The latest fashion trend taking the wedding industry by storm, aided by brides who want to literally turn heads on their wedding day, is the black wedding dress. Black wedding dresses are a way for the bride to add a bit of her own style to one of the biggest days of her life.

Alexandra | Black Wedding Dress

How To Wear A Black Wedding Dress

So you’ve decided to wear a black wedding dress, but can’t decide how to accessorize it? Here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing jewellery and makeup to compliment your black wedding dress.

• Avoid heavy makeup. Black wedding dresses are quite dramatic. If you’re not going for the Goth look, avoid wearing heavy eye liner and cherry red lipstick. Keep your makeup light and minimal for a nice contrast.
• Don’t weigh yourself down. Black wedding dresses are bold, dark and mysterious without adding heavy fabrics. Stick with lighter fabrics to avoid looking too somber. Also remember, you’re going to want to dance the night away with your new husband, so keep the dress light for the best comfort.
• Show off your figure. Be sure to pick your gown based on your body’s shape. Black wedding dresses can be quite slimming, so be sure to get your dress fitted properly.
• Consider complimentary colours. When choosing your accents, consider colours that will stand out against your black wedding dress. For example: white, silver, red, orange, pink. There are lots of options, depending on your preferences, but a black wedding dress can be complimented with vibrant colours in your bouquet, gloves, a sash or accents on the dress itself. Don’t forget the bridesmaids dresses!

Why A Black Wedding Dress?

Still on the fence about wearing a black wedding dress? Here are a few reasons brides before you have chosen the black wedding dresses:

• A black wedding dress can be dramatic and bold, or
• Black wedding dresses are classy, sophisticated and stylish – it all depends on the bride.
• A black wedding dress is edgy and not what you expect to find the bride wearing,
• Black wedding dresses can have a slimming effect,
• A black wedding dress is the latest trend sweeping the UK, Ireland and France,
• Black wedding dresses are practical – they can be used again…
• Sarah Jessica Parker wore a black wedding dress – why can’t you?

So what should you use? If you will have another color as an accent at the wedding, be sure to use it in the invitations! A splash of red or blue would certainly make a statement. If, however, you are focusing on only using black and white, below are the top ten black and white invitations we’ve found online:

Classic, with a twist

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Bold with Stunning Curves

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Simple and Sweet

This would be fantastic for the bride wearing Asha, Kalliope, Madeleine, Tatiana, or Lilith. Get them here: Invitations By Dawn.

Modern and Captivating

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Adorable - especially for a Las Vegas Theme!

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Beautiful and Simple

Get them here: Wedding Paper Divas.

Beautiful Swirls

Get them here: VPonSale.

Modern and Customised

Get them here: Rexcraft.

Simplistic and absolutely gorgeous

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Modern and Beautiful

Get them here: The American Wedding.

Elaine Lock in a beautiful black wedding dress

Elaine had her dress custom designed by Gavin Rajah. The designer described the black wedding dress as “fabulous”. He said that Elaine was “bucking the convention” of white dresses.
He added that he had designed some black wedding dresses recently, claiming that those marriages had “lasted longer than the ones dressed in white!” Now that’s good news for us!
If Elaine, a wedding planner by trade, thinks a black wedding dress is the way to good, we must be on to something good! I wonder … how many black wedding dresses will we see this year?

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Photos from Luke Watson’s Fan Page on Facebook

So when it comes time to making wedding plans, here are a few of our top tips:

Abigail | My Black Wedding Dress

1. Choose the dress that appeals the most to you. Throughout the years, you do not want to look at a photo of yourself and your husband and think, “Ugh. Why did I wear THAT dress? I should never have listened to my mother-in-law.” This is your happy day – so make it yours!

2. If you are busty, but want to downplay it, consider a ballgown style dress, that is structured on top and full below the waist. Consider a higher neckline.

3. If you are pear shaped, choose something that shows off your little waist, but keeps the top and bottom looking proportionate. You want a dress that slims your bottom and plays up your top. Dresses with deep necklines or lots of detail on the bust are a great idea.

4. If you are naturally curvy, consider something with an Empire waist that flatters curves and gives a longer look. Choose fabrics that are flowy and don’t cling to the body as much.

5. If you have a long, thin body type, be sure to choose a dress that accentuates your waistline. This will create an illusion of more curves. Consider a dress that will accentuate the bust, including halter tops, and also has detail about the waist.

Alexandra | My Black Wedding Dress

6. Of course it’s great fun to share the planning with your partner and your close friends, but keep in mind: some people should be kept on a “need to know” basis. If their opinion won’t affect your decisions, there is no reason is asking them for it. Otherwise, you will end up with a bunch of conflicting opinions about every little decision and you’ll work yourself into knots.

7. Say no. If your wedding planner thinks your bridesmaids should wear purple, but you really want them in lime green – go green! Tell the wedding planner to keep her opinions to herself and pick what suits you (and your partner) best.

8. Go with your gut. This is literal for the cake tasting, but also for choosing every other aspect of the wedding. If you instinctively wrinkle your nose at the idea of sunflowers in a bouquet – nix them! Your first impressions are generally right.

9. Keep your partner in the loop. He or she may claim that they just don’t care about the plans, but you don’t want to have an argument the night before the wedding because he didn’t want to serve fish at the dinner.

10. Work with your partner. Planning a wedding is the first, large project you will and your partner will be working on together. You will disagree. You will have fights. You will probably yell at each other over something as simple as the colour of the chair covers. That’s okay! It’s normal. Learn how to work together and get through it, so you both enjoy your day.
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Alright, we can’t just give you 10! Here’s one more – and possibly the most important of them all:

11. HAVE FUN! Don’t forget that your wedding day should be the happiest day of your life, not the day that you run around trying to make sure your new extended family are happy. This is your day. Enjoy it with your partner!