An appeal to the more ''mature'' brides

[Samantha Red]

I will be 43 when I marry my beloved in April 2009. He is only 32 and it is his first wedding - we are doing the full church wedding thing and I want to wear a ''proper'' wedding dress. I am very concious not to look like ''mutton dressed as lamb'' as we would say here in the UK, but would like a ''proper'' wedding dress. My appeal is to those brides out there over 35 to show me what dress you either wore or intend to wear to give me some inspiration.

Thanks in advance

 

[Independent Gal]

Hi there,

I''m not quite 35 yet, but I''m definitely not 22 either. I have a few suggestions that I hope you might find helpful.

1) Obviously, I''d stay away from anything cinderella-like. Pretending to be a princess for your special princess day at ''our'' age would definitely be not on. Anything with pour or pick-ups I think would look s-i-l-l-y.

2) I saw this dress on a woman who looks somewhere around your age on the Maggie Sottero website and I think it looks stunning on her and very appropriate. In case the link is broken, it''s called the ''Libby'' dress and the bride in question is called ''Ann Harper''.

http://www.maggiesottero.com/viewBride.aspx?Id=2251&backUrl=%2fdress.aspx%3fstyle%3dS5005%26backUrl%3d%252fviewBride.aspx%253f%253d%2526pageSize%253d64%2526showAll%253d1%2526Id%253d2251

I think what makes this dress look good is that it''s classy and elegant and not tooooo clingy.

3) A general idea might be to look in magazines (Vogue, Harper''s etc.) or society pages online or in magazines (Hello! maybe?) and take note of the style of evening gowns worn by celebrity ladies who are around your age. Then look for that kind of cut in a bridal gown.

Personally, I think early to mid 40''s is the very sexiest age for women, so there should be a lot of choice for ''working it''!

 

[Independent Gal]

Actually, if you hunt around, that kind of straight but pretty style (like the MS ''Libby'') seems to be pretty popular among us ''mature'' brides. Deco and Surf went with that, FL''s dress, and mine for WP1 are like that too. I''ll just have a quick look whether Travellin Gal''s was also....

 

[Gypsy]

I'm not 35, but I'm closer than I'd like frankly. LOL.

Here's another suggestion, and another maggie.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-number-one-dress-choice.76404/

Another with a similar (but a little sexier) style: http://www.casablancabridal.com/Products/Detail.asp?View=F&ModelNo=1831&Cat=Best%20Seller&SubCat=

 

[Samantha Red]

Thanks for the input so far girls, those dresses are indeed beautiful, classy and very elegant

 

[Gypsy]

If you wanted a fuller skirt, this one is nice as well. http://www.casablancabridal.com/Products/Detail.asp?ModelNo=1658&Cat=Best+Seller&SubCat=

 

[enbcfsobe]

Nicole Miller is also a very good bet for more mature looks. I will be in my 30s by the time the wedding happens, but I wasn''t into looking like a princess, so I went for something that is way more red carpet than fairy tale. I really liked most of her bridal collection. She does have a few cupcake dresses, but overall they are sophisticated without being over the top (IMHO). They are also fairly reasonable relative to some of the more bridal-focused designers. http://www.nicolemiller.com/bridal_08.html
A lot of the pics show them as destination dresses, and you may also find a lot more options to your taste by looking at that category from other designers. The destination dresses, from what I''ve found, tend to be less fluffy and more grown up.
Good luck -- I''m sure whatever you pick will be fabulous.

 

[ladypirate]

We went to a wedding recently where the couple were in their early to mid 40s and I loved the dress she was wearing. I''m attaching a picture

I can''t remember where she got the dress, but it looked lovely on her and totally age-appropriate.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I got [re]married at 47. I saw a wonderful dress by Catherine Regehr on the cover of a bridal magazine in silver satin. I tried it on at Yolanda''s in the Boston area in red and it was magnificent. So . . . I ordered it in red [wedding was on 12/2 so it was a propos for the season].

The dress has a bustier bodice [strapless with boning - the neck line is straight across] and the skirt is kinfofa [not a word, I know] mermaidish shape with a short train. It is very elegant and I have worn it subsequently as an evening gown. Unfortunately, I have no digital pix.

You might want to see what Regehr is showing now. Her pieces are, generally, very simple and elegant.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 1/17/2008 3:09:56 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu
I got [re]married at 47. I saw a wonderful dress by Catherine Regehr on the cover of a bridal magazine in silver satin. I tried it on at Yolanda''s in the Boston area in red and it was magnificent. So . . . I ordered it in red [wedding was on 12/2 so it was a propos for the season].

Girl gets married in a red dress and is now contemplating getting a 29 carat cushion cut ring.

DiamanteBlu, you''re my hero!

LOL

 

[Pandora II]

I'm 35 and will be a week short of my 36th birthday when I get married. I look a lot younger than I am - most people put me around the 27 mark - so maybe I am getting away with something that is a bit younger looking.

My sister is 2 years younger than me, but looks about 8 years older than me and probably wouldn't look right in my dress - so I kind of get what you are saying.

I hope I haven't said anything offensive there!

My dress is not from a shop - but is going to be a modern twist on tudor. Think Anne Boleyn in 'The Tudors' type thing, or very like this pic of Elizabeth I.

The sleeves and bodice are the same - but the skirt isn't so puffy, it hangs down much straighter. I'm also going for ivory and gold damask rather than a white or ivory dress.

 

[Samantha Red]

That looks amazing Pandora, a beautiful and dramatic statement. I fully intend to try anything and everything on no matter how ridiculous I think it may look

 

[HollyS]

I had a customized version of this dress. Changed the satin to a silk charmeuse fabric and had beaded netting (like the sleeves) as a top layer over the entire gown.

I''m 48, so I was looking for dignified and low-key, but still bridal. I got lots of compliments on the dress, so I guess I made the right choice!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 1/17/2008 5:00:37 PM
Author: Samantha Red
That looks amazing Pandora, a beautiful and dramatic statement. I fully intend to try anything and everything on no matter how ridiculous I think it may look

Thanks Samantha,

My real feeling is just go with your wildest dreams.

I thought I''d go with some slinky sophisticated dress. FI said all the ones I showed him were boring and like all my evening dresses.

In the end I thought hey, I only get to do this once, everyone is going to stare at you whatever so just have fun, have a dress you could never have any other day - so I went with the wedding dress I wanted when I was 6 years old!

 

[Samantha Red]

Date: 1/17/2008 5:01:44 PM
Author: HollyS
I had a customized version of this dress. Changed the satin to a silk charmeuse fabric and had beaded netting (like the sleeves) as a top layer over the entire gown.

I''m 48, so I was looking for dignified and low-key, but still bridal. I got lots of compliments on the dress, so I guess I made the right choice!

I absolutely love that dress Holly, that is just the sort of the thing that has been attracting my attention. Have you got any photographs of you in it?

 

[HollyS]

My photographer is being very sssslllllloooooowwww getting our proofs out, so I have a bust and up shot only at this time. Check my wedding picture posting in November for closer up shots of the bodice. But I will say, as a less than svelte middle-aged woman, the A-line of this gown really was slenderizing (along with that Spanx underneath!)

 

[portia]

Hi Samantha,

I got married a year and a half ago at age 38. It was my first marriage so I did want a wedding dress and veil, but I wanted it to be simple and elegant with a little sexy thrown in there... almost evening gownish looking. I went with an ivory silk satin strapless mermaid style dress and tied a black velvet sash around my waist secured by a brooch that was a family heirloom. I did wear a veil, but it was a very long single layer placed very low on the back of my head. I thought it looked age appropriate and still bridal. The picture below (my father walking me down the aisle) is the only one I have on my computer right now that shows it best from the front.

Indy has some great tips. I would stay away from anything too princessy and fussy. Get an idea of the look you want and then go try on lots of dresses to find out what looks best on you. That can change everything right there. I absolutely loved some of the clingy sheath dresses but when I tried them on they looked terrible on me. I also found that certain fabrics looked good on me (silk satin) and others not so good (lace and english netting). It''s definitely a learning process!

There are some really beautiful gowns out there! Good luck in your dress search and have fun with it!

 

[kcoursolle]

I love the suggestions so far!
I would keep the dress simple and skip pickups or poofy gowns. I also like the idea of a little lace jacket like this one (but I''m not crazy about the dress here): http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2965413/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6001765~6001775?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6001775&P=1

I''m not sure how casual you want to go, but I love this one: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2941530/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6001765~6001775?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6001775&P=2

You could also get away with ivory or cream and I think that would look nice.

 

[basil]

I don''t meet the age range specified, but I agree in general principle that a more slim fitting dress would look age-appropriate.

Portia - you look absolutely gorgeous!!!!!

 

[winston26]

I think as long as you stick with a straighter skirt, not the full ball gown, that you''ll be fine. I''m 36 and liked the pick-up skirt in magazines but found I look ridiculous in them! The ones I like they usually call a "modified A-line" or "modified mermaid".
I''m thinking something like this.....

http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?keywordText=kiri&keywordType=any&page=0&pageSize=8&style=V7024

 

[becoming_sadie]

I am going to be 30 by the time I walk down the aisle. I am wearing Marisa 586 dress; she is known for her simple designs.

 

[GolfGirl2008]

I will be just shy of 35 when I marry. Here is my gown by Kenneth Pool. In fact I think all of the styles from this house (now designed by Austin Scarlett) are suitable for over 35s and are certainly traditional wedding gowns.

www.kennethpool.com

 

[GolfGirl2008]

Date: 1/17/2008 7:42:02 PM
Author: portia

Hi Samantha,

I got married a year and a half ago at age 38. It was my first marriage so I did want a wedding dress and veil, but I wanted it to be simple and elegant with a little sexy thrown in there... almost evening gownish looking. I went with an ivory silk satin strapless mermaid style dress and tied a black velvet sash around my waist secured by a brooch that was a family heirloom. I did wear a veil, but it was a very long single layer placed very low on the back of my head. I thought it looked age appropriate and still bridal. The picture below (my father walking me down the aisle) is the only one I have on my computer right now that shows it best from the front.

Indy has some great tips. I would stay away from anything too princessy and fussy. Get an idea of the look you want and then go try on lots of dresses to find out what looks best on you. That can change everything right there. I absolutely loved some of the clingy sheath dresses but when I tried them on they looked terrible on me. I also found that certain fabrics looked good on me (silk satin) and others not so good (lace and english netting). It''s definitely a learning process!

There are some really beautiful gowns out there! Good luck in your dress search and have fun with it!

Wow Portia, could you be any more beautiful!!!!