Weddings are heinously overrated. The basis of marriage is supposedly the love between the two parties but sometimes, the whole white saga and all its frills (the dream wedding, the fairy-tale come true, etc.) does overlook that simple fact.
Marriage has never ceased to be a hot topic; because of the big white ceremony in all its grandeur, fuss and months of preparation; because of a general loss of faith in the institution and the meaning of marriage thanks to the Hollywood A-listers and rampant globalisation; because of cultural differences and what happens after you say 'I do', and so on. Cranking the can of worms open, from the legalisation of same-sex marriage to a red wedding gown (gasp) for the fairy-tale bridal march, the mindmap of 'marriage' just keeps growing. So I stop now and turn to the formalisation of the contract of matrimony: the wedding ceremony.
The centerpiece of the overhyped wedding ceremony is the dress, whether we admit it or not, it does matter. The fit, whether it makes the bride look slim (or skinny), the fabric, the train, the embellishments, the lace (or french lace), the designer, the style, the price... the list goes on. Wedding gowns can get boring after a while but somehow the Cinderella silhouette never gets old. There is something magical and breathtaking about the yards of white tulle or satin wrapped intricately across those womanly curves that still sees those beautiful creations taking the runways season after season. Trawling through some bridal shows, here are some of the more unconventional bridal looks. For the unconventional bride.
Wear the pants in the relationship.
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| Oscar de la Renta |
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| Carolina Herrera |
The grecian dress for the Big Fat Greek Wedding.
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| Temperley |
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| Claire Pettibone |
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| Amanda Wakeley |
Colour your wedding.
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| Oscar de la Renta |
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| Vera Wang |
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| More Vera Wang |
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| Romona Keveza |
Cut the long story short and get down the aisle in these short beauties.
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| Decked in embellishments; Monique Lhuillier |
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| Romona Keveza |
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| Claire Pettibone |
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| Oscar de la Renta |
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| And encore, Oscar de la Renta. |
Perhaps, in the most demented train of thought, the woman sort of diminishes upon entering into marriage so it is necessary she is the centre of attention at the ceremony. Think about it, some women just disappear into the household chores, some get so wrapped up with the children (their school work and extracurricular activities), some remain hidden in the husband's shadow (although this is changing) and some are too busy juggling a career and a family.
So, the bride must take advantage of the situation to multiply the narcissistic pleasure of looking good because this feel-good sensation will last well after the honeymoon. She must be the most beautiful not only to her husband but to all friends, frenemies and family who are present. She must show herself off to the world before she rightfully belongs to someone else and can no longer command or demand the same sort of looks of lust or jealousy bestowed upon her before the marriage.
For the ladies who live to get married, yes, the ceremony had better be perfect. For the lucky ones who have met their soulmates, the ceremony is icing on the cake. For the shotgunners, it's all about timing. Aside from being the perfect distraction for the brides-to-be, the wedding ceremony is the spectacle for the ideal of love and the gown is the showcase of the bride. Every wedding is different, especially across cultures, but the symbols remain the same for those who choose the typical western style sort of ceremony - the rings, the cake, the champagne, the flowers, the aisle, the bachelor party and more importantly, that 'perfect' dress.
♥,
Fir
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