• 5 Star Weddings: Tell us about the thoughts and ideas that went behind creating your 2012 collection

Anne Barge: My thoughts and ideas for the Fall 2012 collection were romantic and traditional fabrications translated into modern and figure flattering styles. i particularly loved the Guipere strapless lace mini dress called Chatham with its voluminous taffeta overskirt so reminiscent of Grace Kelly.

• 5 Star Weddings: Your bridal gowns are very glamorous and have that ‘red carpet’ feel is hollywood glamour an inspiration for your designs? 

Anne Barge:  I think of real Hollywood glamour being what it was in the 1930’s through the 1960’s, so I am definitely more influenced by that period of classic elegance than what is out there today.

• 5 Star Weddings: What is your all-time favourite dress designed by you?

Anne Barge: My all time favourite dress! Wow! That would be a contest between our styles 612 and 617!

• 5 Star Weddings: The elements of vintage & lace have been hugely popular in the UK since last year’s royal wedding, is this the same in the US or do you Find American brides are following different trends?

Anne Barge: The world is very small now, so definitely vintage and lace are very strong in the US as well. I think the Kate Middleton dress definitely brought back a regal elegance to bridal fashion which was much needed, and certainly the lace work on her gown was magnificent!

• 5 Star Weddings: You have dressed a number of Hollywood A-listers for red carpet events,can you tell us if you have designed for any celebrity brides?

Anne Barge: Meredith Eaton from the US TV shows Boston Legal and NCIS.

• 5 Star Weddings: Whose style are you currently loving?

Anne Barge: I love the style of Anne Hathaway, it’s so classic and elegant.

• 5 Star Weddings: Our closest store is currently in Ireland, any plans to open a store In Britain?

Anne Barge: Having lived in London for three years as Managing Director for Richard Branson’s Virgin bride, I would LOVE to have a store in London carry the ANNE BARGE collection as I know that it would do well. I know the UK bride!

• 5 Star Weddings: Do you have a favourite bridal accessory designer?

Anne Barge: My favourite bridal accessories designers are Homa and Paris and I adore the veils by Peter Langner!

• 5 Star Weddings: Which celebrity bride would you most like to dress and why?

Anne Barge: I would love to dress Taylor Swift when she gets married! She has such a timeless beauty and really reminds me of Audrey Hepburn ‘s and Grace Kelly’s refined and sophisticated style.

• 5 Star Weddings: What in your opinion, makes a 5 star wedding?

Anne Barge: A 5 Star Wedding is simple and understated elegance in both the wedding attire, floral design, lighting, linens, crystal, china, place cards. I especially love the breath taking but traditional style of London’s Mark Niermeko.

For more designs see Anne Barge.

Lace and Tulle are dominant this season; Linea Raffaelli uses these traditional fabrics and gives them a modern twist. Sexy and sleek figure hugging lace dresses accentuate the female body and feature intricate lace detailing on the back.

Introduced this season, catwalk inspired designs come through in the form of the short and long trend. Short lace dresses can be worn with a long overskirt, enabling the bride to have one dress which provides the option to transform a look from day to evening.

Classic white and ivory gowns are available in a wide range of trends including romantic to elegant styles to edgy glamour. For brides who are not afraid to add splashes of colour; Linea Raffaelli offers dresses in extravagant cherry red to soft understated hues of pink, mint and cappuccino.

Also in the range is a selection of accessories from jewellery to purses and shoes, Linea Raffaelli uses the best materials ensuring that the bride is both comfortable and striking on her wedding day.

For more information visit whitegallery.com

The 2012 Bridal Collection “Modern Craft” is composed of four main collection lines each channeling statement style from memorable eras. New Sun features gorgeous crochet, fringing and feather additions with inspiration drawn from Asia. Figure hugging bodices accentuate the bride’s figure whilst contrasting skirts provide fluid movement. Introduced as an alternative garment to the dress, the jumpsuit is an option for the bold bride.

Lumiére pays homage to the creative power of 1920’s classics creating a quintessentially French vintage feel in delicate and rural rustic blouses which can be contrasted with grunge touches found in skirts and accessories. Bohemian Luxury plays on the romanticism of the 1970’s hippy music scene. Bell-sleeved sheer blouses ooze femininity whilst daring bra-tops are teamed with full length maxi macramé skirts encompassing the true 70’s rock ‘n’ roll vibe. Le tre Grazie is a sophisticated and exquisite line, inspired by the charm and beauty of the three Greek goddesses of joy. 1930’s and 1940’s glamour returns in the shape of mermaid dresses with halter necks dominating the collection. This range boasts elegance worked with high quality precious gemstones, laces and tulle applications, silks with feathers and embellished with pearls.

The fashion forward element of YolanCris’s creative designs has become their Hallmark; the wedding industry waits with baited breath to witness their latest offering at White Gallery London on 20-22 May 2012.

For more information on attending or exhibiting visit whitegallery.com

Besides being artistically made and valued as collectible pieces, the high-end gowns and millinery pieces are also ethically and ecologically sound. Her beautifully made bridal collection combines eco-friendly use of fabrics with each hand crafted bridal gowns, millinery and accessories telling its own truly ethical story, on how and where it’s produced and the crafts makers who made them. Sanyukta’s whole collection is driven by the ethos of ‘LOVE GREEN-BELIEVE IN ETHICS.’

Sanyukta Shrestha’s 2013 Collection will explore the different spectrum of romanticism, dream, and fantasy with a vintage touch. The collection will be a perfect symbiosis of feminine silhouette, delicate detailing and rejuvenation of something old with a modern twist. Expect slinky floor length designs that truly pay homage to the female silhouette. Signature ethereal styles are updated with stunning fishtails and finished with stunning bead and crystal embellishments. Previewing her 2013 collection at White Gallery London, Battersea Park 20-22 May 2012, Sanyukta Shrestha is all set to revolutionise the bridal industry – one ethical thread at a time.

The following video offers a glimpse of her latest collection with evening wear in an array of navy with black, gorgeous nudes and statement dresses in greens and purples, and catwalk footage featuring romantic bridal gowns of soft tulle and lace. These are followed by Castigliano’s striking signature pieces with structured fishtails and statement organza gowns. Commenting at the collection launch, Caroline Castigliano said: “For the evening wear collection, I wanted to show a cross-section of the evening and party dresses which encapsulate the diversity of the Caroline Castigliano brand. This year’s collection has short dresses that are perfect for a party and slightly more formal occasions, such as Ascot, Henley or a family or friend’s wedding.

The collection also includes structured, biased and soft floaty gowns. I love designing evening wear; it is expanding my creativity, and the glamour red carpet look is fascinating now.” Caroline added: “My ethos is to design for women who love the style and appreciate beautiful fabrics and quality workmanship. My gowns are simplistic, stylish and luxurious. In 2011/12, my entire inspiration was to continue developing a relaxed glamour collection, a sensual and glamorous look with a casual feel.”

Take a look at any website devoted to wedding dress designers and you are going to have a couple of columns of top names to choose from, all of which produce wedding dresses by the top designers. It’s a subjective search anyway, with the bride tending to choose her bridal gown according to its style, price, fabric as well as the designer. Personally, one of my favourites is the Exclusives’ Collection by Kleinfield-Pnina Tornai, especially the butter-cream sheath, dripping with lace and beading [Style No. 31800097] that looks an absolute dream to wear if you are tall enough to carry it off.

This brings me to another point. Many of these top designers make wedding gowns to fit tall ladies but, in the real world, many brides are more petite and are unable to do full justice to some of the loveliest creations as their height prevents them from carrying off many of these wedding dresses by the top designers.

Kleinfield-Pnina Tornai In an article devoted to discussing wedding dresses by the top designers, Kleinfield-Pnina has to be included – not, I might say, because her designs are so exemplary but because she acknowledges that the real woman is going to be wearing her creations and she takes this into account when producing wedding dresses to be sold: they are created to be worn.

Pnina Tornai, top designer for Kleinfield of Manhattan also creates beautiful, sexy wedding dresses for the Plus size bride, encouraging the fabric to gently drape to flatter the bride’s figure rather than disguise it – that is the true art that should be aspired to by top designers. When it comes to wedding dresses by the top designers, Kleinfield-Pnina Tornai can design a unique and exquisite gown for you, costing somewhere in the region of $20,000. For a wedding boutique such as Kleinfield’s, this is an absolute bargain since many of the bridal gowns being sold from this store cost more than $30,000 per gown.

Designers Chosen by the Stars
There has been quite a glut of celebrity weddings over the past couple of years, each choosing a different designer, from Oscar de la Renta, to Nicolas Ghesquiere who designs for Balenciaga, both of whom produce completely different styles. The designer, Vera Wang, is the choice of a number of celebrities – brides such as Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez and Avril Lavigne. Christina Aguilera, meanwhile went completely traditional in a gown by Christian Lacroix.

Summary

Avril Lavigne, who tied the knot in July 2006, really summed up the whole ethos of brides choosing wedding dresses by the top designers:

“….I’ve been dreaming about my wedding day since I was a little girl. I have to wear the white dress…I wanted to be a princess, okay?”
Essentially, Avril Lavigne has summed up the dreams of many brides, all across the world. This is their special day. They want to have one day in their lives when they live the dream, just for a single day and, to choose their wedding dresses by the top designers, if the bride can afford to do so, just makes her bridal gown all that more special.

Visit Browns Bride for your luxury wedding dress.

copyright 2010: by 5 Star Wedding Directory