When planning my wedding, obviously my favorite part was shopping for the dress, something I recommend you drag out, because a lot of the other planning details can be quite annoying.  I’ve always been partial to pieces with unexpected details, lace, and soft fabrics so this translated into what I searched for in a dress, though this criteria really covers the majority of wedding gowns out there, so narrowing it down was a challenge.

When making my final decision, my mother gave me an interesting thought to consider: how is the dress going fit in the setting?  This was something that hadn’t influenced my choices up until that point, but it made sense.  I was married outdoors, at a sprawling old hotel, where I was required to navigate many many steps on my way to the altar.  Picturing this place made me realize that a less substantial dress (that might be more appropriate for a smaller, more intimate space) would get lost in such a large, stately backdrop.  Of course, I tried a wide variety of dresses and remember thinking, “oh this one would be perfect for an intimate at-home wedding” or “I could picture this one at a sophisticated city wedding,” so I thought it might be fun to revisit some of those styles and silhouettes and imagine the possibilities…

 Lela Rose, Suzanne Ermann, Claire Pettibone

For outdoor, daytime weddings in more intimate settings, I love the idea of wearing a delicate dress with floral or vintage-inspired lace details.

 Temperley London, Vera Wang

Wouldn’t a screen siren dress like one of these be so beautiful against Art Deco-style architecture of a museum or a library for an evening wedding?

 Temperley London, Vera Wang

For something more formal, I would love to wear something with more volume and a slightly heavier fabric.

Photo Holland Photo Arts

Here is my dress, which is Carolina Herrera.  You can see it has a little bit of country feel, yet has the volume in the skirt to compete with all the brick and landscaping in the background.  I thought the Spanish mesh overlay softened the dress nicely for a daytime wedding, but the scalloped ribbon detail made it “interesting” enough for my taste. My husband is kind of a casual guy, who is more comfortable in cowboy boots than dress shoes, so we had that to take into account when planning the wedding attire, too.

These are my suggestions when searching for bridal gowns.  I’ve never been much for the fashion “rules.”  I believe that you should go with what you like, regardless, but these were helpful things to consider when trying to make that oh-so-difficult final decision.

*Chic Sponsor: David’s Bridal*

images via suzanneermann.com, NYMag, Brides.com

57 comments

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You look gorgeous in your wedding dress. xo

http://www.FashionSnag.com

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That third dress is dreamy 🙂
You looks so pretty!

satinsugar.blogspot.com

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A Carolina Herrera wedding dress? Whoa. I can't even fathom how much it must have cost! You look amazing. I love the simplicity and the scalloped detail too 🙂

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That is such a beautiful pic of you. Wedding dress shopping is something that I loathed, but I always love seeing the newest designs.

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you look absolutely stunning in your wedding dress!

xx
a.

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oh my goodness how gorgeous are you!!!
i am getting married no time soon but these are wonderful tips!

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Stunning E! What a wonderful photo! 😀

Good advice too 😀

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Um- WOW you could not be a more beautiful bride! Stunning, really.
xoxo

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WOW! Ur wedding dress is stunning on U!

Hope U had a lovely Easter weekend, dearest E! ❤

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you look absolutely beautiful in your dress, great choice!

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you look very gorgeous in your wedding dress. I am actually right now on the hunt for my wedding dress. But it did not take me long to find what i'd like. they don't have a show room though, but dresses are made to order.

Out from these dresses you've posted, i'd like to take the left one from the third set, Vera Wang. 🙂

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I also wrote a post about the wedding dresses some time ago 😉 Your dress is quite nice but I prefer much simpler.

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You made such a beautiful bride!

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you look beautiful! i love the dresses you chose. I've been looking into wedding dresses recently so thanks for the advice!

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You are stunning! I had never considered location when picking a dress… nice tip!

unravelledthreads.blogspot.com

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your dress is fabulous!!! A sight for sore eyes…

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I love girls in wedding gowns, you look so… happy and pretty!!

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oh my, you look absolutely breathtaking. I'm sure you stole everyone's attention on your big day 🙂 i love the simplicity of your dress with just the right amount of beading! and yes, go big with the tulle! it makes you look like you're floating among clouds!:D anyway, I love your choices of wedding dresses, especially the Art Deco pair <3

http://www.monochromachic.com

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you looked stunning in your wedding dress! i love the scalloped detailing at the bottom! 🙂

i'm far from marriage, but i'm loving the sound of a wedding dress with vintage-inspired lace!

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YOU LOOK LOVELY!!! i cringe when i look back at my wedding pix (even tho' i only got married 8 years ago)…my dress is soooooo not what i would pick now. that said, choosing my dress was the very first thing my mom and i did, and it really did set the tone for many of the decisions we made later regarding decor, etc. whether our guests noticed or not, we loved how all the details came together, all with a subtle nod to my dress!

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These are all such beautiful wedding dresses. I love the Vera Wang one.

You look stunning in your picture. You look so amazing in that dress.

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What a beautiful choice. You certainly look stunning. I 'found' my wedding dress in Australia – a rosé beaded halterneck dress, which I bought with the words: If I ever marry this is my wedding dress… and it was.

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You look gorgeous…. It is so much fun looking for your dream dress….

xxx
CEO

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oh my, you made such a beautiful bride!
Wera Wang's dresses are my favorites of these pieces!
xoxo

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I have been eying that Vera Wang dress for my wedding. You look gorgeous in your wedding dress!

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What a stunning bride you were! Great post! I had never thought much about the backdrop of an event for any dress!

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you look absolutely beautiful! i'm only 19 so i haven't been in the situation to look for wedding dresses (LOL) but i remember going for my communion dress waaay back!

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Hi E- awww I love you in your wedding dress. Gorgeous gorgeous 🙂 I've been helping my little sister with some wedding dress shopping, so these are good ideas. 🙂

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You are such a pretty bride! I'm so untraditional, I really want a dress with sleeves and I kind of want to wear a hat or a fascinator. I love Rock and Roll bride. I can't wait until I find the one and I can plan my wedding.

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You look amazing! The dress is so tasteful. I never even thought to consider the setting… good point! I'm liking those two Temperley gowns.

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I'm Speechless.. You look gorgeous.. You really glow <3

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I love that your wedding dress still reflects your fashion sense — so, so elegant! I think I wanna go strapless for my wedding, too. (: oh and, I just gave you the Sunshine Award!

http://thecapriciousclub.blogspot.com/2010/04/its-sunshiney-day.html

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Aww you look so beautiful! x

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You're simply wonderful with that dress!

http://www.abitoffashion.com

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you look gorgeous, i love the ribbon detailing of your dress.
that first temperley london dress is beautiful too.

-emilyviveur

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Your dress is so beautiful!

Judith
http://couture-and-beauty.blogspot.com/

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U look amazing!! Hope u are having a lovely wk! xx

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You made an absolutely stunning bride – beautiful!

Merci beaucoup for stopping by darling =]

Stay safe and chic ma chérie,
English Rose x
http://iamanenglishrose.blogspot.com

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Yep – listen to your gut when picking one out. Yours is gorgeous!!

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Oh my goodness- you look absolutely stunning in your dress! Just beyond gorgeous! I love all of your suggestions too. All of the dresses are amazing!

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your dress is an absolute sensation… the volume of your veil is probably my favorite part of the entire look. you look absolutely angelic!

xo.
princesspolitico.blogspot.com

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Wow lady, you were such a stunning bride. Not that there is any shock in that. I want to have another wedding!! LOVE that first Vera Wang!!

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ahh i love wedding season!! & that vera wang dress 🙂

Anna Katrina
http://passportglamour.blogspot.com/

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I'm going to be a bridesmaid next year for my friend, and I so excited to help her pic everything out. I think she wants a dress from David's Bridal…anywho, take care!

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wow!!!! absolutely breath taking!!!!!! you are gorgeous in that dress! 😀

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Ohmigosh you are truly the most beautiful bride I have ever seen, E. Loving you in that wedding dress!! 🙂

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Your dress is beautiful, wisely worded by your mum i never thought if thinking of the setting!! 🙂
vicki xo

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You look absolutely stunning in your dress!

LOVE!

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awe you look so beautiful in the caroline herrera. i love watching all the wedding dress shows and I always wonder wonder what type of dress I'll end up picking.

xoxo

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You look absolutely stunning in your wedding dress – it's so beautiful.

When I get married someday, I'd love to wear something similar to the Temperley London dress. It's gorgeous!

LONDON–ROSE.BLOGSPOT.COM

xx

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i love the slightly less formal designs like the simple one shoulder, and the subtle detail on the bottom of yours is sooo lush!

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The Temperly dress and your dress? I would get married again for that kind of glamour… I made my own dress, I loved it but if I were to do it all again, I think i would go for drama (and have a manservant to help me with an umbrella too…more drama).

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this is making me so excited for my wedding 🙂 a little over three months, holy cow! i have to say the dress shopping has definitely been my favorite part thus far, along with getting the proofs for my invites… i think you said at some point that these were your favorites too. great minds! 🙂

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You look gorgeous in you wedding dress! It's so pretty! 🙂

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aw! You and your dress are beautiful! It's kind of funny we both posted about DB's on the same day – with wildly different thoughts about them 🙂 I responded to your comment on my post – thanks for it!

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You look gorgeous in your dress!

I had two dresses. We had been planning a big wedding for June and decided to just go to the courthouse and do a small reception at our home instead a couple of months ago. I had already ordered my gown, and it came in a few days after I made the decision, so I wore it even though it did not say courthouse at all. It made me happy and that was what mattered. Then I changed into a simple off-white BCBG dress for the reception at our home. I felt beautiful in both. Now I just need to get the gown cleaned so I can donate it to charity.

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i love those options! it would be cool if you could post some shorter gowns … like over the knee length .. i know thats a bit crazy but ive always wanted to wear one like that one .. since indeed im only 5'3 and ive never worn a long dress in my life why should i at my wedding right?

more wedding dress posts please! also ive heard of people using non white gowns ..what do you think about this ?

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