My Auntie is getting married in August this year and she has just told me that she paid £25 for the 2 flower girls dresses and £58 for the 2 bridesmaids dresses.  I was shocked when she told me this but when she told me she got them off ebay i understood a bit more on why she spent so little.

I know there is always the risk of the dresses being marked but she was lucky enough that they just needed a wash and came out mark free.

Another option is to go to a high street shop and get your dresses and suits from there.
Good ones to go to are:

• Debenhams
• littlewoods

which ever way you decide to go on your wedding day it does not have to be expensive.

Your wedding day is an exciting experience but couple that with a pregnancy and you have a lot to organise and plan. This doesn’t have to be a nightmare and now there are plenty of options out there and plenty of wedding planners to help.
One of the main issues on your mind will be the wedding dress. Every bride wants the wedding dress of her dreams and this doesn’t have to change because you are expecting a baby. There are many websites now where you can choose from stylish, flattering wedding dresses helping you to feel like a million dollars. All you need to consider, is how far along you will be on the day of your wedding and will the dress allow for any last minute alterations? Most maternity wedding dresses today are beautiful and mean that you don’t have to settle for a choice that is second best. Quite often, if you are in the early stages of pregnancy, you may not even need a maternity dress and instead will just need to buy a dress that is a few sizes bigger than your normal figure.
Why not cut down on the organising and make your life easier by having a wedding shower and baby shower in one. This makes things easier on you and your guests and allows you to enjoy both wonderful events at the same time.
Whatever choice you make remember that it doesn’t have to be one or the other and that both occasions can be celebrated together.

It used to be costly feast, fire-works and sparkling wine for a perfect and trendy wedding bash. But due to the global economic crisis which had affects ordinary people as well many people are choosing a different way to celebrate their wedding e.g. a simple tea and biscuits party.

Just like rest of the world in Vietnam couple invites the guests on their wedding reception and offer them cup of tea and cigarettes. It is the traditional celebration and called cuoi tiec tra which means tea wedding party. Before the 1980s these type of wedding parties or receptions were normal and they are now making a comeback in the last few years, especially in areas around Ha Noi.

Basically these parties are not part of wedding and they are not official wedding ceremony. In Vietnam most couples host these parties before their wedding day.  They invite all their friends just for a get together so that they all can wish them well for their future. It is a cheaper option that means newly married couple does not have to worry about getting loans to pay for their wedding day. These kinds of parties are very popular in Vietnam and more than 200 parties have been held over the last few years.

Sari is a traditional dress for women in south Asia and most of female baratis like to wear sari in weddings. It’s a strip of unstitched cloth of different length and is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is to wrap it around the waist and then draped over shoulder baring the midriff. The sari is usually worn over petticoat with a blouse. There are different styles of wrapping the sari some of them are Nivi style, North / Indian style and Dravidian style.
In Sri Lanka there are two famous ways to wear the sari: the Indian style and the Kandyan style. In Pakistan the sari has almost been replaced by Shalwar Kameez.

Cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women.  It is called qipao or qipaor in Chinese language and in English it is known as mandarin gown.  The first traditional qipao dress was wide buggy and a bit loose when it was introduced.  It covered most of the woman’s body except head and hands.  Due to its loose buggy nature the traditional qipao conceal the figure of a woman regardless of her age.

The modern version of qipao is especially noted for accentuating the figures of women and due to this reason it is highly popular in high societies.  There are different version of modern qipao such as high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves and the black lace frothing at the edge of a ball gown.

Most of us know that new Chinese year has just started. So today I would like to write about Vietnamese wedding dresses. Both Vietnamese bride and groom, typically change outfits three or more times on their wedding night. The traditional Vietnamese dress called Ao Dai which literally means “long dress” and in most of the time fashioned in red and yellow colors. It made it is made up of over four layers of silky overlapping fabric, which are pleated over loose-fitting trousers made from the same fabric. It is interesting to note that the national dress of Vietnam for both women and men is Ao Da. For a classic appearance brides also wear an outer robe over the Ao dai.

As I have mentioned above Wedding gowns are almost always red in color though brilliant pink is also used. The gold trimmings add dollops of exuberance to the wedding garb. Normally the trimmings of traditional motifs, the name of the couple or Chinese alphabets are painted or stitched along the back, cuff and collar.

The bride adorns her head with cone shaped hat made from dried woven leaves. A western wedding gown can be included with white tuxedo, to the Ao Dai and the evening gown with black tuxedo.