Ready to Wed? You’ve Got Some Homework in Store
Getting married? Better start studying.
Planning a wedding takes work, no matter how simple the ceremony and reception. Procrastinating is not an option. Cramming is. Time for a pop quiz. Pick a role or actress whose style best describes the look of today’s wedding dresses:
A) Ally McBeal--short, short.
B) Jennifer Aniston--sophisticated and bare.
C) Elly May Clampett--frills, frills and more frills.
D) None of the above.
The answer is B.
Dresses for the big day not only have gotten simpler over the last few seasons; they’ve gotten skimpier up top, too.
First there were classic sheaths, then spaghetti straps atop tulle ballerina skirts. Now gowns are going strapless.
It’s shocking at first, but the look grows on you. Consider the satin strapless sheath from Lady Eleanor ($350). Sure, your grandmother would have a fit at the very thought of her baby baring her shoulders on her wedding day. However, the dress is spare, elegant and sophisticated. And if you ever embark on a new career as a lounge singer, you’ve already got something to wear.
Now for some math.
Mom’s wedding dress is a size 6. You’re a 12. Short of calling in a magician, is there any hope of wearing her dress down the aisle?
Yes, according to Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon, authors of “The Wedding Dress Diet” (Doubleday, 229 pages, $14). The book is no magic bullet--the weight loss plans inside advocate a balanced diet and exercise. But the book also includes helpful tips on managing wedding-related stress, handling potentially disastrous pre-wedding eating events and finding the right wedding dress for your figure.
Wedding mags by the numbers:
* Number of pages in the February/March issue of Bride’s magazine: 1,270.
* Weight of magazine: 4.8 pounds.
* Guinness Record broken (according to Bride’s): “World’s Largest Consumer Magazine.”
* Average cost of a wedding in 2000, according to InStyle Weddings magazine: $25,000 to $27,000.
* Cost of fashion designer Erisa Katsura’s one-of-a-kind “Millennium” gown, with hand-applied platinum leaf: $200,000.
Groom’s New Duties
The old definition: groom (noun), person bride will marry whose only wedding planning duties are to show up at the church on time.
The new definition, according to “For the Groom” by Colin Cowie (Delacorte Press, 133 pages, $24.95): groom (noun), person bride will marry whose wedding planning duties might include choosing the menu and wine for the reception, selecting a band, arranging transportation for wedding guests, purchasing cigars, writing thank-you notes, making honeymoon travel arrangements and getting a facial, haircut and teeth cleaning two weeks before the wedding.
Bright Ideas
What’s hot for weddings, according to InStyle Weddings:
* Bridal hair: a flurry of jeweled or pearl-scattered pins instead of a veil.
* Bridal shoes: Yves Saint Laurent silver stilettos.
* Bouquet: sunset-colored roses bound with yellow tulle and golden ribbon.
* Rings: anything platinum.
* Invitations: your new monogram.
* Music: two bands, a polka band and a wedding band, or an R&B; band and a swing band.
* Color: silver, as in silver-rimmed dishes, flower containers, tablecloths.
* Must-have accessory: man’s best friend, appropriately attired, of course (yes, we mean a dog).
* Drinks: vodka, coffee.
* Wedding cake: tiny, individual, tiered mini-cakes.
* Favors: personalized conversation hearts.
* Little something extra: a $100,000 fireworks display.
