The Wedding Gown

Jennifer Johnston, Assistant Manager at Vera Wang Bridal Boutique

• Current trends include slender A-line gowns with minimal flair and bare shoulders, strapless gownsaccentuated with an iridescent sash, and French handpainting in muted colors, such as platinum and ice.
• The A-line style works well on any figure type. It gives the illusion of height and can be veryslenderizing.
• Tiaras are very popular for late afternoon or evening affairs. Porcelain flower tiaras are wonderfulfor afternoon garden weddings.

• Dress styles are becoming less conservative and more “fashion-forward.” Strapless styles are on therise, as are different gown colors (such as silver and gold in particular).
• About 4 to 6 years ago, designers stopped incorporating seasonal fabrics into their designs. Todayit’s not uncommon to see chiffon dresses (considered years ago to be an exclusively summer fabric) withlong sleeves or strapless satin gowns.
• Veil “poufs” are definitely becoming a thing of the past. Bows and headbands are also rarelyrequested (if a headband is used, it is often a simple design, such as a row of pearls). Tiaras are veryin, and hairpins are also gaining in popularity. And now lace veils are back, whether it be embroidered,edged, or the entire veil.

Cyla Weiner, of Sylene's

• A bride should begin looking for intimate apparel for her wedding as soon as she selects her weddingdress.
• The most flattering piece for brides of all figure types is a bustier. All-in-ones and long-line brashelp give a smooth line under clingy dresses.

Nuri Yurt, owner of Toka Salon

• This spring and summer, we’ll see a lot of fresh flowers used to adorn the hair— “the angel look.”
• Crystal hair accessories will also be in style.

Larry Abrams & Russell Sanders, of RSVP Catering

• Our large and small weddings are typically French service, where the waiters service the foodtableside, hot off of large silver trays. For large outdoor weddings, we like to do more interestingtheme buffets which range from New England lobster bakes or Caribbean barbecues with grilled filet mignonand jumbo shrimp to Hamptons-style estate weddings.
• A Merlot from Chateau St. Michelle is a great food wine. It is rich and flavorful without too muchtannin. It melds well with all types of food—complementing delicate entrees as well as more spicy fare.For white wine, we would select a nice Chardonnay, like a Byron. Great body, crisp, nice fruit and oakflavors—a wine that will make the meal complete.

• Brevity is key. Three courses are important. The wedding cake can be used as a dessert as well...witha complementary sorbet if there is a tight budget. The cost of a seated cocktail buffet is often asexpensive as a seated dinner.
• It’s important to always have vegetarian alternatives, such as a spinach pasta roll for instance.

• If most of your guests are young and social, you may want to plan a buffet. This way you can offer avariety of cuisine and your guests can socialize and move around at the same time. However, please beaware of irritating long lines. You want to offer a number of buffets or even different stationsthroughout the reception space.
• The trend recently has been toward personalizing the meals, such as serving Grandma's favorite souprecipe, using Mom and Dad’s platinum- rimmed china, or serving small individual wedding cakes fordessert.
• It is always a good idea to have lots of water on hand…particularly sparkling and tonic, because theyare good for cleansing the palate and removing red-wine stains.

• Smaller weddings (under 100 guests) should, generally speaking, only opt for a buffet if the intentis a casual setting. This works particularly well for small weddings in a family home or at a historicmansion where no single room is large enough to seat all of the guests. For larger events, up to 250guests, the site and desired mood of the event will tend to point the way toward the best style ofservice for the occasion.
• These days, some bridal couples are getting away from the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignoncombination and trying more adventurous selections, or wines from countries other than the U.S. orFrance. Many couples choose a wine that reflects the heritage of the bride or groom, or even where theyare planning their honeymoon. It’s perfectly acceptable, and I think preferable, to serve an interestingwine that guests may not have every day.
• Martini bars and other specialty drink bars have become popular in recent years. Flavored vodkas andmargarita bars are big for late summer evening receptions, as are tropical drinks, particularly if thecouple plans an island honeymoon.

Carole Barth, of Tiers of Joy

• One current trend in wedding cakes is the petite wedding cake, which is a replica of the ceremonialwedding cake for guests to take home. This is not only a classic touch but a tastefully inexpensive oneas well.

Bonnie Schwartz, Wedding Coordinator

• It's nice to have a gift package prepared for out-ot-town guests, waiting for them when theyarrive. If the wedding is held in the D.C. Metropolitan Area, the Washington Convention VisitorsAssociation (WCVA) puts out a terrific brochure packet with a Metro map, things to see and do, etc. Ialso advise the bride and groom to list some recommended restaurants that their guests might enjoy.
• I strongly discourage hosting out-of-town guests at home, especially the bride’s home. The bride willoften be torn between being a good hostess and preparing for the big day.
• Choosing the band is the most important decision that the bride and groom will make, because it isreally the band that runs the reception. They will have an agenda and plan, sug-gested by the bride andgroom, and will be able to feel the pulse of the crowd. Based on these objectives, the band should beable to cater to every-one's tastes.
• On the day of the ceremony, much of the schedule depends upon the taking of photographs. I prefer toschedule photos prior to the ceremony (it will give the bride and groom the chance to relax and godirectly to the reception after the service). I suggest starting to get ready at least two to three hoursbefore the photographer is scheduled to arrive. When they meet with the photographer, they shouldschedule 30 minutes with each group: bride and groom, groom’s family, bride’s family, and the weddingparty. The photography session should be finished 30 minutes prior to the ceremony.
  
  NOTE: If thebride and groom prefer to stick with tradition and not see each other until the ceremony, try to get asmany photos done as possible prior to the service (all except those of the couple).

• Because of our reputation in the city, we’re able to offer a lot of fun tours and tour packages forour guests that might otherwise be sold-out. For example, we provide tickets to tours of the Pentagon,the White House (which are typically hard to get), and various Smithsonian museums and relatedattractions.
• If the reception is held at the hotel, we offer a complimentary bridal suite as part of ourhospi-tality suites package. We refer to it as a “bache-lorette rite of passage”—the bride will usuallyarrive a few hours prior to the ceremony with her hair and makeup people, as well as her bridal party,and they can celebrate with champagne, appetizers—the works.

Anne Clinton Seymour of Brooks Glogau Wedding Photography

• A bride can best prepare for her engagement portrait and wedding photos with proper hair andmakeup, of course, but also by eating. Eat chocolate, carbohydrates, and other foods that put you in agood mood. A bride in a good mood produces better pictures. Hungry brides look hungry and that’s notgood.
• Candid shots are GREAT but should not be the only kind of photos taken. One should expect the entirerange of photographs and then they can make up albums that are traditional or purely photojournalistic ora combination of both.
• As for the bride's hair in photographs, tendrils are a no-no. While they may look good in the salon,in photographs they simply obscure the bride's beauty.

Angelo Bonita, President of Floral Events Unlimited

• By far, the most popular is the garden rose. The color options are limitless! Global sources ofroses now enable us to coordinate the color choice with the fabric of the dresses, the table linen, andthe dining room’s décor.
• Currently, the preferred design of the “millennium” bridal bouquet is the clutch style, with numerousselections of the same flower, either monochromatic or with slight color additions.
• Preserving the wedding bouquet as a keep-sake can be done by placing the bouquet in a warm space for21 days, then placing it in a loving cup or vase on a lamp table or shelf. Spraying the bouquet withhairspray will pro-long the color and uniformity. In Washington, there are two professional services thatfreeze-dry the bouquets and arrange them under glass, in frames or in a bell jar with the invitation andwedding mementos. This fee averages $275-$500.