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Lifestyle

2B Sunday, February 15, 2015

Star-Herald

Brides show short wedding gowns more of the love NEW YOR K (A P) — Helen Bradley isn’t one of those women who fantasized about her wedding as a girl, so when the time came to tie the knot on the 10th tee of a golf course, she wanted to be relaxed, comfortable and economical. A short gown was just right for her September nuptials, said the 27-year-old bank worker in Madison, Wisconsin. “ I had t r ied on a few long dresses and none of them felt like me. I’m a ver y pract ical person. My mom picked out the short dress from a sale rack and it’s rare that I would like anything that my mom picks out,” she said with a laugh. Once the domain of older or remarrying brides, short gowns are enjoying a little more of the love, from luxur y brands like Monique Lhuillier, Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa to more affordable offerings at David’s Br idal, which has a bustling ret a il website a nd about 30 0 stores around the country. T he shor t looks aren’t just stand-in dresses originally intended for bridesmaids or cocktail parties. Designers are offering a greater range of shorter styles as more brides break from tradition and personalize their weddings. “A lot of people are doing more intimate settings, so a shorter dress just feels more appropriate. If they do the big wedding, some change into a shorter dress so they can dance and have a good time,” Lhuillier said. Exactly how short is up to the bride. There are minis, high-low hemlines (high in the front and lower in the back), knee lengths, tea lengths below the knee and so-called “transformers,” where a long train or sheer skirt detaches to show off a short dress underneath. Designer Zac Posen put his own sister in one of the convertibles — in red — for her 2004 wedding. “Her huge train came off to become a mini and she took it off to Judy Garland’s ‘Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart,’” he said. “It covered the grandeur of the ceremony and the fun of the party.”

Long gowns remain the clear majority of the $ 2.6 billion-ayear bridal gown market, noted Darcy Miller, editorial director for Ma r t ha S t ewa r t ’s br ida l site, Marthastewartweddings. com. But “more and more brides seem to be seek ing no -f uss, lightweight and easier silhouettes,” she said. Some “want a dress they can run on the beach in or travel with to their destination wedding.” At David’s Bridal, 26 of the 75 gowns launched for spring 2015 are short, said A nne Acierno, executive vice president for design, merchandising and product development. Posen creates luxur y short looks but also includes a few in his Truly Zac Posen collection at David’s Bridal. He said red - c a r p et t rends i n f luenc e some brides, and these days they’re seeing more short, fancy dresses. Among high-profile brides to go short recently were fashion “it” girl Olivia Palermo and actress Cheryl Hines, who married Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last August in a strapless, white, tea-length creation by Romona Keveza. Vera Wang makes short gowns, too, in a range of pricepoints that include her White collection for David’s Bridal. “I think you should wear what you feel most beautiful and most comfortable in, and also what is most you, most individual,” Wang said. Shorter dresses can be less expensive — a huge factor for Bradley at her country club wedding before 125 guests. The reception was in a cozy room with a big fireplace, wood floors and sconces all around. Her dress cost $400. She spent another $100 on a chunky glass statement necklace with matching earrings, and $99 for a pair of 4-inch Calvin Klein heels in dusty gold with a T-strap and side buckle. “I’m an accessory person, so I knew when I saw the dress it was a blank canvas,” Bradley said. “I could go out and pick the perfect necklace and the perfect shoes and you could see them.” But embellished, hand-sewn, custom short gowns aren’t neces-

This image released by Truly Zac Posen shows a Mikado w e d d i ng d re s s wi t h c o rs e t bodice from the Truly Zac Posen Collection offered exclusively for David’s Bridal.

AP photos

In this undated image released by David’s Bridal, a model wears I n t h i s i m a g e r e l e a s e d b y a short double weave floral matalasse dress with a bow from the David’s Bridal, a model wears White by Vera Wang collection. At David’s Bridal, 26 of the 75 a strapless dress with a satin gowns launched for spring 2015 are short, said Anne Acierno, sash from the White by Vera executive vice president for design, merchandising and product development. Wang collection.

sarily cheaper, depending on the materials and designer. Emmy Mitchell, 33, of Columbus, Ohio, wore custom when she went short for her 2011 wedding. She had originally planned to modif y the 75 -year- old, long, ivory satin gown worn by her mother and grandmother, but a mishap with a seamstress left much of the fabric unusable. She regrouped, found another seamstress and was able to sal-

vage some of the original fabric for the bodice of a new gown, inspired by the strapless, full, Vivienne Westwood design that “Sex in the City” character Carrie Bradshaw wore when Mr. Big jilted her at the altar in the first movie based on the TV series. Unlike Bradley out on the golf course, Mitchell wore her short gown for a church ceremony. “Everyone asked me, ‘Aren’t you worried about the church?

Is it long enough?’” the freelance graphic designer said. “I was, like, no, I’m not worried. We wanted it to be fun, but we didn’t want it to be too casual.” Mitchell’s advice for others who want to go short? “Go with your gut. Just go for it. It was the best decision of our wedding. It made everyone loosen their collars and say, ‘OK, this is a fun event. We can all cut loose tonight.’”

For the families: One couple, two weddings, five dresses By PAULA FROKE Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Two dresses — one from Craigslist, several sizes too big, the other a last-minute, $18 antique shop find. Two bouquets — one crafted from a gigantic flower market’s offerings, the other from wildflowers gathered from the side of a highway. Two venues — one a waterfront park where the groom spent his last hours of bachelorhood cleaning up goose droppings, the other a ... cemetery. To think, all I’d wanted was to run down to City Hall. Fortunately, Timothy is wise. A wedding, he told me, is as much for our families and friends as it is for us. So that became our theme: “taking it to the family.” Which meant that my simple City Hall idea morphed into two ceremonies, one in California with his large family and one in Pennsylvania with my small family. We enlisted their help, from the planning to the music to the food. “Yes it is about the couple, and it’s this huge, important step, but you don’t live life in a bubble. You’re basically blending two families in one moment,” says Yolanda Crous, features and travel director for Brides magazine. “This is probably the only time in your life that you’re going to be able to get everyone in one room.” While we no doubt were on the extreme end of the family-involvement scale, many

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couples have a similar philosophy. After all, Crous notes, everyone wants a personal wedding, and what’s more personal than your family? “Giving a family member a role is a very special thing for them,” says Jamie Miles, editor at TheKnot.com. At the same time, families should respect boundaries: “Don’t be too intrusive, and be respectful of what (the bride and groom) are communicating to you.” O u r f a m i l ie s g ave us plenty of space. Thankfully, they also prodded us to do a bit more planning than we might otherwise have done, with our relaxed approach that bypassed a lot of the traditional formalities. ( W hen I initially slipped Timothy’s ring onto his right hand during the ceremony — “I said that you should rehearse this,” his uncle/ pastor intoned — we just smiled and tried again.) We wanted room for compromise, rule-bending and flexibility. Some of the ways we found

that — with help from the family: THE VENUES CA LIFOR NI A : Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland, because of its family connection. Timothy’s sister Celia (his “best woman”) was part of a team that had helped plan and design the park. It’s a lovely and historic setting with a view of San Francisco. It’s also home to geese, so on the morning of our wedding, my groom helped scoop goose poop. PENNSYLVANIA: A tranquil spot of deep meaning: my father’s burial place. An unusual setting, but we knew we could make it just right at this spot atop a hill, with cornfields and mountains as the backdrop. THE MUSIC CALIFORNIA: The Twintet: Timothy’s twin brothers, Michael and Patrick, plus Patrick’s wife, Vivian, and her twin, Wanda, played jazz. Celia and mother Ruth, accompa nied by Cel ia’s husband, sang The Beatles’ “I Will.”

PENNSY LVA NI A : Our friend Ron, singing and on guitar. THE OFFICIANTS: CALIFORNIA: Timothy’s Uncle Bob, a minister. Nephew Hikaru kept us all in line as master of the ceremony. PEN NS Y LVA N I A : My brother -in -law, Glen, as master of the ceremony. My mother, Marliene, sister Dana and best friend Sharon each read. THE FLOWERS C A L I F OR N I A : F r o m the San Francisco Flower FAMILIES, page 3B

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