wedding dresses, wedding dress

When the bride begins shopping for the perfect dress for her destination wedding, her number one priority should be comfort – after all, the dress has to feel just right. She should also take into consideration style, fabric and colour choices, when and where she will wear the dress, as well as her budget.

Stacey Newell, owner of Priceless Bridals in Greater Sudbury’s South End, says that a favourite for destination weddings is taffeta as a fabric choice, in a Mermaid style. This is a beautiful fabric that is comfortable and wears very well. A bride may not think of wearing a taffeta dress in the Caribbean, but it is a great choice to travel with as the fabric has a natural ripple through it, so small creases won’t show. It is also a lot lighter than satin and less likely to pick up sand.

“There is a lot to know about when choosing a wedding  gown. It’s not at all like buying regular clothes, and that’s why it’s so important to shop at a store that has experience in the bridal industry and has an established relationship with gown designers,” says Newell.

“Knowledge is key, but personality is a priority to work at Priceless Bridals. I have been in this industry for 10 years and have personally trained all my staff.  They do a fantastic job, and they have that something special. Our fashionista sales manager is Tammi, our fantastic bridal stylist is Jenny, and our junior stylist is Keatha,” explained Newell.

Priceless Bridals specializes in designer wedding gowns, destination dresses, tiaras, veils and accessories. Today’s hot accessories include: thin rhinestone or crystal headbands, mini tiaras, a stylish clutch and coloured shoes peeking out from under the dress.

Brand specific names such as Morilee, Madison, Fabulous Formal, Cassidy Sara and Romantic Bridals are available at Priceless Bridals. The new arrivals for 2009 include: Angelina Faccenda, Madeline Gardner New York, and Sottero & Midgley.

Newell recommends brides begin shopping for their dream dress at least eight to 14 months prior to their wedding. This allows time for alterations to be completed. She also advises not to bring a crowd when shopping as too many opinions can be confusing as well as a distraction.

What does she like best about doing what she does? “I LOVE bridal gowns, just love them, especially the new lines I’ll be carrying in the New Year, it is so exciting. And I love nothing more than playing dress-up with a bride and making her dreams of finding her dream dress a reality, “ says Newell.

Brides will be able to meet Stacey Newell and participate in the Devine Details & Priceless Bridals new bridal show at the Caruso Club upper hall on Friday, Sept. 12.

“This year marks the fifth year that brides can expect to see a dramatic fashion show featuring the latest trends in flowers, formals, bridal gowns, destination wear, hair and make-up. Brides will also have an opportunity to win thousands of dollars in prizes including a gorgeous solitaire,” says Newell. We invite you to shop around and enjoy free samples from Respect is Burning, and meet Charm Plus models, she adds. Tickets are $5 at the door, browsing starts at 4 p.m. and the fashion show at 8:30 p.m.

Kara Lee Bassily and Gregory Vance Pressley were married Saturday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church in Mount Pleasant, S.C., with John C. Hage officiating.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fady Philip Bassily of Georgetown, S.C. She wore an ivory strapless, floor-length gown with a short train. The dress had a low back, was fitted to the waist and had many pick-ups that ran from the waist to the floor. The dress was by Romona Keveza. Her flowers were a textured bouquet of ivory garden roses, lisianthus, astilbe, scabiosa and dahlias accented with purple allium, hand-tied with ivory silk ribbon and accented with pearl pins.

The matron of honor was the sister of the bride, Amy Bassily Skipper of Charleston, S.C. The bride’s attendants were Alex Chastain of Columbia, S.C., Courtney Delaney of Columbia; Kelly Daves of Columbia; Alicia Henneberry of Bethesda, Md.; Karen Petit of Charleston; niece of the groom, Sarah Pressley of Aberdeen, N.C.; sister of the groom, Kely Watts of Chickamauga; and niece of the groom, Ashley Watts of Chickamauga. The attendants wore mocha color strapless, knee-length Nicole Miller dresses, and their flowers were hand-tied bouquets of deep purple to plum dahlias, purple stock, and plum snapdragons tied with ribbon to match the girls’ dresses.

The flower girls were Morgan Taylor of Chickamauga and Shelby Taylor of Chickamauga, both nieces of the groom.

The groom is the son of Barbara Jewel Pressley of Atlanta, and David James Pressley of Georgetown, Ky. The best man was the father of the groom.

The groomsmen were the brother of the bride, Christian Bassily of Charleston; Jeff Beagles of Chickamauga; Brett Bomar of LaFayette; Hollis Hood of Albany; Matt Lane of Nashville, Tenn.; Victor Miltiades of Smyrna; nephew of the groom, Zach Pressley of Aberdeen; Stephen Sines of Palm City, Fla.; brother-in-law of the bride, Chris Skipper of Charleston; and Rick Solmon of Chickamauga.

The groomsmen wore black tuxedos. The ringbearers were Zach Pressley of Charleston, and Alex Skipper of Charleston, both nephews of the bride.

The mother of the bride wore a floor-length, multi-layered gold gown. The mother of the groom wore a floor-length, chocolate-brown gown.

The bride was given away by her father, Fady Philip Bassily.

The wedding design and artistry was done by Sarah Jeffers Beauchene of Center It Designs Event Artistry. The vocalist was Michele Russell, and the harpist was Diana Myers. Readers were Chip Rominger of Ringgold, and Nikki Wood of Charleston. Program attendants were Leigh Limehouse of Charleston, and Mary Beth DiNunzio of Charleston.

A reception followed at The Lagare Waring House at Charles Towne Landing in Charleston. The hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Fady Philip Bassily. The cake was beautifully designed by Ashley Bakery, a square, four-tiered cake. Atop the cake sat a family heirloom cake top from the bride’s mother’s family. Entertainment was by The Tony Howard Band.

A wonderful bridal luncheon for the bride and her bridesmaids was hosted by Ellen Fay Bassily, mother of the bride. The luncheon was held at High Thyme’s on Sullivan’s Island. The couple will reside in Mount Pleasant, after their honeymoon to Australia.

Yes, it’s time to get excited, Madonna fans. As if you weren’t excited enough by the current Sticky & Sweet tour.

Because some of Madge’s material possessions are coming to London. To an exhibition at the Truman Brewery in February and March of next year, to be precise.

‘Simply Madonna: Materials Of The Girl’ will be the world’s largest private collection of Madonna’s film and stage costumes and artefacts to go on display - and it includes the iconic pink dress she wore in the Material Girl video, the wedding dress she wore on her ‘Like A Virgin’ tour, the black tasselled corset from her Open Your Heart video - and even the baseball strip Madge sported in her 1992 film League Of Their Own.

“These are museum-quality pieces,” says the curator of the exhibition, “but they will be presented in keeping with the glamour and sense of theatre that the queen of pop has made her trademark.”

Ooh! Whatever can he mean?!

AN Axminster woman stepped out wearing her wedding dress again to walk down the aisle - of her local supermarket.

Amy Larcombe, 24, of North Street, donned the ceremonial outfit to wear to work, to go shopping and go about her every day business - in aid of charity.

In a bid to raise money for Cancer Research and Born Too Soon, she tolerated the strange looks and giggles her dress attracted in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Although she and husband Danny have been together for six years, they finally tied the knot in April. Not wanting to hide away her gown just yet, she seized the chance to wear it for a good cause.

But amid the fun and laughter of the National Wedding Dress Day on Friday (August 29), mother of two Amy’s appeal was based on her own tragic experiences.

Two years ago, at 38 weeks pregnant, her unborn girl Chelsea was diagnosed as brain damaged and she was advised to either terminate the pregnancy, or give birth and then lose her.

Separated at the time from Danny, Amy said it was the most difficult decision she ever had to make - and she had to do it alone.

“Around 17 weeks into the pregnancy I felt something was wrong,” she said. “It was my third baby and she wasn’t active. I asked the doctors, but they said she was healthy.

“But when I was soon due to give birth, I started bleeding and was rushed into hospital. After scans I was told then that her brain had stopped growing.

“I felt like I was watching TV and that it was happening to someone else. Yet I knew in my heart the decision I had to make. People might think abortion is wrong - but there are times when it’s the only choice.

“No matter how much you love them, if they are not going to have much of a life, you have to let go. It doesn’t mean I don’t regret it, but I did what was best for her, my children, my family.

Despite believing she made the right decision, Amy says she will never get over her loss.

“I’ve never got over losing her. I carried her, was in labour for 20 hours - and had nothing for it. I was attached to my baby since I first became pregnant. I named her, got the cot ready. She was almost a full baby - with hair, a heart beat and a name.”

As well as the heartache, Amy feels angry that Chelsea’s condition was not recognised earlier.

“I felt let down by the NHS. I think something should have been picked up a lot sooner and I still want to know what happened. I wasn’t given any information about the cause or the result from the autopsy.

“I also feel I let Chelsea down - as her mother, I should have protected her.”

Currently advised by doctors not to have any more children, Amy says Born Too Soon - linked to other charities which help families who have lost a child - helped her through her grief.

Charity Cancer Research is also close to home, as many members of her family have been hit by the illness.

Amy has lost an aunt to breast cancer, an uncle was recently diagnosed with leukaemia, and her grandmother has survived lung cancer.

After tragedy repeatedly struck the family, Amy has learned to appreciate the good things in life: “I’m blessed with two beautiful children and a wonderful husband,” she said.

A WOMAN has raised more than £600 for charity by wearing a wedding dress for a day.

Maria Perridge, 44, of Vicarage Road, Leyton, spent last Friday dressed in a secondhand gown and managed to raise about £620 in donations for Diabetes UK.

She wore the dress all day long, including at work and during an evening gathering at the Walnut Tree House Club in Leyton.

“We had a few of the guys dressed up as well, my husband included,” she said.

And although Mrs Perrdige attracted a few funny looks during the day, her unusual attire also caught the eye of generous passers-by.

“Someone tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘This is for your collection’,” she said.

She also added to her total with donations from local newsagents, with a raffle during the evening event and with 50p charges for song requests made to the club’s DJ, Derek ‘Del’ Pryor.

“There were about 20 people there,” she said. “I was ecstatic when I added up the donations the next morning.”

Having bettered last year’s total by about £200, Mrs Perridge will be wearing a wedding dress for a day again next year and hopes to raise even more funds for the charity.

BRIDE Heather Saint was over the moon when she spotted her dream wedding dress on eBay.

The fairytale frock in antique white lace and silk was exactly what she wanted. And canny Heather snapped up the stunning gown for a knockdown bid of just 5p!

“It is so amazingly gorgeous and I was proud to tell everyone at the wedding how much it cost,” said Heather, 20, from Billingham.

“You should have heard me squeal with excitement when I opened the parcel and saw how perfect it was.”

The brand-new dress from a Singapore designer cost £19.95 less than the hooped petticoat bought to give it maximum princess power — and postage was a whopping £40.

“But it was worth every penny,” laughed Heather, who lives with new husband Mark, 24, and their 19-month-old daughter Emily in Bannockburn Way.

Mark, a librarian, and Heather, who works part-time at Woolworth’s in Stockton and loves buying and selling on the web, wed at St Cuthbert’s RC Church, Stockton, and reckon their big day cost around £3,500.

They made the invitations for 70 guests to attend a reception at the Smiths Arms in Carlton.

But their bust-the-budget indulgence was Mark’s must-have wedding transport — a white VW camper van for the bridesmaids and a vintage Beetle for the bridal couple.

“We were careful about the cost, but we had absolutely everything we wanted,” said Heather, who is now back from a honeymoon in the Lakes.

I have to confess, I wasn’t aware of this fashion trend. But wedding dresses, it seems, are getting skimpier and racier.

That’s the jumping-off point for this story by David O’Reilly of The Philadelphia Inquirer about how the typical wardrobe for worship is becoming ever more casual.

O’Reilly tells of an Episcopal priest who was shocked to see that a new bride at whose wedding he presided was showing the congregation her “butt crack.” he quotes the priest as saying, “I never thought I’d see the day, but I now tell couples in premarital counseling that their wedding clothes must be dignified and lovely.”

In general, the story says, proper dress at places of worship “is just a quaint memory for some people - and an alien concept to others.”

The Athlone Springs Wedding Fair takes place on Sunday September 28. This event is a must for brides and grooms-to-be, and will include a fashion show, competitions, and a range of exhibitors offering everything you need to make your big day perfect.

Athlone Springs Hotel is one of the Midlands’ premier wedding venues. Catering to intimate weddings and grand affairs, the elegant, airy ballroom at Athlone Springs can accommodate from 100 to 250 guests, while those staying overnight will appreciate a relaxing treatment in the Zen Leisure Club.

A personal touch

Sharon and Thomas O’Halloran recently held their wedding ceremony and reception at Athlone Springs Hotel. Sharon spoke to the Advertiser about their experience.

The bride and her three bridesmaids stayed in adjoining rooms in the hotel the night before the wedding, giving them time to relax and get organised for the big day. “I had a mini-facial, and had my nails, eyebrows, and waxing done the day before the wedding. I held the hen night in the bar downstairs that night, and most of the guests booked in for the night as part of a wedding package. We were allowed to block-book 60 rooms,” explains Sharon.

“The next morning the girls from the hotel’s Zen Leisure Club came up to the room to do make-up for me, the bridesmaids, and the two mothers. Champagne was also brought up on the wedding morning; I didn’t have to step out of the room. Everything was calm and relaxed, and I was informed how everything was being set up downstairs. The hairdresser, videographer, and photographer were all allowed in the room, and these were all recommended by the hotel. I didn’t have to look for anything myself.”

Sharon says she and her husband were “over the moon” with the service provided by Athlone Springs, from the very beginning of the planning process to the details of the day itself. “Everything was fabulous. We had a free menu-tasting two weeks before the wedding, and they were in constant contact with us. They made sure everything went right on the day, and even took my dress to be dry-cleaned and had it back in an hour on the wedding morning.”

Sharon’s wedding had been planned to take place outdoors in the hotel’s wedding garden, but things had to be moved inside 20 minutes before the ceremony due to threat of rain. However, she says everything ran smoothly regardless, with an altar and flower arrangments swiftly set up in an indoor reception room.

The reception meal was equally impressive. “The table arrangements were fabulous, with white covers on the chairs and sashes the same colour as the bridesmaids’ dresses,” says Sharon, whose guests enjoyed leek and potato soup or melon to start, and sirloin beef or turkey and ham with creamed potato and roast vegetables for the main course.

“All I had to do was sort out my dress and hair, and the bridesmaids’ dresses,” says Sharon. “The food, accommodation, and personal service were fantastic. Three of my aunts decided to stay in the hotel for the whole week as everyone was looked after so well!”