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Wang Offers Wedding Advice
By KAROL STONGER
Associated Press
Since she opened her shop in New York in 1990, Vera Wang has become the bridal gown guru for the rich and famous, and during fittings she has been privy to a plethora of wedding plan woes.
"Five months or five weeks, I talk with them and know what can go wrong," she says of her brides-to-be.
Now, in the manner of Heloise and Amy Vanderbilt, she has written a book of advice ("Getting married is a process, just like life is a process") and etiquette (the only reason to return gifts from the bridal registry is if you call the whole thing off).
The large-format book, "Vera Wang on Weddings" (HarperCollins, $60 hardcover) is richly illustrated with lavish weddings -- think Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Pete Sampras -- and beautiful brides.
It was Wang's pursuit to personalize her 1987 wedding that led her to bridal design and to offer advice to her clients. "This is your day," she tells each bride. "You should express yourself in your own way."
But even the author admits it is easier said than done: He wants a small wedding, her parents want to invite the world. She wants an afternoon ceremony, the in-laws want an evening bash.
"One of the most fascinating things for me is that a wedding takes on a life of its own," Wang says. "It's a great rehearsal for the rest of life," Wang said in a telephone interview.
Yes, the book is a showcase of Vera Wang gowns in every shade of white and a few pastels. "These are real weddings," she says. "It's like a wedding diary." And although most of the book is given over to creating the well-dressed, well-scrubbed, well-coiffed bride, there are 70 topics relevant to a wedding, with pearls of practical advice tucked among the splendor (no diamonds at morning weddings, for example).
The bridegroom's attire warrants a mention. He defers to the dress code preferred by the bride, and the ushers and best man should follow his cue. While a wedding on the beach may call for a navy blazer, white pants and bare feet, other venues and the time of the ceremony may demand a morning coat or cutaway or a well-tailored suit. For evening weddings, the options are white tie and tails, the white dinner jacket and the tuxedo.
Some tips for dressing the bridal attendants: If there are several body types, use the same fabric to create a flattering style for each. If some bridesmaids stand tall and others are short, make adjustments by varying their heel heights.
Most of the Vera Wang collection ranges from $2,000 to $10,000, with custom gowns much higher -- not for every bride's budget, perhaps. The book is more reasonable. "Even if they can't buy my dress," Wang said, "they can use my expertise."
For example, she says an inexpensive gown can look elegant with proper fitting, and an extraordinary bouquet can enhance a plain dress. Select the right shade of white for your skin tone and the most flattering style for your shape. There are plenty of styles to choose from among the sketches in the back of the book: 26 necklines, 23 sleeves, 13 waistlines, 16 skirt shapes and 11 skirt lengths.
Ultimately, she says, "It's not just the dress. It's the rest of the wedding that makes the dress come alive."
More books to help you write the wedding chapter of your life:
-If you think weddings today look pretty much the same and you'd like yours to look a bit different, take a trip down memory lane, urges Nancy Eaton in "Your Vintage Wedding" (Harper Resource, $27 hardcover, January). She's surveyed wedding styles through all decades of the 20th century and has come up with suggestions about how to create your own period wedding look, whether it be art deco styles from the 1920s or post-war glamour of the 1950s. One of the wittiest examples is the idea of outfitting the fellows for a 1940s-style wedding in zoot suits, complete with hanging chains.
-Mother, whose wedding is it, anyway? Well, now's the time to use the wisdom of your experience to help your daughter have the wedding of her lifetime. "The Mother-of-the-Bride Book" (Citadel Press, $18.95 hardcover), by Sharon Naylor, helps you negotiate the fine line between being an indispensible helpmate or what Naylor calls a guilt-tripping Runaway Mother of the Bride.
-You're declaring your intention of sharing your life with this other person. Whether your ceremony is religious or secular, you are asserting your vows, preferably in your personal voice. "Wedding Vows: Beyond Love, Honor and Cherish" (Warner Books, $12.95 paperback), by Susan Lee Smith, will help you find the right words.
-"Viva el Amor" (Fireside Books, $12 paperback), by Edna R. Bautista, reminds us that the language of love is international. Subtitled "The Latino Wedding Planner," it has text in both English and Spanish. Bautista also explains the significance of Latina traditions, such as the 13 coins used in the ceremony and the practice of carrying three bridal bouquets.
-A reality check instead of a checklist is promised by Lara Webb Carrigan in "The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding" (Regan Books, $13.95 paperback). Carrigan wrote this book after surviving, and relishing, her own dream wedding, and she comes up with real-life answers to the dilemmas faced by couples, many of whom are financing their own festivities. She interviewed her peers in the wedding stage of their lives instead of "experts" and came up with some fairly expert advice. |
