Celebrity wedding dress designer Vera Wang brought her Fall 2012 wedding dresses to the television show, “The View,” on Friday, and not one dress was white.

She said she has had a fantasy for a long time of translating her white and ivory dresses into black. For this season she worked with the “underwear palette” of black and nude and incorporated lingerie elements into her designs.

The dress above has a built-in bustier with stretch and a tulle skirt. It is color-blocked in black and ivory and Vera saw this dress as being right for an artistic bride.

She called the dress below the “Black Widow.” She offers it in white and ivory also, but in black the intricate workmanship of the lace really shows.

One of the dresses she showed was in a “nude” color with lace and lingerie detail.

The fashion show also featured side by side comparisons of the black and white versions of  her designs.

One style featured a peplum, which is very popular right now. The dresses were sheer at the bottom, allowing the shoes to be a part of the outfit.

Vera mentioned that all styles were available in black, white, or ivory and in all sizes. They can be altered so the brides can wear them to other events.

Before your bride selects a wedding dress in a non-traditional color or style, advise her to think her wedding photos. Will she be happy about her choice of dress when she looks at her photographs in five or ten years?

As a wedding planner, brides will often ask you for tips on choosing the perfect wedding dress. For ideas on how your brides can look stunning, turn to the wisdom offered by some of the legendary wedding dress designers in the current, Fall 2011, issue of Martha Stewart Weddings magazine.

Here is some of what the designers had to say:

Vera Wang

“Stay true to yourself – to your taste and what works for your body.” 

Amsale

“Think about what you wear everyday – are you classic? avant-garde? – and go from there.”

Carolina Herrera

“Go dress shopping by yourself. . .”

Georgia Chapman for Marchesa

“If you don’t feel completely comfortable, you are simply not going to look your best.”

Angel Sanchez

“. . . If you don’t feel an instant chemistry when you look in the mirror, don’t buy it.”

All designers appear to be telling brides they need to know who they are, what looks good on their body, what style they like and what they want to project in order to find the prefect dress. And, of course, they should pay attention to what they want and love, not what someone else tells them they should want.

The article also shares wisdom from Oscar De La Renta, Monique Lhuiller, Tom Mora for J. Crew, Badgley Mischka, Lela Rose, Lazaro and Reem Acra. And, since this is “The Fashion Issue,” all designers show their latest creations so it’s worth picking up a copy of the magazine to see the dresses your brides are dreaming of wearing.

Wedding trends and tips were the topics on the ABC television show, “The View,” on Friday. They filled their entire program with guest experts from the wedding industry.

Here are some of the trends and tips which will give you ideas when planning weddings for your brides:

Wedding Dresses

Wedding gown designer Amsale Aberra showed some of her beautiful gowns which highlighted the latest trends:

• Lace wedding gowns inspired - by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
• Non-white dresses.
• Skirt interest (see above).
• Lightness – using tulle and organza.
• Short dresses – can  used for engagement parties, the wedding brunch and the reception.

Amsale also offered these additional tips:

• A bride should not worry about what size she is when selecting a style, it’s the body shape that matters the most.
• The cost of a gown is dependent on the fabric, the time spent on making the dress and beading.

Amsale has a television show starting on June 12 on WEtv.

Catering

Carley Roney of “The Knot”  shared food the drink trends

• Wedding theme should be carried out in the food and drink.
• No more boring chicken and beef dishes.
• Food inspiration comes from food trucks and food street vendors around the globe.
• Your brides should be taking their guests on an excursion, serve food such as European crepes and Chinese dumplings (dim sum).
• Cocktails should also follow the theme.

Flowers on a Budget

Carley gave these tips for saving money on flowers:

• Select less expensive flowers, such as carnations and mums, and use them in bulk, they will look amazing.
• Stay with flowers that are in season.
• Colors are hot right now but a bride should not use too much color in her bouquet, it will be overwhelming in front of a white dress.
• If she wants a colored bouquet, keep it small, let the bridesmaids carry the color.

Wedding Attire

Randy Fenoli of Kleinfeld ( you’ve seen him on, “Say Yes to the Dress”) offered this information:

• The groom’s attire should be the same level of formality as the bride’s.
• 80% of wedding gowns today are strapless and they are not just a trend. Wedding gowns are fitted garments. If you put sleeves on a fitted garment, the bride will not be able to move her arms.
• If your bride is self conscious about her arms, she can add a shrug or bolero in a light-weight fabric that doesn’t add bulk.
• Your second time brides should feel free to wear veils. Just make it lower and longer than a first time bride. (Nothing poofy or outrageous.)
• Alternatives to a veil are flowers or a jeweled headpiece.

Makeup

3 things every bride needs in her wedding day makeup bag – from the makeup artist at “The View”

1. An all-in-one compact that includes blusher, lip gloss and eye shadow
2. Waterproof mascara
3. Long lasting lipstick

You can see the entire episode of the show on the ABC website.

Click here to view the embedded video.

TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” is once again in New York at Kleinfeld Bridal and starts the season tonight, October 1, 2010, with an episode showing plus-sized brides.

TLC also has articles on shopping for plus-sized wedding dresses on their website including one by Sarah, one of the Kleinfeld bridal consultants.

One important tip to share with all of your brides, wedding dress run small so they shouldn’t be alarmed when they need, typically a dress that is two sizes larger than their normal street clothses. They should always go for a good fit and ignore the size on labels!

Many thanks to TLC for sending me the links to their video clip and articles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Are you ready to watch more brides shop for their wedding dresses? Tonight, July 30, 2010, TLC gives us a sneak preview of their new show, “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta,” after the season finale of the original show, “Say Yes to the Dress.”

While the original show takes place at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, this one is set in the Atlanta, Georgia bridal boutique, Bridals by Lori.

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There promises to be as much excitement as the original show, but this time with a Southern twist. Watch it to get some insights into the emotions brides and their families experience when shopping for wedding dresses.

Many thanks to TLC for sending me the photos and video you see here.

Fashion Designer and Project Runway winner Christian Siriano featured five of his glamorous designs on ABC’s television show, “The View,” yesterday morning. One of his designs was the fuchsia dress, featured here, that he also created in white for his sister to wear at her wedding. Christian says he does a lot of custom bridal gowns which, he said, are all about “the fantasy.”

You can see this episode of “The View” on the ABC website.

Experienced wedding planners offer wedding dress shopping as a service to their brides. Whether this is a service you want to offer or if you just want to give tips to your brides, you might want to catch episodes of the television show, “Say Yes to the Dress,” on TLC, which features brides shopping at Kleinfeld in New York.

In the latest episode, Kleinfeld Fashion Director, Randy Fenoli, offered “The Cardinal Rules of Wedding Dress Shopping.” Here are his rules, you might want to pass along to your brides:

1) “Don’t try on a dress that is outside of your budget”

A bride will inevitably fall in love with one she cannot afford and will be very disappointed when she cannot have it.

2) “Don’t keep secrets from the bridal consultant”

If the bride has already seen something somewhere else that she likes, she should let the store consultant know so she can work with her.

3) “Leave the entourage at home”

It’s ok to bring a friend or family member but the more people a bride brings, the more opinions she will hear and the more confused she might be.

4) “Once you find a dress, stop shopping”

Some brides keep shopping because they are afraid they will miss their “perfect dress.”  According to Kleinfeld’s, 90% of the brides who keep shopping actually stick to their original choice.

5) “Don’t get your heart set on a dress you saw in a magazine”

The bride should keep an open mind and try on a few dresses. The one she saw in a magazine might not suit her when she tries it on.

Watch a video of a bride who wanted a particular dress in this clip from Say Yes to the Dress.

6) “Always wear underwear (when trying on wedding dresses)”

Kleinfeld Manhattan is having one of their famous Big Blowout sales on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. You can read about it on their website.

(My blog has been down due to a hacker attack and technical difficulties – thanks for your patience. I’m happy to be back.)

The latest episode of the WeTV show Platinum Weddings featured a bride as she chose, with a the help of a personal jewelry consultant from a local jewelry store, $150,000 worth of jewelry to wear with her three wedding dresses and for her family and her attendants to wear at the wedding. Most brides you plan weddings for won’t have access to a personal jewelry consultant or a six-figure jewelry budget so, as a wedding planner, you might have to help your bride select the right jewelry and accessories for her wedding day.

Seven things to remember as you help a bride:

1. Simple dresses with simple necklines look better with ornate pieces of jewelry than heavily beaded gowns. Jewelry should enhance, not distract from, the design of the dress.
2. Think beyond a tiara and have the bride try jeweled hairpins.
3. Don’t feel limited to white diamonds and pearls, brides and bridesmaids now also wear colored stones, such as emeralds and sapphires, if they blend with the color and theme of the wedding.
4. A bride will be walking, dancing, hugging and kissing, make sure the jewelry that she wears is secure, does not inhibit her movement and looks good from every angle because she will be captured in photos and video all day.
5. The florist can add crystals or pearls to a wedding bouquet for extra sparkle.
6. Bridal consultants where the bride purchased her dress can help with jewelry selection and often have may options available to brides.
7. Also, check for wedding jewelry of all types at wedding accessory stores online and in your local area. I dropped into my local wedding store, Unveiled Bridal, this weekend and they have a fabulous new display of wedding jewelry in their shop which is also available online.

Don’t forget to tell your bride to try on the jewelry with her wedding gown and wedding day hairstyle before the day of her wedding.

And it doesn’t hurt for you to have an extra necklace, pair of earrings, pair of cuff links and adjustable wedding bands in your wedding planner emergency kit, just in case your bride and groom forget their jewelry on their big day.

Fashion and bridal designer Carolina Herrera, showed one of her wedding gowns on yesterday’s episode of ABC television show, “The View”. The wedding dress was ivory and navy with a large blue bow in the back. The dress was actually made with the wrong side of the fabric on the outside.

Carolina’s most famous wedding dress is probably the one she designed for Caroline Kennedy when she married Ed Schlossberg in 1986. She said she had been asked by Caroline’s mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, to design the dress and Caroline was in charge of the way she wanted to look, her mother never got involved (which is what Carolina thought should happen).

You can see the entire episode of the March 12, 2010 show on the ABC website.

Oscar de la Renta, fashion designer to America’s First Ladies, Hollywood celebrities and brides showed two wedding gowns on this morning’s episode of ABC television show, “The View”.

His comments on wedding gowns:

• He likes traditional white wedding gowns
• Every girl today wants to get get married in a strapless dress
• Brides know what they want to wear at their weddings, its the day every woman dreams of
• When a bride shops with her mother, he reminds her mother that this is her daughter’s day and he wants to hear what the bride wants

You can see the full January 29, 2010 episode of “The View” on the ABC website.

The back of this beautiful wedding dress.