How To Choose Your Wedding Dress (And Your Lingerie...)
The Love Diaries spoke to Libby Allaway, Women’s Leadership Entrepreneur, Image Coach and Intimo Ambassador about how to find your dream wedding gown and how to choose your bridal lingerie.
TLD: Libby, you’re a professional stylist, image coach and Intimo ambassador just to name a few… what’s the best piece of advice you would give to a bride for her wedding day?
LA: Be prepared into the lead up. Write a list of all the things you want to achieve on the day so you don’t forget anything. Having an emergency kit is the answer to overcoming fate. Some items to pack in your Bridal Emergency Kit would be bandaids, clear nail polish (stops runs in stockings), safety pins, hollywood tape, tissues, earring backs, eyedrops, headache tablets, mints, tampons and tweezers. Give yourself more time than you think you need for hair, makeup and putting on the all important dress. The time will fly and you don’t want to be rushed at the last minute. Try to avoid last minute changes.
TLD: It’s not just about looking good on your wedding day, you also want to FEEL good! How important is it to wear a gown you are super comfortable in?
LA: Your wedding dress is potentially the most important dress you will ever wear, the most beautiful bride will be the bride who is feeling confident and that confidence comes from being comfortable in your dress. Of course, feeling physically comfortable is important however just as important is feeling mentally comfortable knowing that you are wearing the perfect dress with regard to style and colour which suits your unique personality, body shape and colouring.
TLD: So many brides feel like they have a clear vision of what dress they will choose - what are your top tips for brides on saying YES to the dress?
LA: When a bride finds the right dress - she knows. It’s a feeling that can’t be described. Many brides can be disappointed when they try on a dress that they have been dreaming of only to find the shape or colour doesn’t suit them. It’s fundamentally important to know your body shape, which parts of your body you want to highlight and which parts you would like to disguise. If you are aiming for a more traditional look, does white or cream suit you best, or will you opt for a more modern take and choose colour for your wedding dress.
TLD: We’ve all had that ‘I want to wear the sexy backless number’ or some version of our dream dress and then try it on and end up looking like a disaster! How can women best choose a style that’s going to suit them?
It’s very similar when we go into a hairdresser with a photo of a celebrity hair style we like only to discover that your face shape, personality and skin tone will in no way complement the style. To look her best, a bride needs to know her body shape, style personality and whether she is warm or cool toned. Not only are there 50 Shades of Grey there are also 50 shades of White! and not all whites are created equal. Some whites will have a blue base while others will have a yellow base. Cool toned girls will look better in white while girls with warm tones will suit ivory and cream.
It’s important to remember on the day that you don’t want to stray too far from what you would normally wear, you want to be the best version of you not an altered version. If you love the look of the sexy backless dress but you have never worn one in your life, it might just be that you like the look of them on other people but not on you.
119 Likes, 0 Comments - Intimo Lingerie (@loveintimo) on Instagram: "The Opulence Contour Bra; Ideal for creating a rounded, elevated shape for a more balanced..."
Let’s talk bridal lingerie. What are the important things to consider when choosing our super sexy under garments?
A wedding dress will likely be one of the most expensive garments you will buy, and as with any item of clothing you don’t want to ruin the look with ill fitting lingerie or VPL’s (visible panty lines). Often with body hugging dresses, sexy undergarments just aren’t possible and to get the most flattering look a bride will need to resort to shape wear. A lovely thing to start any marriage is beautiful new lingerie for the honeymoon. There is a wonderfull sense of increased confidence and self esteem when women wear beautiful lingerie.
70 Likes, 0 Comments - Intimo Lingerie (@loveintimo) on Instagram: "Our motto? Life's too short for an ill-fitting bra! #getfitted #loveintimo"
Finally, what are you loving in 2019 bridal styles? Any favourites?
I’m loving the Winona Gown from Rachel Gilbert - it’s channeling the simple elegance of the Duchess of Sussex, whilst the drama of the Alex Perry Cassine dress is amazing. I’m also loving the Lindsey Gown from Alex Perry and from Steven Khalil you simply cant go past the Fiora and Florence Gowns.
1.6m Likes, 31k Comments - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Instagram: "Happy one year anniversary to Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex! Today marks..."
Claudia Neal-Shaw is a Sydney based Civil Celebrant inspiring romance and sparkle Australia wide.
As a qualified lawyer, marketing wizard and confident public speaker, Claudia has what it takes to turn your wedding ceremony dreams into a reality.