Guidelines are meant to be broken, or so they say. Think about long-established traditions? Brides have been wearing white wedding dresses in overwhelming numbers since 1840. That's when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in an elaborate white gown. Since that time, white wedding gowns have come symbolize purity, innocence and chastity, at least in the West.

While it is true that designs often change, few sartorial trends have been as consistent as the white wedding gown. However, designers and retailers have reported a slight increase in non-white gowns over the past decade. Most business insiders believe which the popularity of the white gown has fallen off a bit due to the sharp increase in wedding costs.

The buying price of the average wedding nearly doubled from the 1990s into the 21st century. However , if the Great Recession hit, bridal budgets fell for the first time in decades. In 2008, the typical wedding budget dropped by nearly 1 / 4, down to $21,814. Then in 2009, it fell again, down to $19,581. Why the precipitous decline? Well, it's simple-couples have less money and time than they did before. Consequently, they are planning less formal affairs. Not surprisingly, as conventions are relaxed, brides feel more comfortable embracing new trends.

When a bride selects a non-white dress, she often goes with something that complements her hair color or skin tone. Pink is the second most popular color and red gets the bronze. While it is true that several audacious brides do choose outre colors like black or blue, it's very rare. It really does depend on the venue and the bride.

A bride who has planned an outdoor affair on the sands on the beach or in the grass is far more likely to select an unconventional color. The appeal of pink has grown by leaps and bounds with beach brides. If you fail to bring yourself to slip into non-white gown, but you want to do something different, consider adding some color with a red or pink sash, shoes or some polychromatic lace, beading or embroidery.

The veil has become a national wedding accessory for hundreds of years. But as ceremonies become more casual, more and more brides are saying goodbye to the veil. Beach brides in particular are far less more likely to wear a veil. Simply because they often go barefoot and wear shorter, less formal clothes, the veil often appears out of place. In its stead, so many women wear a tiara or a headpiece or even fresh flowers in their hair. If they do wear a veil, they often go with a blusher, that is the shortest, lightest and least formal veil.