A beautifully dressed bride requires a handsomely suited groom. When choosing a tux, note the time of day and the season in which the wedding will take place. A morning wedding with a brunch reception will require much less formal attire that a late evening ceremony and formal sit-down meal.
 Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel
Keep in mind the style and formality of the bride and her attendants’ attire to choose appropriate formal wear. An experienced formal wear shop can guide you successfully through these choices.
The basic elements of a groom’s outfit may include a jacket, pants, shirt, bow tie or ascot, cummerbund or vest, suspenders, pocket handkerchief, socks and shoes. Special shoes are often worn with tuxedos and can be found at formalwear shops for purchase or rental.
Many options are available to fill out the groom’s attire. In addition to all the new styling and fabrics for today’s tuxedos, high-fashion accessories include ties, suspenders, cummerbund, shirts that preclude bowties, cuff links and shirt studs in almost any style you can imagine. Choose designs and accessories to suit your own style and express your unique personality. If you prefer to play it safe, a traditional black and white tuxedo ensemble never goes out of style, giving you the added confidence that you will look and feel your best on your wedding day.
Visit the formal wear shop four months before the wedding. Bring along swatches of the bridesmaids’ gowns if you plan to coordinate the groomsmen’s tuxes. While formal wear shops provide measurement forms for out-of-town grooms and attendants to complete, the danger of confusing or incorrect measurements increases. It is best to get the groom and his men into the shop to be measured in person.
Cathy Reynolds opened The Delicate Touch Lingerie & Sleepwear, twenty three years ago with a mission to “get ladies comfortable.” The shop is an oasis of intimate, feminine and calm. She believes that lingerie should add a sassy feel to a woman’s persona; it’s an ingredient of woman’s empowerment in her wardrobe.
In today’s economy, symbols of pleasure; perfume, chocolate, flowers, and lingerie have the ability to satisfy this desire for feeling good. It’s a mind booster and a great feeling to wear garments that are pretty, lacy and soft.
Reynolds’s intimate shop is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication; it’s comfortable and inviting. It is stocked with the labels of Chantelle, Prima Donna, Lejaby, Anita and Spanx, as well as other seamless body wraps made in Canada. She also offers the deliciously yummy and world-renowned product, Crabtree & Evelyn, a line of bath, body and feminine giftware; a sensuous and pleasing collection of scents and treats.
Cathy understands that brides today are practical; however they understand that an investment in lingerie is not something that is worn just once. Correctly fitted lingerie will ensure that a bride’s look is perfect and comfortable.
Certified fitters, called “lingerie experts,” are always available. Reynolds also suggests shopping early in the wedding planning because it’s important to wear your intimate apparel to all your wedding gown fittings. The wrong bra will cause shoulder sloping, neck curvature, headache and back aches, while the right one will improve posture, appearance and self esteem. It’s not just undergarments.
Lingerie was developed during the late nineteenth century as a visually appealing undergarment by Lady Duff-Gordon of Lucile, a pioneer who freed women from tightly-laced corsets. Today, its evolution continues with bold colours, rich-looking and more breathable fabrics and styles; some that can double both as under and outerwear.
The shop stocks over 5000 bras in all colours and styles from strapless, low plunge and push up styles. Today’s newest technology offers light weight multi- air bubbles with spacer fabric.
While you’re in the shop, browse for other items for your wedding. Forget about being practical for just this once and try on sensuous lounge wear from the large variety of elegant lines offered. What better time is there to splurge on feminine beauty and luxury than for your wedding and honeymoon? It should be your gift to yourself!
Lingerie could be coined “loungerie” and there’s plenty of selection to choose from. Check out their swimwear and know that you will look good before you can leave the shop with your purchase. “It’s all about the fit,” says Reynolds.
The Delicate Touch offers a bridal registry and gift certificates for all your guests and special thank yous, and is a specialist in Mastectomy fitting.
Specialized service and great attention to a proper fit is what this delightful shop is all about. Their staff is friendly and adept at what they do, which is pampering the ladies!
On the occasion of her son or daughter’s wedding, every mother wants to be stylish and beautifully dressed with the perfect hairstyle.
After the bridal and attendants’ gowns are chosen, the bride should discuss her preferences of lengths, colours and styles with both mothers. Some brides prefer mothers’ gowns to be shades of the colour that blend with those of the attendants; others prefer colours that contrast. Avoid ivory or white for this purchase.
 John Lyons Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel Many specialty shops feature lovely gowns appropriate for mothers’ and grandmothers’ wedding wear that can be worn again to another party. Depending on the level of formality of the wedding, choices include simple taffeta suits, short cocktail dresses, tea, or waltz length creations of lace, and floor length sequined gowns.
Shops specializing in petite fashions or larger size fashions will generally have the best selection for mothers who are other than average in height and weight. mothers should shop with a close friend or relative, one whose judgement can be trusted to help choose a complimentary style and colour.
Mothers may also wish to invest in some custom-made accessories, such as special undergarments, (fitted of course, by a knowledgeable professional), or spectacular shoes. Jewellery should be carefully chosen, especially if the dress has pearls, beads or sequins. Last of all, treat you mom and mother-in-law to be special purse to complete her ensemble for this very important day.
Both the bride and groom should ask their mothers to observe these basic rules when choosing their gowns.
Mothers’ gowns should never be longer than the bride’s or attendants’ gowns. They should be no more formal or lavishly decorated than the bride’s gown.
The bride’s mother chooses her gown first; then lets the groom’s mother know the colour and fabric, so she won’t choose the same shade or a competing shade.
The bride’s mother should select her gown early enough to allow the groom’s mother sufficient time to find her wedding day attire.
The Tuxedo was first worn in 1886, the invention of the New York dandy, and it use has evolved until it is now worn for special afternoon as well as evening events.
It’s distinguishing features are the satin lapels and the outside stripe on the trousers, and the most popular colours are black and various shades of gray. At contemporary weddings, men often wear cummerbunds and bow ties in colours and sometimes metallic or iridescent fabrics. Bow ties are a very popular men’s fashion accessory that are making a huge comeback.
 Trevor Booth Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel Most formal for daytime weddings, before 6 p.m., is the cutaway coat with its grey vest, and striped gray and black trousers.
Black full dress is the most formal of evening wear, although sometimes it is worn for daytime weddings in colours or white. The collar is very formal, with a white tie, and the vest should never be seen below the edge of the coat.
On all formal wear, studs with inset stone are used instead of buttons. The shirt also requires cuff links. Since the trousers are worn high above the waist, suspenders are another necessity as well as the black dress shoes.
When choosing the groom’s wedding attire some guidelines are in place. The formal wear chosen should not clash with the colours the bride has chosen. Today’s weddings see the colour coordination of fashion in tandem with the them and colour of the wedding.
The groom’s attire should never upstage the bridal gown, but complement it; it’s a nice touch for all the photography that will take place during the day and it gives a special feeling to your commitment. Given that a bride spends so much time and energy finding the “gown of her dreams,” the groom should be dressed in a tuxedo, taking his place beside her, looking the best he possibly can. Your wedding day is not an ordinary day. Dress the part and share the excitement of special.
Experienced wedding planners also suggest that someone in the bridal party bring an emergency pair of men’s black socks. Groomsmen have been known to show up in white socks!
There aren’t many milestones in life and on your wedding day, spend the money and rent or buy that tuxedo to celebrate this very special day of days. You don’t have the luxury of going back and doing it again and you will be guaranteed that the two of you will look like a million dollars!
On the day of your wedding, someone is going to ask you if you have remembered :
” Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
It’s an easy tradition to fulfill, so why not? Some brides take care of the entire situation by tucking two hankies into their small clutch bags; a blue one borrowed from grandmother or mother and another one borrowed white.
 Steve Pomerleau Photography, Windsor, Ontario- will travel However, if the tradition interests you, take time to coordinate some meaningful items on this special day! Look closely at your grandparents’ or your parents’ wedding photographs. Chances are your mother and grandmothers were wearing jewellery such as a pin, cameo, pendant, earrings, pearls or a vintage veil. These keepsakes may be tucked away in a special place (perhaps even wrapped in that blue lace-trimmed handkerchief); what an honour to have them included in your wedding finery!
Perhaps you’ll be carrying on a family tradition that started generations ago and it will provide a sweet touch to your day.
If carrying family keepsakes is not your style, consider a contemporary solution. Choose something old, perhaps from your childhood, or a memento from your first date. Borrow the jewellery or other sentimental items from your best friend. A blue ribbon can always be part of your garter, if you choose to uphold that tradition. It’s pretty simple- and you will be creating your own special sentiments.
One bride I recently read about, asked all her special “guests” to all wear blue to her wedding. At the reception, they all were introduced as valued “old” friends and were easily distinguishable from everyone else!
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