Wedding Dress Tips- Mini Dress

This was a tips and trends style article written during my tenure as a writer for American Stationery for their site theamericanwedding.com.

The mini dress trend is hot hot hot! But can it work for YOU? Here are some tips and tricks to help you make it happen!

Overdoing it

Make sure you understand trends. While some brides just love to be trendy and will want to go all out with the newest and latest ideas, there is nothing to say that if you follow one trend you must follow them all. Years from now when you look back at your photo album, you may regret how very dated your look appears. So we suggest going with just one or two trends. Mixing classic timeless pieces with newer styles is always a surefire way to make a statement without going overboard.

Accessories

Accessorizing with a short dress can be a lot of fun! Because the short dress can easily be styled to look trendy or classic you can have an excellent time playing with different accessories. Going for an up-do? Why not try some shoulder skimming earrings? Or try on a trendy ultra-chunky necklace for a gown with a plunging neckline. This is the shoe lover’s dream gown, what better way to show off your newest and most prized shoes than to wear a short gown?

Comfort

Sometimes it’s okay to forgo comfort for the sake of fashion, but on your wedding day, it’s not a good move. You want to feel and look radiant, plus you are wearing this dress for quite a few hours it’d be nice if you could you know sit, eat, dance, breathe. Keeping this in thought, a shorter dress can (depending on the style) help provide a lot of movement for you at the wedding and reception that bulkier and longer gowns can not. So for the bride that loves to dance the night away a shorter dress that isn’t too snug will provide both the ease of dancing and less fabric means you won’t overheat either.

Photography and Videography

This post was a blog written during my tenure as a blog writer for American Stationery which owns TheAmericanWedding.com.

A professional photographer is NOT necessarily a wedding photographer.  True wedding photographers are able to tell a “story” with their photographs.

If you have the opportunity to attend a Bridal Show, you will have the chance to meet several wedding photographers with a variety of sample albums for you to look through.  This is a great way to compare the different styles and approaches that are used for wedding pictures.  Another helpful way to aid in your search for the perfect photographer is to ask friends for their wedding albums and compare the work of each of their photographers.  Here are a few tips to help you assess one photographer’s work over another:

1. Look closely at all group shots.  Check the background.  Are the faces shadowed?
2. Are the bride and groom shots flattering?  Do the poses look natural?
3. Are the shots lit properly?  You can tell by skin tones – are they too light or too dark?
4. Are the sample photos creative? Are they all posed?  Are some of the shots candid?
5. Do the photographs tell a story of the event?

All of these elements indicate the talent of the photographer.  The correct use of lighting, shadows and background settings give dimension to the pictures and help make the subjects in them look more attractive.

Hiring a professional wedding photographer can be very expensive.  If you choose to spend less, you might consider hiring a talented amateur photographer instead.  Contact the local colleges or universities to see it they have a photography instructor or talented student who may be interested.  Also, you can check the local high schools, extension classes, the YMCA or the local camera shop.  Ask to see a portfolio since you probably will not have access to any references.

Videotaping a wedding is not as easy as it may look.  The ceremony should be discretely recorded.  Guests should not be aware of the videotaping activity.  A professional videographer will know how to set up the lighting so there will be no distraction during the ceremony.  Check with the wedding site as some churches do not allow videotaping during the ceremony.

When viewing a videographer’s work from other weddings, watch an entire recording.  This will let you see how talented he or she is at creating a story of one wedding.  Sample tapes, which usually consist of selected shots from several events, do not give you a story from beginning to end.

Never agree to hire the photographer to do the videotaping in addition to taking pictures.  The two skills are very different and cannot be performed by one person at the same event.  If the photographer you hired is employed by a company that also has videographers, check out their work.  The company may offer a special discounted price if you contract both through them.

The day after your wedding, your memories, photographs and videos will be all that you have left.  If you have saved some expense but are disappointed with the photographs, your savings may seem very insignificant.