|
A Strong (But Pretty) Foundation
Carrie Miner
azcentral.com
The bride and her wedding dress is the focal point
of every wedding but, if the underpinnings aren’t in
place beneath the layers of tulle and lace, even the
most beautiful wedding dress can fail on that
important day. Bridal lingerie is not only a pretty
piece of the bridal ensemble, it plays an important
role as the foundation for the wedding dress.
Bras & bustiers
One of the newest and most favored lines of bras for
brides comes from the designs of Coco Abadi. Abadi
spent several months creating the Flattering Me line
of bustiers – keeping differing heights of brides in
mind – a problem petite women in particular have
been dealing with for years.
“Most bras under a wedding gown are going to be
strapless,” said Eunice Holt, general manager of
Brides by Demetria. “In the past many brides have
complained about strapless bras being too
uncomfortable, being too long and not providing
support. In response to those complaints, [Abadi]
designed and developed the long line undergarment
Flattering Me in three lengths – petite, standard
and long.”
Holt adds that even women with the best figures
benefit from wearing the right bra.
“It’s very important under a gown,” said Holt. “The
right bra gives a smoother fit to the bust, gives
shape and uplift and allows the garment to lay
flat.”
Just as a bride needs to customize her gown for the
perfect fit, she also needs to be custom fitted for
this foundation garment. Several other lines offer
varying bras and bustiers created for fit and form
under wedding dresses. These pieces are flattering
to your dress, but don’t be dismayed if you discover
that they aren’t the laciest, sexiest bras you’ll
ever wear.
There’s always plenty of time to slip into something
more comfortable for the wedding night – something
lingerie boutiques such as Kassie’s at the Biltmore
Fashion Park and Victoria’s Secret can help out
with.
Garters
Once the upper half is taken care, of it’s time to
focus on the favorite piece of bridal lingerie – the
favored garter.
The tradition of tossing the bride’s garter has been
traced back to the 17th-century, when bridesmen
would pull off the bride’s garters off for luck just
before the bridesmaids would lead her to her bridal
bower. In later years, ribbon streamers were
attached to the garter to make the removal of the
garter easier and less embarrassing for bride –
these long white ribbons were raced for and worn in
the winner’s hat for good fortune. Eventually the
custom evolved for the groom to be the lucky man
removing the garter and tossing it to his merry men.
In the past, garters were usually blue and today
blue garters are still often sought out as the blue
item in the Victorian rhyme – “Something old,
something new, something borrowed, something blue
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.”
Holt has found that the tradition of tossing the
bride’s garter has faded somewhat in recent years –
she says only about 70 percent of the brides wear
them down the aisle. However, she encourages brides
to go with the whole ensemble – garters, stockings,
and all of the other frilly pieces a bride can wear
under her petticoats.
“What you wear makes you feel special, glamorous,”
said Holt. “This is the one day the bride can be a
princess.”
 |
