Dressed Down

Last week, I talked a bit about bridesmaids dresses-- I want to do the same thing this week with wedding dresses!

Little girls of my generation grew up with big poofy gowns and silk and taffeta and all those lovely remnants of the 70's and 80's, not too different from the dress up clothes for girls of many generations, and between dress up and Disney movies (two of my favorite things, for the record) we grow up imagining the shoulder-tastic dresses of Ariel, Cinderella, and the real-life icon Diana Princess of Wales. But then we get older and we realize that the large number of us look a little bit silly in those dresses... in a fit of princess-inspired mania, I picked out this little number 

I don't know how well you can see, BUT the dress is eating my underarms. And I couldn't move. Or breathe very well for that matter. The skepticism is clear on my face... I skipped out on this one and opted for a dress in which I could sit, dance, and eat during my special day, and after meeting a large number of brides who were unable to do at least one of those things without at least minor discomfort I have to wonder WHAT we are thinking!

I'm telling you now-- you should look gorgeous on your wedding day, you should wear a dress that makes you feel like queen of the world, but you should also be able to eat because take it from me... two Krispy Kreme doughnuts at 10a are not going to last you through pictures, ceremony, more pictures, packing up, getting to the reception, first dance, toasts, hellos... well, you get the picture. On the other hand, what if you don't want to look like a princess? What if you want to look like you? There are plenty of options; who says you have to wear a full length dress?

Ladies Who Lunch Dress

First up is one from my favorite place, ModCloth. It's light and airy, casual but classic and classy, and with a fascinator and a beautiful bouquet could be the PERFECT dress for a summer wedding! I'm also in love with a few fabulous finds from Nordstroms, like this Sue Wong strapless dress with ostrich feathers 

Or, if you like the feathers and want more flow, check out this Badgley Mishka number from Neiman Marcus:

These are, for the most part, dresses that would be categorized as "reception dresses" which is a topic I'll tackle another time, but I see no reason why they wouldn't be just as at home walking down the aisle at a beach wedding, indie wedding, spring or summer wedding, or wherever you want to wear them!