It’s no surprise that weddings are a serious business. They are, after all, a $25.3 billion industry.
Not only does the average bride take 7 to 12 months to plan her wedding, but she will also spend some $25,000 making it one of the most memorable days of her life according to the Web site, www.hallmark.com. Of that budget, some $3,000 or more can go to a wedding dress according to about.com.
So with all that riding on the big day, what does today’s average 18-year-old dream about when she conjures up her own wedding day?
Well, she may not be average, but Elana Bloom, winner of The Art Institutes first Passion for Fashion competition, and a $70,000 scholarship to study fashion design at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, has given the subject some thought and she’s decided she wants something, “sleek and sexy.”
Sleek and sexy is one of the hottest trends in wedding style today. “Less pouf and more sheer fabrics that accentuate a bride’s body and offer sleek silhouettes,” says Bloom.
According to Jacqueline Peterson, senior academic director of fashion marketing for The Art Institute of Phoenix, Bloom’s take on wedding style is right on target. “Choosing simpler styles over showy flatters every bride, no matter their shape or size,” she says.
“For embellishment, today’s modern bride may look for stunning bead work or other simple accents to draw attention to her dress, rather than lots of lace, bows or other details that may take away from the fit or fabric of a dress,” she adds.
In addition to a wonderful dress, accessories are one of the most important ways a bride can personalize her wedding look. If you weren’t lucky enough to inherit a wonderful piece of antique jewelry, you can find a bracelet, necklace or earrings by checking out a few key Internet sources.
“There are so many retail shops operating online these days that anything in a store can be found online and for accessories, the Internet is ideal,” says Peterson. For example, Peterson likes E-Jules.com, a great site for jewelry accessories, necklaces, bracelets, broaches, earrings and more. The prices are very “friendly” she says, especially when you want a particular piece to tie together your wedding look, but don’t want to spend a fortune.
Like most teenage girls, Bloom says hair is always an important accessory, “on a wedding day, or any day for that matter, brides need to remember not to lacquer their hair to their head. Instead, brides should look as natural as possible with a swept away up-do.” Add a dainty necklace and jaw dropping earrings. Keep make-up simple, she recommends. “Lots of mascara, a dust of bronzer and a sheer tinted lip-gloss are all a bride needs.”
More important than a dress, jewelry or make-up is the day itself, the whole wedding experience. And even though Bloom, at 18, is a few years away from her own wedding, she sounds like she has the right idea.
“I want my wedding to be about dancing and all-around family fun. People should leave my wedding with sore feet from too much dancing! That’s my idea of a perfect wedding day,” she says.
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To learn more about The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion scholarship, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/passion4fashion.
Editor’s Note: The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) with 32 educational institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source for design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. - ARA
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