Wedding Do or Don't: White by Vera Wang

This is a post that I was very torn about writing, in fear that I may offend a few people, but in the end I've decided to post it to find out what everyone else thinks about this collection. Vera Wang is known as bridal royalty. When a girl gets engaged, the first thing she thinks about is her dress, and the two most common names that I hear thrown around are Monique Lhuillier and Vera Wang. Vera has designed the wedding gowns for some of the most well-known celebrities in the world (Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, and Jessica Simpson, just to name a few), which is why I was pretty surprised when I found out that she had designed a collection for David's Bridal. *gasp* 

This can be looked at in a few different ways:

1. For the bride on a budget, this is an amazing chance for her to wear Vera Wang on her wedding day without breaking her budget. 

2. For the bride not on a budget, this could be seen as a "faux" Vera Wang dress. ("My real Vera dress is way better.")

3. For private bridal boutique owners, this is not good news. (I'm losing customers to David's Bridal?! Damn you, Vera!)

I still have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, Vera can appeal to the masses by making her beautiful creations more affordable for women who don't have $6,000 to spend on a wedding dress. On the other hand, by making her designs available to more people, she's sort of "watering down" her amazingness. The moment you go from couture to ready-to-wear, you cheapen yourself. 

The big difference between Vera Wang and White by Vera Wang is not in the design and aesthetics, but in the material, beading, and construction of the gowns. We're talking silk and satin vs. polyester, hand beaded vs. machine beading, built-in corsets boning, lining, and covered buttons vs. zippers, standard fits, and little to no lining. 

Let's look at a few comparisons:

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1000.

Vera Wang on the left. White by Vera Wang on the right for $1200.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter who or what you wear. If you're married to the one you love, then your wedding was a success. People will think you look beautiful in your gown regardless of who designed it, or how much you paid for it (which is nobody's business anyway). I leave you with a few more dresses from White by Vera Wang and these questions: Do you notice a difference? Which do you prefer? 

Dress Designer: Marchesa

I'm obsessed with the Marchesa Spring 2012 collection. I've always been a fan of Marchesa in general (2 of my favorite collections can be seen here: Resort 2010 and Resort 2012), but this collection blew me away. 90% of the dresses are dresses that I would wear on my wedding day. 

The collection manages to stay cohesive while experimenting with different styles. With dresses ranging from bohemian to modern to traditional, it's good for brides with all different tastes. 

Take a look at some of the dresses from the collection and let me know which ones are your favorites.

(Pictures from NY Mag)

I love the draping and the structure of the top.

I love this for a reception dress to change into after the ceremony.

My favorite piece from the collection, however I think my shoulders are a little too broad for the detailed sleeves on this one. Meh. 

Cute for a bohemian bride. Simple earrings or a cool headpiece would complete the outfit.

I love the sheer detailing on the top of this dress.

A little too simple for me, but beautiful.

One of my other favorites of the collection. I wish I could find a better picture of the back of the dress.

LOVE the zipper detailing on the back

I love this dress. Structured, but still retains movement.

A little simpler, but I love the detailing on the top.

Dress Designer: Carol Hannah

This designer may not be as well known as Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Packham, but her dresses are bound to become popular with brides in the next few years. Her name is Carol Hannah and she was discovered when she was a contestant on Project Runway. She didn't win, but she did come in 3rd place. 

I found her dresses on a neat website called Lovely Bride. She launched her bridal line in Spring of 2010 and her work has gotten great reviews in the media. Her dresses are beautiful in a simple way and she has a great eye for creating unique silhouettes. 

Dress Designer: Romona Keveza

I've finally found a dress designer that I like whose dresses are carried in the U.S. (happy dance!) Her name is Romona Keveza, and her dresses are beautiful. They're a good blend of classic meets sexy. I love that her dresses are structured, but remain flowy, so that movement isn't restricted. Even luckier for me, her dresses are carried in 2 bridal boutiques within 5 miles of my apartment :)

        

 

                    

Dress Designer: Inbal Dror

Most girls have had their dream wedding dress picked out since they were 8. I am not one of those girls. Even though I don't know what I want my dress to look like, I've seen plenty of examples of what I don't want it to look like. 

(Warning: these dresses are SCARY)

(images from Tacky Weddings)

Luckily there are designers like Inbal Dror who have shown me that not all wedding dresses are nightmares made of taffeta or tulle. I found her website after I saw one of her gowns pinned on Pinterest, and she is my dream wedding gown designer. Unfortunately, she's located in Israel and I haven't found anything about her gowns being carried in the U.S. I did see that she makes custom gowns, so there's still hope. After my first visit to her website I was hooked. I'm in such awe of her designs. She has an eye for creating such unique gowns. They are truly unlike any others I've seen. I'm determined to wear one of her creations on my wedding day.

One thing I love about her is that she likes to focus on the back detail. I decided long before I saw her designs that I wanted either a backless gown, or something with a lot of detail on the back. To me, showing off your back is so subtly sexy. You don't need to have a slit in your skirt up to your thigh, or a neckline down to your navel if you have a sexy back. 

She is so good at producing form fitting, yet flowy gowns that flatter a woman's body. I think it's impossible not to feel sexy when wearing one of her creations. She doesn't use a million yards of tulle to create a poofy cupcake dress that reminds me of prom.

 

Seriously, how can you not be in love with this dress?! 

There aren't enough words that I could write that would describe how much I love these gowns. Now if I can just find a way to either go is Israel and buy my gown, or somehow get her to come to the states....