saw themselves in their wedding gown. Some recall that it was like seeing a cherished, intimate part of themselves seldom shared with anyone.

Wedding dresses can evoke deeply personal, interlinking stories as women wistfully describe details of the design of the dress or how wearing it made them feel. “Every woman should see herself looking uniquely breathtaking, in something tailored to celebrate her body,” Susan Jane Gilman exclaims in her entertaining book, Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress.

There is something extra feminine about being a bride that you don’t want to miss ... a chance to explore a sense of outer and inner beauty, tenderness and strength, and a nurturing spirit. These wedding planning times are precious moments that invite you to celebrate your womanliness. And you don’t have to wait for your wedding day, or stop doing it on your wedding day, or even have a wedding day for such a celebration! You can celebrate you every day—body and spirit.

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

[Photograph: Julie Mikos]

July 13, 2011

{Wedding Guest of Honor}


Dear Bride-to-Be:
Weddings are undeniably about relationships—the relationship of the bride and groom, the couple with their family and friends, the relationship between the two families coming together—even including the bride’s relationship with her special dress.
This is a unique relationship, intriguing to artists and scholars alike, that has been written about over and over through the years. The connection of a bride to her gown is at times poignant, wistful, intimate, joyful—and many times one that can get a bit over-the-top!
California wedding photographer Leslie Barton remarked: “It seems to me the gown is really the guest of honor. It is treated with a delicacy and respect that few humans experience.”

A gentle reminder, dear bride: Love your dress; treasure how it makes you feel, even feel like a princess; celebrate your day; honor your heritage; and treat all of your wedding guests as the “guest of honor”! You’ll feel even more beautiful....

Love. Listen. Let go.
...with love from Cornelia

[Photographs: top, Josie Miner and bottom, Jason Hudson]

July 6, 2011

{Celebrities, Wedding Gowns & You}

Dear Bride-to-Be:
There was a lot of attention on celebrity weddings this past weekend and the custom-made couture gowns the brides wore.

The marriage of super model Kate Moss -- wearing a shimmering, slim, sleeveless, rhinestone-covered gown -- brought friends, family and lots of famous folks to Southrop, England for the ceremony. Her John Galliano created, floor-length (and rather sheer) dress was accessorized by a vintage-style lace veil worn over her long, loose wavy hair.

Then there was the beautiful former Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock, who became a princess when she married Prince Albert II in fabled Monaco wearing a stunning off-the-shoulder Armani gown "cut from 130 metres of duchesse silk and studded with 40,000 crystals." The bride wore her blonde hair pulled back, sleek and held in place with dazzling diamonds.

You may be wearing something less grand for your wedding, but no less special. Your gown may be borrowed from a friend, it may be re-designed from your mother's gown or something designed just for you, or it may be your brand-new, off-the-rack dream dress! And it may not even be a dress. You may be wearing silky pants, a suit, a vintage kimono, or blue jeans!

Whatever you wear, wear it with a big celebrity smile! Wear it and feel like a princess! Wear it and open your heart and put your attention on how beautiful everyone else looks looking at you!

Love. Listen. Let go.
....with love from Cornelia