A few months ago I wrote a post about maternity wedding dresses, but what if your bridesmaid or maid-of-honor is pregnant?  Many bridesmaid dress companies make a maternity version of their popular designs, but today with many brides giving their bridesmaids the freedom to select their own dress your ‘maids may be at a loss of where to go shopping.

If you are just dictating the dress color and formality, you may want to also give your girls an idea of where to start looking – local dress shops, department stores, etc…  But if one of your bridesmaids is pregnant, she may need some extra help in finding a gown that is not only comfortable, but also fits the look and feel of your wedding.

I attended a press preview for the maternity clothing stores – A Pea in the Pod, Mimi Maternity and Motherhood.  Each store has a line of evening wear gowns for moms-to-be.

The two dresses featured above are from A Pea in the Pod.  Here's a link to their evening wear collection.

And if you are a pregnant bride, they also carry maternity wedding dresses:

If you find other great designers that carry maternity dresses for brides or bridesmaids please let us know!

The majority of brides want to get in shape and lose weight before their wedding day.  According to a Fitness magazine survey, 1 in 3 brides purposely buy a dress that doesn’t fit them - buying a dress too small (and hoping that they’ll fit into it by their wedding day) or buying a dress too big for them.

When shopping for a wedding dress, you can tell the salesperson that you are thinking of/planning to lose "X" amount of weight by your wedding, but don’t order your dress to fit that size.  Order a dress that matches your current measurements.  No matter what size you order, you will have to have alterations and it’s much easier to take a dress in if you lose weight, than let it out.

Here are some expert fitness tips from the editors of Fitness magazine to help you get in shape for the big day:

1. Consider your back-side. You may be worried about your abs, but guess what all those guests you invited are going to be looking at? That’s right, your back. To get it looking super-sexy by the big day, try these three easy moves.
   
   
2. Arm yourself. No matter what dress you choose, chances are you’re going to be showing off your guns. Focus on toning your biceps, triceps and shoulders with this workout.
   

3. Boost your calorie burn! The only way to shed those few extra pounds is to up your cardio. If you find yourself coming up with a hundred excuses at the end of the day as to why you should be working on wedding stuff and not working out, plan on getting your cardio fill in the a.m. Set your alarm 1-hour before you usually get up five days a week, and to keep things interesting (aka - not boring) mix it up—take a kickboxing class one morning and go for a run the next. Here are a few other ways to get creative with your cardio and blast major calories.
   
   
4. Take care of yourself. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the planning and forget about what you really need for an amazing wedding— feel-good energy! Take a yoga or Pilates class once a week. Not only will it help take your mind off of everything else, but it will also help tone your arms, core and legs. Plus, less stress means a tighter tummy! The stress hormone cortisol often causes unnecessary bloating in the middle, and who needs that on their big day?!
   
   
5. Save time! If the clock is ticking and you’re still worried about fitting into your dress— incorporate total body exercises into your routine that target everything from head-to-toe. Try doing biceps curls with lunges, shoulder presses with squats and triceps dips on a BOSU ball (for added instability- to help work your core). For cardio, do intervals that get your heart rate up, blast major calories and help tone at the same time. Try this routine for fast results in just 4 weeks.

For brides getting married during the winter months, or in a chilly climate, it’s important to find a dress and/or accessories that will keep the chill away.  No bride wants to run around her reception in a beautiful gown accessorized with her new husband’s rented tuxedo jacket, right?

The two wedding dresses featured above are from White Chocolate Label, a new couture line of wedding gowns that has just hit the market.  The designer, Scott Corridan, used warm, luxurious cashmere as a key fabric in the collection.  The complete line of five gowns was inspired by Hollywood glamour and each one is prettier than the next.

The line was recently picked up by Kleinfeld Bridal in New York, and Scott will be at the store in June for a trunk show.   You can visit the White Chocolate Label Web site for updates on other bridal salons that will be carrying the line.

This past weekend was Bridal Market, where designers show off their latest collection of wedding gowns, headpieces, veils, bags and shoes.

Unfortunately, I was under the weather and unable to attend most of the shows this season, but I have been able to get a quick glimpse at some of the fabulous frocks that were shown through Brides.com's new wedding blog, Wedded Bits.

Click the link above to get a sneak peak at what styles will be hitting bridal salons next fall, and as I start getting photos from designers I'll upload them here.

Speaking of sample sales, it’s important to remember that when you buy a wedding dress at a sample sale, the first thing you do with it is send it to a gown preservationist/cleaner. 

While some dry cleaners – where you take sweaters, slacks and other everyday items – will tell you that they clean wedding dresses, don’t trust them unless you know someone who has used them and they were happy with the outcome.

A gown preservationist/cleaner has a lot of experience handling gowns made with delicate fabrics and adorned with a lot of beading or embroidery.  The salon where you bought the dress will be able to recommend a gown cleaner they work with.

Once you send your gown to be cleaned, get the estimated delivery date (about 3-4 weeks) and schedule an appointment with a seamstress for alterations.  You should ask the salon for recommendations.

When you go for your dress fittings, remember to bring a few different bras with you and the shoes you want to wear with the dress.  The seamstress will not be able to fix your hemline if you’re not wearing shoes.  And standing on your tippy toes will not give her an accurate measurement.

You may also want to bring along a friend or relative and a camera so you can add pictures of your first dress fitting to your wedding scrapbook.

One gown cleaner, who works nationally, that I recommend is Hallak Cleaners.  Though based in the New York area, brides across the country have been shipping their dresses to Hallak for years because of their excellent reputation at cleaning (and preserving) wedding gowns.  Click here to visit their website and get a free price quote. 

Whichever company you decide to use, remember that before the wedding you only want to have the gown cleaned.  After the wedding you want to have it preserved.

Trunk Show. Sample Sale. What's the difference?

Trunk Show - a trunk show takes place at a bridal salon. A designer will bring her entire collection - gowns carried at the store as well as gowns that are not - and meet with brides in order to sell her new gowns. By meeting with a designer the bride will be able to find out what options she has regarding altering the dress - make it strapless, change the colored beading, etc... Most trunk shows will offer a 10% discount on the price of a gown if it is purchased on the dates of the show. Bridal salons will know trunk show dates weeks, and sometimes months in advance, so if there's a designer whose dresses you love, make an appointment as early as possible.

Sample Sale - a sample sale is where a designer or bridal salon sells their sample dresses at a discounted price. Sample dresses are the dresses that brides view and try on in the salon. They are traditionally a sample size - 8 or 10. These dresses have not been worn by a bride at her wedding, but they have been tried on at the salon. They will be dirty and probably need alterations. Cleaning and tailoring is not included in the price of a sample sale dress, so take that into consideration when you buy a dress at a sample sale - alterations and cleaning can add a few hundred dollars to the price.

So, which is better to shop at?

Well, both.

Wedding Tip - Never start your bridal gown search at a sample sale. You need to have time to try different styles on to see what will fit you best. Consultants at a sample sale will not hold a dress for you. It's take it or leave it. And if you leave it, there's no guarantee it will be there when you get back.

So once you've visited a few stores and know what you like and want, check out a few sales and maybe you'll find the dress of your dreams at a fraction of the retail cost.

I did.