5 Simple Tips for Upstyling Your Wedding Dress

There are a number of reasons you might need to upstyle your wedding dress.  Perhaps you are on a budget and went with a simple dress that you’d like to take up a notch.  
Maybe you bought a second hand dress that is almost perfect, but just not quite there yet.  Or you may have decided to go with your grandmother’s dress, with a few updates.  
Whatever the reason, we’ve got a few ideas to help you along in getting your wedding dress up to par for your big day.
1. Start With the Colour
When buying your dress, look for a selection that enhances your natural skin tone.  When the dress itself isn’t the centrepiece, you’ll want to be.  
If the colour compliments your complexion, it won’t matter how simple or inexpensive it is.  You’ll be the most beautiful bride you could ever hope to be.

2. Don’t Skimp on Tailoring
If you opt for a simple, inexpensive gown, you’ll want to spend a little extra dough on getting it tailored to fit to perfection.  Once you’ve gotten it trimmed down to suit your every curve, it will stand out like the best custom gown on the market.  
Plus, it gives you a chance to make any subtle changes you’d like to see.  Add some straps.  Add some ribbons in your signature wedding colour.  Change the hemline to suit you.  There is no limit to the ways you can make your dress your own.  

Tip:  When buying an off the rack gown, pick a size that accommodates your largest measurement.  It is much easier and thus, cheaper, to take things in than it is to let them out.

3. Opt for Slimming Undergarments
Foundation garments such as corsets, girdles or other shapewear will go a long way toward enhancing the look of your dress.  
Select items that are designed to create the best silhouette for your dress and show off your best assets, which we will assume you have already taken into consideration when selecting the dress.

4. Accessorise
Take that basic dress up a notch by adding a beaded belt or a shrug.  This can elevate the look into something completely new and much more upscale than the dress you originally purchased.  
Alternately, take the focus off the dress with jewellery that speaks to your attendees.  Whether it’s a borrowed heirloom from a family collection or a shiny bauble you caught on sale, you can’t go wrong with the right necklace and earrings to complement that dress.

5. Shop the Sales
Don’t want the hassle of alterations and additions or simply don’t have time?  Go for that sale rack.  There are plenty of dresses out there that end up marked down for the right girl to scoop up at a fraction of the price.  If you have the time, shop early.  
If you can swing looking for your perfect dress in June or November, those are usually the best times to score big on the previous year’s dresses as retailers make room for their newest collections.  Play your cards right and you can get a dress at a fraction of the price.
Here are but a few of the wonderful places to buy wedding dresses in the North-West Ireland:  Serendipity Bridal Boutique,  Pearls & Lace, Elite Brides, Lavender Lily Bridal Boutique, 
 

By Amy Naves, Excalibur Press

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