The white wedding dress, now a common tradition in the western world, originated with Anne of Brittany on the occasion of her marriage to LouisXIIof France in 1499. But it wasn’t until 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, that the white dress was made popular. Now the white wedding dress is a classic. - Almanac

THE MERMAID SILHOUETTE.

The mermaid silhouette is widely regarded as the most popular wedding dress style due to its ability to create the illusion of a more curvy shape. With a silhouette similar to the mermaid style, the trumpet style is gaining popularity.

Ordering your wedding dress can be very tricky and depends on numerous factors. This includes: shipping time, body goals and affordability.

• Shipping Time:The designer's estimated time frame can directly affect your window to get your wedding dress in time for any additional alterations and prep. Alterations can take up to 8 weeks (more or less, depending on seamstress). Therefore, take into consideration ship time, alter time and how soon you want your dress ready-to-wear prior to your Big Day.
• Body Goals: Many brides decide that they want to lose weight prior to their Big Day. If you fall into this category, ordering a year in advance would not be practical . Some people order a smaller size and hope to get in that size by their wedding day, however, this does not always work out in your favor. What if you never find the time to lose that weight and ordered your dress 2 sizes smaller? The best thing to do is be real with yourself and either start working out immediately so you know you will lose the weight or order in your current size and have it altered in the case that you do. It is important to remember it will be easier to have your dress altered down, not up.
• Affordability: This matters because wedding dresses can get very expensive depending on your taste. Many designers offer payment plans that will let you pay over the course of months. The earlier you buy, the smaller your payments will likely be and more time you will have. When you order very close to your wedding day, you will likely have to pay in full or have higher payments in a short period of time. Not to mention, some designers won't ship until you have paid in full, so please keep that in mind.

The bottom line is, take into consideration these three factors to determine when to purchase. Once your wedding dress is purchased/arrives, you will have one less thing to worry about as you prepare for your special day.

This is includes several items brides from all walks of life find important to them on their BIG DAY. Every bride is unique, therefore, some of the items on the list below may or may not be something you would want to include.