Wedding Dress Style

Want a Couture Wedding?
By Ciara Daykin

I"m a big fan of America's Next Top Model. One of the biggest principles they teach the models on the show is the difference between Catalogue, Commercial and Couture. It really got me thinking that weddings fall into the same categories.

* Catalogue- Your cookie-cutter, dime a dozen, seen it all before weddings

* Commercial- We're getting a bit more unique here, you"ll see a lot of the ideas that are in popular magazines played out at this kind of wedding

* Couture- Think New York wedding at The Plaza, Vera Wang Wedding Collection, stunning décor, the theme ties into everything, bridal magazine editorial material

So You Want Couture But How Do You Get It?

There is a certain look and feel that goes along with a couture wedding. Basic steps can be taken to achieve a this:

* Couture Yourself - You need to start thinking couture Once you're in the mindset it will make your decisions much more clear. Pick up couture magazines, read Audrey Hepburn's biography. Get into the mindset so that you can really distinguish what is couture and what is not.

* Are They Couture? - When you're looking for vendors you need to look past comparing prices. I know, I know... brides have a budget, but if you want a couture look and feel to your wedding you're going to need to choose vendors who are couture or at least have the potential of being couture You need to share your vision with them and make sure you're on the same page. Everyone involved must embody the couture mindset.

* Ensure Couture - The best way to ensure that your wedding will be couture is to hire a professional to style the event. This is an added expense but well worth your while. A designer will provide you with the steps you need to take to achieve this couture look. Plus a good designer is experienced in pulling this off all the time and should be able to make suggestions to fit the look into your budget.

The couture look for a wedding is easily achievable if you open your mind to it. Of course you're going to need to get creative with your budget but as a bride you're already used to doing that.

Just like the models on America's Next Top Model learn, you have to put intensity into your look to truly be couture For the models, it's the intensity with which each pose is done that separates the wannabes from the crème de la crème. That means, you have to follow through and execute the couture elements of your wedding with confidence and intensity. Without the intensity the look will fall short.

To go from catalogue go couture I want you to analyze each element of your wedding and be strict on removing the "catalogue" and infusing it with "couture" using the steps I gave you above.