WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 15
BRIDAL
NICE DAY FOR A BRIGHT WEDDING
Bridal gowns span the color spectrum
BY SHARON NAYLOR
Not every bride wants to wear
a white gown on her wedding
day. It has been, over the past
several years, a rising trend for brides
to choose nonwhite wedding gowns.
According to Shane McMurray, lead
researcher at the bridal industry statistics
company The Wedding Report,
here's how the most popular colors of
wedding gowns stack up in popularity:
--Rose/pink/mauve: 14.3 percent.
--Silver/gold/copper: 6.2 percent.
--Blush blue: 5.9 percent.
--Red: 2 percent.
--Blush yellow: 1.3 percent.
--Blush purple: 0.9 percent.
--Other shade: 4.2 percent, which
may include the trend of watercolor
painted gowns -- an artistic option
for the bride who is so inclined.
Notice that those numbers don't
add up to 100 percent, as 65 percent of
brides still prefer white gowns. But a
number of brides are choosing tan or
Champagne-colored dresses, providing
a more fl attering dress for a bride's
skin tone than stark white while still
appearing more traditional.
Although not recorded in the survey,
blush gray is making news as a popular
and neutral bridal gown color, as it
allows the bride's shade of dress to complement
bridesmaids' gowns, which are
now oft en in shades of gray and slate.
Bright, patterned gowns may not
have achieved widespread popularity,
but there are always artistic brides
out there who love the idea. Florals
and other delicate motifs -- such as
cherries -- adorn the dresses of brides
who really want to depart from the
traditional white dress.
So, why have we witnessed this
trend toward colorful and/or patterned
dresses in recent years? The
bride's reasons may include the
following:
--Wanting something diff erent that's
more in tune with her alternative
preferences.
--Finding a gown that looks more
fl attering against her skin tone than
white.
--Preferring a gown for her second
(or third or fourth) wedding that's
completely diff erent than the white
gown she dutifully wore for her fi rst
wedding.
--Wanting to choose from the wide
array of gorgeous gowns that today's
designers are presenting in blush,
bold and metallic choices.
he Jennette Kruszka, director of
marketing marketing and public relations for
acclaimed gown shop Kleinfeld Bridal,
says that each year, she sees gowns in
color in the Bridal Fashion Week runway
shows, with blush, metallic and
blush-blue dresses leading the trend
and high in demand.
What else might be driving
the trend for wedding dresses
in color? For some brides, the
bridesmaid-dress rack delivers
less-expensive options in fabulous
styles. With lovely, wispy
fabrics and creatively twisted,
one-shoulder sleeves, these
gowns can fi t a bride's personal
sense of style better than the
collections of white gowns she
has tried on at so many shops.
This expansion of where brides
can shop for budget-friendly
dresses has played into the rise
of gowns in color.
We're also seeing more
brides wanting to wear their
mothers' or grandmothers'
wedding gowns as a family
homage, but the original
gowns may be faded or
stained -- something a great
alterations company can
solve by dyeing the dress
wearable once more.
And for the bride who
wants a traditional white
dress but would like to
incorporate pops of color,
other alterations are a
appliques add a unique
touch. Accessories,
jewelry and shoes can
complement these
shades for a colorful
wedding-day look.
the
three wedding books.
(END ITAL)
Courtesy
Creators.com
these
gowns as a a a different color. The
heirloom dress becomes
who
white
to
a
great option: Colorful
hand-sewn beading,
sequins, crystals and
shades for a colorful
(SET ITAL) Sharon
Naylor is the
author of "The
Bride's Guide to
Freebies" and
three dozen
a d d i t i o n a l